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In Allah ﷻ's name,
Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

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Praise be to Allah ﷻ,
Lord of the worlds.

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Peace and blessings be upon our
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, family and Companions.

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Now then, peace, mercy,
and blessings of Allah ﷻ be upon you.

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On this occasion, I am pleased and honored
to welcome His Excellency the Sheikh.

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Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsin
Al-Turki is a Royal Court adviser.

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He is also a member of
the Council of Senior Scholars.

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I also welcome the esteemed Sheikh Dr.
Abdulsalam bin Mohammed Al-Shuwayir.

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I also welcome the esteemed Sheikh Dr.
Abdullah bin Suleiman Al-Khaili.

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I also welcome Their Excellencies,
Eminences, and honored attendees.

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I extend my thanks and praise
to the Religious Affairs Presidency

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at the Grand Mosque
and the Prophet's Mosque.

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It is represented by its president.

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His Excellency Sheikh Dr.
Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais.

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By Allah's grace, he played a key role.

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This blessed symposium was held.

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This symposium is titled:

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Fatwa in the Two Holy Mosques:

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Its Role in Easing Matters
for Their Visitors.

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This is part of Saudi Arabia's efforts.

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It serves the Two Holy Mosques
and their visitors.

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The Presidency strives to provide
all that helps.

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It helps visitors and Umrah pilgrims
with their rites, guidance, and education.

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It also makes fatwas accessible
and answers their questions.

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Fatwas change with time and place
because they are tied to reality.

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The sacred sites now receive huge numbers
of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors.

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This necessitates specific conditions
and realities on the ground.

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Reconstruction projects and upgrades to
services and infrastructure shape reality.

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As do the requirements of security
and healthcare.

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Amid development and modern challenges,
fatwa is urgently needed in the Haramain.

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Hence this blessed symposium was held
to meet these needs and Sharia aims.

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Sharia states that fatwas fall under
the ruler, like the courts and hisbah.

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Thus fatwas are among the most important
and weightiest matters.

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It is one of the gravest religious matters
people need at all times and places.

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People rely on it to practice
the rulings of their religion.

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A Muslim must know rulings before acting.
If not, ask scholars for Allah ﷻ's ruling.

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As Allah ﷻ says, "Ask the people
of remembrance if you do not know."

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They are named specifically.

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Thus, asking others is forbidden.

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If scholars are asked, they must answer
and must not conceal knowledge.

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Allah says: "Those who conceal"

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the clear proofs and guidance
We sent down

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after We made them clear
to people in the Book

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they are cursed by Allah

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and cursed by those who curse."

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People would seek fatwas

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from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

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Allah would reveal the ruling.

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It would be revealed in the Quran.

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The Messenger ﷺ would also answer.

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Allah joined prophethood
and fatwa in him.

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Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said this.

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"The first in this Ummah
to undertake issuing fatwas

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was the master of the messengers.

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He was the leader of the God-fearing.

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He was the Seal of the Prophets.

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He was Allah's servant and Messenger."

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He was entrusted with His revelation
and sent to His servants.

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So he issued fatwas from Allah,
as the Wisest of Judges said:

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"I ask of you no reward for it,
nor am I one of the pretenders."

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His fatwas were comprehensive and final.
May Allah have mercy on him.

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Then a group of his Companions
succeeded him in issuing fatwas.

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They excelled in it,
becoming leading muftis in Islam.

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If we go by a rough count.

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The number of Companions alive when
Allah ﷻ's

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Messenger ﷺ passed away was 114,000

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Yet reported fatwas from the
Companions did not exceed 200.

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Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him.

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listed the Companions by name,
by how many fatwas each narrated.

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He then said:

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"We traced every person
from whom fatwas were narrated.

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This included one issue or more.

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We found only 153 in all,
men and women alike.

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Only seven among them
issued many fatwas:

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They were Umar, Abdullah his son,
Ali, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Mas'ud.

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Also Aisha and Zayd ibn Thabit.
May Allah be pleased with them.

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The middle group numbered 13.

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So these were only 20 in all.

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The rest had very few fatwas.

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Some had one, and some had two."

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End of his words.
May Allah have mercy on him.

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After the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died.

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Then began the era of the Rightly
Guided Caliphs.

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It ran through Abu Bakr, Umar,
Uthman, and Ali until 40 AH.

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It was the finest early era of fatwa
and closest to what is right.

