Light
09-08-10, 08:54 PM
Why does some memebers issue a Fatwa to other members without having sufficient knowledge to do so? Why do we see posts such as "I think this and I think that". Dear members, it's not what you or I think. It was Allah, his prophet, companions and people of knowledge think and say. It is not a trivial matter to give someone a fatwa. If you know the responsibility of the Mufti you wouldn't post a single letter as an answer.
There are rules and regulations for giving a fatwa and being a mufti.
1) Knowledge of the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace be upon him, and the related sciences.
2) Knowledge in the parts of consensus and disagreement and creeds and doctrine.
3) Sufficient knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence, principles and rules and purposes of the law, and any knowledge that of assistance, such as: grammar, language, logic, and others.
4) Knowledge of the conditions of people and their customs, and conditions of the age we are in and its innovation, and taking into account the change in custom building on what counts, and which does not differ from the text.
5) The ability to devise legal provisions of the texts.
6) Refer to the experts in different disciplines to imagine the issue from the people responsible for it, such as those of medical, economic, and so on backgrounds.
If any of us has these or satisfies them he/she can go ahead and give us a fatwa. Otherwise, please get a link to a fatwa. Furthermore, I think it is better for members to go and ask a mufti instead of asking people in a forum who don't in most cases satisfy the above requirements. This is a matter of the here after so don't take it lightly. You want to ask the people who satisfy these requirements.
And here are some hadiths about fatwas and people who give them and who carries the sin of the wrong fatwa.
وأخرج الدارمي والحاكم عن أبي هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:" مَنْ أُفْتِيَ بِفُتْيا مِنْ غَيرِ تَثَبُتِ فَإِنَمَا إِثْمُهُ عَلَى مَنْ أَفْتَاهُ".
وأخرج البيهقي عن مسلم بن يسار قال سمعت أبا هريرة رضي الله عنه يقول قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:"مَنْ قَالَ عَلَيَّ مَا لَمْ أَقُلْ فَلْيَتَبَوأْ بَيْتاً فِي جَهَنَم ومَنْ أَفْتَى بِغَيَّرِ عِلْمِ كَانَ إِثْمُه عَلَى مَنْ أَفْتَاهُ ومَنْ أَشَارَ عَلَى أَخِيهِ بِأَمْرِ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الرُّشْدَ فِي غَيْرِهِ فَقَدْ خَانَهُ" سنن البيهقي الكبرى.
وأخرج الشيخان عن ابن عمرو سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ:" إنَّ الله لا يَقْبِضُ العِلْمَ انْتِزَاعاً يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ العِبَادِ ولَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ العِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ العُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إذَا لَمْ يَبْقَ عَالِمُ اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤُساً جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيرِ علْمِ فَضَلُّوا وأَضَلُّوا".
وأخرج سعيد بن منصور في سننه و الدارمي و البيهقي في المدخل عن ابن عباس قال:" مَنْ أفْتَى بِفُتْيا وهُو يٌعْمِي فيها كان إِثْمُها عَلَيه".
وأخرج الطبراني في الكبير عن ابن مسعود قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:" أَشَدُ النَّاسِ عَذَاباً يَومَ القِيامَةِ رَجُلُ قَتلَ نَبِياً أو قَتَلَهُ نَبِيُّ أو رَجُلُ يُضِلُ النَّاسَ بِغَيرِ عِلْمِ أو مُصَورُ يُصَورُ التَّمَاثِيلَ".(المعجم الكبير 10 / 211)
وفي أثر مرفوع ذكره أبو الفرج وغيره " مَنْ أَفْتَى النَّاسَ بِغَيرِ عِلْمِ لَعَنَتْهُ مَلائِكَةُ السَّمَاءِ ومَلائِكَةُ الأَرْضِ".
I am sorry I can not translate all of them, but the general picture is that if the mufti does not have sufficient knowledge he should not give a fatwa since this will lead him to hellfire. And the sins of everyone who follows his fatwa will be on him.
Imagine that you say something that you think is right and turns out not to be and someone follows it thinking it's the truth, you'll be the one responsible.
One more thing, please people be careful when you commen about certain fatwas or a matter of faith with replies such asv" I refuse to believe that" or something like "this is stupid". What if that fatwa was right? what if it's something in the Quran that you are not aware of and you say something like " this is stupid". Who are you calling stupid? So please brothers and sisters be careful. A word you say that you don't think is important might lead you to hellfire.
