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Praise be to Allah.

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Peace and blessings on His Messenger ﷺ,
his family, Sahabah (RA), and followers.

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To proceed, I thank Allah ﷻ
for His grace and facilitation.

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I extend my sincere thanks
to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

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They graciously approved holding
this blessed symposium.

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I also thank the trustworthy Crown Prince.

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I ask Allah ﷻ to make it fruitful
and achieve its goals.

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Thanks also to the religious affairs chief
for his efforts and follow-up.

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Thanks also to the sponsors and organizers
of this symposium.

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I ask Allah ﷻ to grant everyone success
in all good.

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It is an honor to offer this modest paper
before our esteemed scholars.

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I ask Allah ﷻ for guidance and success.

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This paper comprised an introduction,
a preface, two sections, and a conclusion.

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In the preface,
I mentioned the status of fatwa.

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I also mentioned the mufti's qualities
as stated by scholars.

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Then, in section one, I gave ten
fatwa guidelines for the Haramain.

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In section two, I mentioned the
mufti's qualities in the Haramain.

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I also mentioned ten guidelines
related to him.

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Then came the conclusion,
which included six recommendations.

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I then added four more to make ten.

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That way, it would follow one pattern
and become a ten-point paper.

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I will skip the preface.

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As I said, it addressed fatwas' status,
the mufti's traits, and scholars' views.

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The first section, on fatwa guidelines
in the Two Holy Mosques, matters greatly.

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Fatwas there gain importance
from the sanctity of the place.

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The Two Holy Mosques draw Muslims' hearts
and are the goal of journeys for worship.

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This shows the importance of caution
and care in fatwas there.

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The mufti receives many inquirers
from many different places.

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He does not know them or reach them later
after they receive the fatwa.

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If the mufti misreads the question
or gives a poor answer, follow-up is hard.

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He may not find the questioner again
to correct the answer and the fatwa.

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Among those guidelines

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is this: Fatwas and answers to questioners
must be grounded in proof.

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That proof comes from
the Qur'an and Sunnah.

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This shows questioners that fatwas
there rest on legal evidence.

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In the Two Holy Mosques,
that evidence is carefully observed.

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The muftis there also strive
to identify the strongest view.

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They assess disputed issues
through the revealed texts.

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They adopt the soundest view,
without bias toward any school.

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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on
him, said the following.

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"The mufti should mention
the ruling's evidence.

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He should also mention
the basis for it, when possible.

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And not give the questioner
a bare ruling without proof."

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And so on.

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The second guideline is
moderation, balance, and ease.

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It also means
lifting hardship.

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It also means avoiding severity,
laxity, excess, and neglect.

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This is the way of Islam:
"We made you a middle nation."

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And Allah ﷻ says, "Allah intends ease for
you and does not intend hardship for you."

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Abu Hurayrah narrated this.

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"Religion is ease.

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Whoever makes it hard is overcome,
so stay on course and do your best."

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Al-Shatibi said this.

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"The highest-ranking mufti
guides people to the middle way.

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It is suited to the general public,
as commonly understood.

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without leading them to severity
or inclining them to laxity."

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And so on.

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The third guideline.

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Fatwas should consider time and place,
as customs, norms, and conditions vary.

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Here, some rulings depend on custom,
so fatwas change as it changes.

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Whoever ignores this and relies
on old book examples runs into problems.

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That can violate the case's legal ruling
and bring hardship Islam lifted.

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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah ﷻ
have mercy on him, said this.

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"Book-based fatwas in differing contexts
send both mufti and people astray."

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"Their harm to faith is worse than
a doctor using one text on varied bodies."

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"Indeed, an ignorant doctor and mufti
harm people in faith and body."

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Al-Qarafi and Ibn Abidin affirmed this.
Ibn Abidin said this.

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"Many rulings fit the mujtahid's own time,
so they change as times change."

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"This may be due to necessity or decay;
otherwise it burdens and harms people."

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The fourth guideline is that fatwas there
should stress core beliefs and aims.

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This includes tawhid and
sincere devotion to Allah ﷻ.