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From it, the light of guidance is drawn in
every time and place.

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There, fatwas were issued with care.

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They were based on research,
reflection, and study.

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That is why I joined
this blessed symposium.

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and presented a paper titled:

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The Methodology of Fatwa

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in the Era of the Rightly Guided
Caliphs.

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to show its importance as a model
and to ground fatwa today.

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This topic chiefly warns of the danger
of unqualified fatwas.

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They come from those not firmly grounded
in knowledge.

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It also warns against issuing them

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without authorization
even if qualified.

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A fatwa is a signature on behalf of Allah
ﷻ and a clarification of His rulings.

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Speaking about Allah without knowledge

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the gravest prohibitions, because it
involves boldness, lies against

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Allah ﷻ, and leading people astray.

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It is among the major sins.

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Allah ﷻ says: “Say: My Lord has only
forbidden indecencies

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open and hidden, sin, transgression
without right

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associating with Allah ﷻ that for which He
has sent down no authority

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and saying about

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Allah ﷻ what you do not know.”

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For this reason

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many of the Companions (RA) feared
giving fatwas

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and kept passing them from one to
another, because

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Allah ﷻ had placed fear and vigilance in
their hearts.

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Indeed, the Companions (RA) feared giving
fatwas and warned against

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boldness in giving them—or even taking
them on.

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Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Layla said: “I met
120 of the Ansar (RA)

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Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ…”

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"A question would be put to one, and he'd
pass it on till it came back to him."

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"In another report, none of them would
narrate a

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hadith without wishing his brother would
do it for him

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and none would be asked about anything
without wishing

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his brother would give the fatwa instead."
Fatwas in the era of the Rightly Guided

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Caliphs were issued only after the jurist
took exceptional care

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mindful of their gravity for the Ummah

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of the misguidance and deviation they
could cause

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of the warning and punishment for
speaking about

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Allah ﷻ without knowledge, and moved by
inner scrupulousness and piety

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showing neither audacity nor haste;

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so no fatwa would be issued by them except
after deep reflection and study

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and only once it had fully matured and
been presented to the scriptural texts.

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All right, Sheikh.

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The fatwa approach of the Rightly Guided

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Caliphs derives its importance from
its authenticity.

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It drew on the scriptural texts, the
Qur'an and Sunnah

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when the language was sound and untouched
by foreign influence.

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It also came from a time when the

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Islamic sciences were pure and unmixed
with anything else.

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The fatwa approach of the Rightly Guided

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Caliphs also derives importance from
the virtue

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and standing of the noble Companions (RA).

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They witnessed revelation and the period
of legislation, and lived with Prophet

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Muhammad ﷺ, hearing from him and
understanding him.

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They were from the praised generations and
were masters of eloquence and rhetoric.

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The fatwa approach of the Rightly Guided

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Caliphs also derives importance from
its competence.

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It can derive rulings and address
incidents and unprecedented cases.

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The general fatwa methodology in the era
of the Rightly

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Guided Caliphs relied on two sources:

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the Qur'an and Sunnah.

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The two sources were completed when Allah
ﷻ perfected His religion.

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"Today I have perfected your religion for
you, completed My

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favor upon you, and approved Islam for you
as your religion."

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The foundational stage ended with the
cessation of revelation upon

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the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

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In the era of the Rightly Guided

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Caliphs, the phase of ijtihad and
fatwa began

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to expand to address events
and occurrences.

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It addressed new cases with rulings
derived from the Quran and Sunnah.

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The Rightly Guided Caliphs too sought
consultation in fatwas, easing hearts.

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Al-Sha'bi, Hasan, Abu Husayn: A fatwa of
yours Umar (RA) would consult Badr men on.

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Fatwas were also restricted in some
fields to qualified specialists.

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The Commander of the Faithful.

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From the pulpit, Umar ibn al-Khattab
said: Ask Ubayy ibn Ka'b about the Quran.

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Ask Mu'adh ibn Jabal
about halal and haram.

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Those are the chief features of the fatwa
method under the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

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This is a summary of the paper I
presented at this blessed seminar.

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In closing, we ask Allah SWT for success,
rectitude, and to guide us aright.

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My success is only through Allah SWT.
In Him I trust, and to Him I turn.

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May Allah SWT bless Prophet Muhammad SAW,
his family and all his Companions (RA).

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Thank you.

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Peace be upon you,
and Allah's mercy and blessings.