Please also read the thread that Enigma wrote explaining giving fatwa rules.
There are rules and regulations for giving a fatwa and being a mufti.
1) Knowledge of the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace be upon him, and the related sciences.
2) Knowledge in the parts of consensus and disagreement and creeds and doctrine.
3) Sufficient knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence, principles and rules and purposes of the law, and any knowledge that of assistance, such as: grammar, language, logic, and others.
4) Knowledge of the conditions of people and their customs, and conditions of the age we are in and its innovation, and taking into account the change in custom building on what counts, and which does not differ from the text.
5) The ability to devise legal provisions of the texts.
6) Refer to the experts in different disciplines to imagine the issue from the people responsible for it, such as those of medical, economic, and so on backgrounds.
If any of us has these or satisfies them he/she can go ahead and give us a fatwa. Otherwise, please get a link to a fatwa. Furthermore, I think it is better for members to go and ask a mufti instead of asking people in a forum who don't in most cases satisfy the above requirements. This is a matter of the here after so don't take it lightly. You want to ask the people who satisfy these requirements.
And here are some hadiths about fatwas and people who give them and who carries the sin of the wrong fatwa.
وأخرج الدارمي والحاكم عن أبي هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:" مَنْ أُفْتِيَ بِفُتْيا مِنْ غَيرِ تَثَبُتِ فَإِنَمَا إِثْمُهُ عَلَى مَنْ أَفْتَاهُ".
وأخرج البيهقي عن مسلم بن يسار قال سمعت أبا هريرة رضي الله عنه يقول قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:"مَنْ قَالَ عَلَيَّ مَا لَمْ أَقُلْ فَلْيَتَبَوأْ بَيْتاً فِي جَهَنَم ومَنْ أَفْتَى بِغَيَّرِ عِلْمِ كَانَ إِثْمُه عَلَى مَنْ أَفْتَاهُ ومَنْ أَشَارَ عَلَى أَخِيهِ بِأَمْرِ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الرُّشْدَ فِي غَيْرِهِ فَقَدْ خَانَهُ" سنن البيهقي الكبرى.
وأخرج الشيخان عن ابن عمرو سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ:" إنَّ الله لا يَقْبِضُ العِلْمَ انْتِزَاعاً يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ العِبَادِ ولَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ العِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ العُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إذَا لَمْ يَبْقَ عَالِمُ اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤُساً جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيرِ علْمِ فَضَلُّوا وأَضَلُّوا".
وأخرج سعيد بن منصور في سننه و الدارمي و البيهقي في المدخل عن ابن عباس قال:" مَنْ أفْتَى بِفُتْيا وهُو يٌعْمِي فيها كان إِثْمُها عَلَيه".
وأخرج الطبراني في الكبير عن ابن مسعود قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:" أَشَدُ النَّاسِ عَذَاباً يَومَ القِيامَةِ رَجُلُ قَتلَ نَبِياً أو قَتَلَهُ نَبِيُّ أو رَجُلُ يُضِلُ النَّاسَ بِغَيرِ عِلْمِ أو مُصَورُ يُصَورُ التَّمَاثِيلَ".(المعجم الكبير 10 / 211)
وفي أثر مرفوع ذكره أبو الفرج وغيره " مَنْ أَفْتَى النَّاسَ بِغَيرِ عِلْمِ لَعَنَتْهُ مَلائِكَةُ السَّمَاءِ ومَلائِكَةُ الأَرْضِ".
I am sorry I can not translate all of them, but the general picture is that if the mufti does not have sufficient knowledge he should not give a fatwa since this will lead him to hellfire. And the sins of everyone who follows his fatwa will be on him.
Imagine that you say something that you think is right and turns out not to be and someone follows it thinking it's the truth, you'll be the one responsible.
One more thing, please people be careful when you commen about certain fatwas or a matter of faith with replies such asv" I refuse to believe that" or something like "this is stupid". What if that fatwa was right? what if it's something in the Quran that you are not aware of and you say something like " this is stupid". Who are you calling stupid? So please brothers and sisters be careful. A word you say that you don't think is important might lead you to hellfire.
Please also read the thread that Enigma wrote explaining giving fatwa rules.