Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah al-Hanbalī (d. 751 A.H./1350 C.E.), may Allāh have mercy on him, said something very telling for us all to reflect on in this crazy (and interesting) age that we live in. He said the follow in his famous book entitled Notifying Those Who Sign on Behalf of the Lord of the Worlds (إعلام الموقِّعِين عن رب العالمين), an important work concerning the exceedingly demanding science of fatwa-giving:
The Necessary Conditions for Those Who Convey on Behalf of Allāh and His Messenger
Given that conveying on behalf of Allāh, Glorious is He, requires knowledge of what is being conveyed, as well as sincerity in it, the rank of conveyance by means of narration (riwayah) and delivering legal verdicts (al-futyā) should not be held except by one who has the attributes of knowledge and sincerity. Hence, he should be knowledgeable about what he is conveying, as well as sincere in it. Along with that he should also be upright in manner, pleasing in personal history, just and balanced in his statements and actions, and similar in both his inward and his outward (with regards to his comings, goings, and states of being).
If the office of signing for the kings maintains a rank whose nobility cannot be denied, nor its esteem be ignored—such being the highest of the lofty ranks—then how would it be for the office of signing for the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth?
Therefore, it is most befitting for the one who has been placed in this office to prepare himself exceedingly well and ready himself with a complete readiness. He should know the rank of the station that he has been placed in. There should be no hesitation in his breast when it comes to speaking the truth and coming out openly with it, for indeed, Allāh is his Victor and his Guide. How could it not be so, when it is the office that the Lord of lords has taken on Himself, saying: “They ask you [Prophet] for a ruling about women. Say, ‘God Himself gives you a ruling about them...’” [4:127]. Sufficiently honorable and majestic is what Allāh has taken on Himself! He says in His Book: “They ask you [Prophet] for a ruling. Say, ‘God gives you a ruling about inheritance from someone who dies childless with no surviving parents’” [4:176].
Therefore, let the Mufti be well-aware of who he is representing in his edicts (fatwa) and let him be absolutely certain that he will be asked tomorrow when he will be brought to stand in front of Allāh.
** This segment translated by Khalil Abu Asmaa (Christopher J. Moore) **
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