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It also means venerating His rites
and serving the common good.

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It also urges people to remain
with the community.

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It also means obeying those in authority.

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It also means avoiding innovation,
division, and deviance.

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It also shows the wisdom of legislation,
Islam's tolerance, and the Sharia's ease.

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The fifth guideline: do not answer
questions on state or internal affairs.

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Avoid what stirs discord,
fanaticism, and tribal partisanship.

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Be wary of anything that causes
division, enmity, and conflict among Muslims.

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Abu Hurayrah (RA) said,
"I kept two vessels from the Prophet ﷺ."

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"One I disclosed.
The other would cost me my life."

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Imam Malik said, "A scholar is undone
by answering anyone who approaches him."

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A man asked, but Malik did not reply.
He said, "Abu Abdullah, won't you reply?"

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"Had you asked what helps you,
or what you need for faith, I'd answer."

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The sixth guideline is to consider
consequences in acts and fatwas.

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This is a major, delicate field.
A fatwa is not mere literalism.

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Nor is it simply
applying a text to a case.

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Rather, it must consider its consequences,
and the benefits gained and harms averted.

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It must weigh them when they conflict.

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This includes the Sharia's objectives,
and the rule of blocking and opening means.

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It also means taking the Sharia's ease,
removing hardship and preventing harm.

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It also means tailoring the ruling
to the asker's case and related issues.

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The legal proofs confirm this principle.

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The scholars affirmed this as well.
Al-Shatibi mentioned it too.

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He listed two traits.

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The first trait.

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The answer must fit
the person's own case.

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This is when the issue has
a ruling specific to him.

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Second: he considers outcomes
before answering questions.

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The seventh guideline is to unify,
as far as possible, the fatwas.

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This applies to ijtihadi issues
often asked in the Two Holy Mosques.

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The purpose is to prevent
confusion for questioners. When answers differ.

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To achieve that, I propose
consultative scholarly meetings.

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These would be held by the Presidency
of Religious Affairs in the two Mosques.

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They would gather those who issue
fatwas and answer questioners.

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The goal would be
to unify fatwas.

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Or at least reduce disagreement.

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This concerns ijtihadi issues
frequently asked about there.

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There, muftis may give different
answers to questioners.

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These meetings should be held
regularly, at least twice a year.

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With senior scholars and members
of the Permanent Fatwa Committee.

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The issues should be identified,
and research presented.

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Then conclusions should be reached
to bring views closer.

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The eighth guideline is caution
with written fatwas.

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The same caution applies
to recorded ones as well.

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They should be avoided.

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Fatwas there often depend on
the asker's own circumstances.

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They also depend on
time and place.

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If written down or recorded,
they may be taken out of context.

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They may also be applied
to cases that do not fit.

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They may even be exploited
for disgraceful purposes.

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That can cause problems
for the mufti and his country.

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Therefore, the mufti should answer
the questioner directly.

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He should not allow
the answer to be recorded. And he should not write it down.

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That could be exploited
for improper purposes.

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There are specialized bodies for
writing fatwas.

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The ninth guideline is to avoid
aberrant and weak views.

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No fatwas should oppose
scholarly consensus.

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Nor should they oppose the rulings
of fiqh councils.

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Nor should they oppose the rulings
of the Council of Senior Scholars.

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The tenth is to avoid fatwas
in disputes needing judicial review.

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Likewise, in divorce cases
that require hearing both sides.

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After that, I mentioned the mufti's
qualities and guidelines.

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I then mentioned some recommendations,
some were already included.

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Another recommendation not
included in the paper is this.

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I call for an interactive,
multilingual digital platform.

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It should guide questioners in
the Two Holy Mosques.

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Its links should appear on Hajj and Umrah
platforms, like the Ministry of Hajj.

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Attention should also be given
to non-Arabic questioners.

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Their questions should be answered
with suitable care.

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Tools for live translation
should also be used.

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There are more recommendations as well,
and I ask Allah ﷻ to grant success to all.

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May Allah send peace and blessings upon
our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

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Thank you to the session chair.

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[Birds chirping]