Ruling on asking more than one scholar so that the questioner may follow his own desires

Question:
On the occasion of fatwas and seeking legal rulings, Your Eminence the Shaykh; many of our brothers ask about the same topic from more than one student of knowledge, and perhaps they find a difference in opinion. What is your guidance for those who ask? Do they suffice with asking one person? Or do they ask this one and that one until they reach what they desire?

Answer:
If the questioner’s heart is not at ease with the fatwa, and his intention is good, his intention is knowledge, and his intention is scrupulousness, then there is no blame on him. He should ask until his heart is at ease with the evidence and that this is the ruling of the Shari'ah. However, if he intends to follow his desires, this is not permissible. If he is seeking what agrees with his desires, this is not permissible. But he must strive to know the truth by its evidence, so that his heart is at ease with the fatwa. He should seek out those he believes are closest to good and closest to knowledge among the scholars of fatwa. That is, he should seek a ruling from one whose heart he is at ease with, believing he is closest to knowing the truth. He should be discerning among the scholars of knowledge and in seeking their rulings, looking for one whom he believes, and who is most likely in his opinion, to be closest to hitting the truth. So he should focus on being at ease and hitting the truth, not on what agrees with his desires. As for the one who asks this one and that one so that his chest opens up and he is at ease with the fatwa by its evidence, we hope there is no blame on him, because this falls under the category of verifying the truth.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.