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Peace, Allah's mercy and blessings
upon you.

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Praise be to Allah,
Lord of the worlds.

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Blessings and peace be upon
our Prophet Muhammad, best of messengers.

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And his family and Companions,
and all who followed

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his guidance and example
till Judgment Day.

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To proceed, fatwa is a grave matter.

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Allah ﷻ took charge of it and said.

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“They ask you for a ruling
about women. Say:

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Allah gives you a ruling about them
and what the Book says on orphan girls.”

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Allah ﷻ said: "They ask you for
a ruling. Say, Allah rules on kalalah."

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The scholars are heirs of the prophets,
and must convey this religion.

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for each according to his ability,
and that includes ifta.

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Thus Allah ﷻ appointed scholars
for ordinary Muslims to ask about faith.

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in matters unclear to them.
Allah ﷻ said.

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“We sent you and those before you
only men to whom We revealed.

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So ask the people of knowledge
if you do not

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know.”

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And the imam of the people of knowledge
and exemplar: our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

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He would personally issue fatwas.
And this.

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The principle is that a Companion
may transmit his fatwa.

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As for what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

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He would give fatwas face to face,
without any intermediary.

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It was very common; indeed, it was
the norm, as in al-Bukhari, when.

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The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went out
on Eid al-Adha.

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Then he left, admonished the people,
and told them.

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After that, he urged the people
to give charity.

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The wife of Ibn Mas'ud
came and said:

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O Prophet of Allah,
you ordered the Muslims to give charity.

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And I had some jewelry,
and wanted to give it in charity.

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With it, but Ibn Mas'ud claimed that
he and his child deserved it more.

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Then he ﷺ said:

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“Ibn Mas'ud spoke the truth.

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Your husband and child deserve it more.”

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And some of it is via an intermediary.

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There is one between the questioner
and the Prophet ﷺ.

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He conveys the fatwa, for example.

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Ali's hadith: he asked
about madhy and sent al-Miqdad.

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And he said, “I am too shy
to ask him because his daughter is

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my wife.”

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And in this digital age.

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The ways to access knowledge
have multiplied and diversified.

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Hence this paper came about.

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It is not a paper set out

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in the usual academic form,
but points outlining ethics and manners.

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Its structure is:

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An introduction, two sections,
and a conclusion.

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We will present a summary
of this paper.

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The first section is on the ethics
of digital fatwa concerning the mufti.

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First: sincerity to Allah ﷻ.

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And dependence on Allah ﷻ.

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Imam Ahmad is reported
to have said.

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A man should not put himself forward
to issue fatwas unless

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he has five qualities:

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The first is that he has intent.
If he has no intention, he will not.

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there would be no light
in his words, nor upon him.

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As for the second, he should have
forbearance, dignity, and calm.

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The third is that he be strong
in his work and know it well.

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The fourth is self-sufficiency;
otherwise, people will chew him up.

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And the fifth is that he should have
knowledge of people.

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Secondly: knowledge of fatwa
sources and ways to infer from them.

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And being well-versed in that
as stipulated.

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by scholars in their writings.

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Fourth: considering harm and benefit
in giving a fatwa or withholding it.

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The fifth is kindness to the questioner.

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Showing him mercy
and speaking kindly to him.

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Even if some questioners provoke
the mufti or do not know how to ask.

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Fifth: this is part of the mufti's
good manners and sincere counsel:

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If a questioner asks about something
and he forbids him from it,

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he should guide him to what can
replace it.

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Thus he closes the forbidden door
to him and opens the lawful one.

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And the sixth thing
a mufti should observe.

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Especially in digital fatwa.

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He should prioritize whoever
contacted him first,

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and not delay in replying,
as justice and excellence require.

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Seventh: the mufti must consider
the circumstances in the answer.

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And eighth: the mufti's words
must be clear, explicit, explanatory.

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removing ambiguities and avoiding
words open to multiple meanings.

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And he should avoid absolute wording,
especially in serious matters.

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Ninth: must know people's customs
and conventions in wording and writing.

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Tenth: explain the proof
for the ruling to the questioner.

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and state its basis when possible,
not leave that to the questioner.

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Some questioners are ignorant or naive
or cannot understand or act properly.

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Eleventh: a mufti should consult
someone he trusts in knowledge and reason.

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He may.

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He may read the online question
to someone present qualified for it.

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Unless the inquiry contains

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anything that should not be disclosed
or that may affect the questioner.

