Is the excuse of ignorance dropped today because scholars are available?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : ... ؟
The Shaykh : This is a new, sound statement saying there is no excuse today!
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, that is not what contradicts [the ruling], may Allah reward you. He says there is no excuse today because scholars are numerous, so why did he not ask? And the strange thing is that some of the common people say, "We are more excused today than we were yesterday. Yesterday, we would ask one scholar, accept him, and take his word. We did not know anyone else, and there was no one else in the town. Today, scholars have become numerous in the town. Scholars have become numerous, and if we ask four, we find five opinions. So what do we do? This is a problem. This is a problem. We are hesitant. And in reality, some people seek fatwas and say, 'I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such, and I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such, and I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such,' and they differ. They say, 'We are excused now. This is the time of excuse.' Yes, the truth is that the common people are sometimes in confusion. Today, one person says: "The preacher gave a Friday sermon and said that installment sales are forbidden and not permissible under any circumstances. If you have an item and its owner, and you want to sell it on credit for a higher price, this is forbidden. And whoever has done so must repent to Allah and return what he took from his partners to them." And the poor man says: "I spoke to him after the prayer and asked, 'What is this?' He said, 'This is a buy-back sale (‘inah). This is forbidden.' I do not know if the questioner did not understand the Shaykh's words, or I do not know. In any case, people are now excused by ignorance, and the excuse is valid. Many of the common people, it is true, have some negligence. They see people doing something and they do it, especially in Hajj. Yes."
The Shaykh : This is a new, sound statement saying there is no excuse today!
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, that is not what contradicts [the ruling], may Allah reward you. He says there is no excuse today because scholars are numerous, so why did he not ask? And the strange thing is that some of the common people say, "We are more excused today than we were yesterday. Yesterday, we would ask one scholar, accept him, and take his word. We did not know anyone else, and there was no one else in the town. Today, scholars have become numerous in the town. Scholars have become numerous, and if we ask four, we find five opinions. So what do we do? This is a problem. This is a problem. We are hesitant. And in reality, some people seek fatwas and say, 'I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such, and I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such, and I asked so-and-so and he said such-and-such,' and they differ. They say, 'We are excused now. This is the time of excuse.' Yes, the truth is that the common people are sometimes in confusion. Today, one person says: "The preacher gave a Friday sermon and said that installment sales are forbidden and not permissible under any circumstances. If you have an item and its owner, and you want to sell it on credit for a higher price, this is forbidden. And whoever has done so must repent to Allah and return what he took from his partners to them." And the poor man says: "I spoke to him after the prayer and asked, 'What is this?' He said, 'This is a buy-back sale (‘inah). This is forbidden.' I do not know if the questioner did not understand the Shaykh's words, or I do not know. In any case, people are now excused by ignorance, and the excuse is valid. Many of the common people, it is true, have some negligence. They see people doing something and they do it, especially in Hajj. Yes."