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or compromise the questioner's
privacy, and the like.

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Thirteenth: avoid haste in fatwa
and refrain if the right view is unclear.

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Chiefly

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In novel cases
that should be fully researched.

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and seek help from scholars and from
what scholarly councils issue.

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Fourteenth: the mufti must avoid
answers harmful to society and unity...

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and refrain from issuing fatwa
in times of turmoil and unrest.

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and changing conditions, only after
the situation is known to the

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authority.

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Fifteenth: the mufti should ensure
he begins with himself in every

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good, and keeps away from all he
warns against; that is more likely

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so his words are accepted
and his knowledge trusted.

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He must train himself
to retract an error if it is clear.

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to him, and publish that
as widely as his previous fatwa spread.

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The sixteenth point:
Protecting the asker's privacy rights.

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Do not publish a fatwa
that mentions the asker's name.

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Nor anything indicating who he is
by a title or a specific incident.

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Seventeenth: not taking payment
from those who seek his fatwas.

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But taking it from the ruler.

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There is no objection to that.
The eighteenth.

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The digital mufti should be good
at handling these modern devices.

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So he should be proficient and seek help.

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With experts. As for the second
section.

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It is the ethics that concern
the questioner, in summary.

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In summary: first, ask scholars
about what is unclear.

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And seek out a mufti
who deserves that title.

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Secondly, diligence in seeking out
the mufti most qualified to give fatwa.

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And clarity and complete explanation.

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And not concealing what must be
explained in his inquiry.

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Also, avoiding fatwas meant
to test, harm the mufti, or track.

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and pitting opinions against each other.

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or tracking scholars' fatwas
and pitting some against others.

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or trick questions and the like.

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Fifth: Refraining from asking
about what has not happened till it does.

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Sixth: understanding the answer
properly.

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And avoid rushing to leave the site
before that is confirmed.

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Also, knowing.

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the rank of his mufti,
honoring and revering him.

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And also fear Allah ﷻ.

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Do not alter the mufti's fatwa
when wishing to publish it.

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As for the recommendations
reached by this paper,

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They are to adopt official websites
under committees' supervision.

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Licensed by the state
to issue fatwas.

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Also, issuing digital licenses
to bodies authorized to issue fatwas

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and blocking unknown websites
and those of doubtful credibility.

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Also, establish specialized committees
skilled in communication via websites.

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and be of help to the mufti
in conveying his fatwa.

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Also, in tech and fatwa digitization,
it is vital to find perceptive muftis.

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To that end, help may be sought

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with experts in psychology and politics.

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Also.

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Defining the framework in which
the fatwa operates.

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Namely, what can be answered
through the digital space, to avoid.

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Questions that address matters
of widespread public concern.

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It also includes limiting fatwa
to a framework for action and application.

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Nor should the door be left open.

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To answer everything
the questioner wishes to ask.

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And also the need to distinguish
between judicial fatwas and others.

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Another recommendation is to add
an appendix to the fatwas.

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showing the fatwa's main conditions
as they apply to the questioner's case.

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Those constraints may also concern
a country's or body's terms and dialects.

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where the fatwa request came from.

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While in other regions
that term or dialect

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may mean something else.

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Also, fatwas should be restricted
to the conditions stated in the query.

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And taking into account which fatwas
can be published and which cannot.

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Also, one of the biggest problems
related to fatwa digitization.

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is the mufti's need to inquire
about determinative facts.

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to formulate the fatwa precisely.

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One recommendation is to form
committees by region or continent.

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to aid in drafting the fatwa.

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And considering the fiqh madhhabs
of the regions the question comes from.

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Another recommendation is to issue
the fatwa as an image or PDF.

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to avoid issues with changes in

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letters or symbols on the screen.

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Also, employing language editors
with sufficient Sharia competence.

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And using translators when needed
with sufficient Sharia qualification.

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Also, engage tech developers
who are abreast of huge tech advances.

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They help renew the
operating methods of fatwa websites.

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And seeking the help of specialists
proficient in cybersecurity.

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Among the recommendations is
linking the written digital fatwa

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to the audio or visual fatwa
to avoid any confusion

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when understanding the fatwa.

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Also, stopping the frantic race
among bodies to create platforms.

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where no scholars are known
to be giving fatwas.

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who are authorized by the ruler.

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This is what I could summarize.
Allah knows best and is Most Wise.

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May Allah bless and grant peace to
our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

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[Birds chirping.]