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Praise be to Allah ﷻ,
Lord of the worlds.

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I praise Him, Most High, for His favors.
Peace and blessings on His noble Prophet.

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May abundant peace be upon
his Companions (RA) and followers.

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Now then, two great, important matters
intersect with what we discuss today.

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The first is the Two Holy Mosques,
lofty in Allah ﷻ's law and Muslims' hearts.

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The second is fatwa, and it reveals
Allah ﷻ's ruling and His religion.

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Fatwa is one of Sharia's greatest matters.
It remedies people's problems lawfully.

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Fatwa applies Allah ﷻ's rulings
to people's actual circumstances.

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Fatwa returns people, by Allah ﷻ's leave,
to their Mighty, Majestic Lord's law.

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Fatwa empowers the community to use life
and develop it.

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Fatwa helps the Ummah use life's
many spheres to the fullest.

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That leads to servitude to
Allah ﷻ.

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It lets people earn great reward
and abundant recompense.

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It also raises them to the highest
ranks in life.

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Whoever lives by Allah’s law reaches the
highest ranks in life, as Allah ﷻ says:

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"Indeed, this Qur'an guides to what is
most upright."

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"He calls you to what gives you life."

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"Whoever does righteous deeds,
male or female, while being a believer"

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"We shall surely grant them
a good life"

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"And reward them by the best
of what they used to do."

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Ordinary people cannot attain
righteous conduct on their own.

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They must consult those
qualified to issue fatwas.

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Allah ﷻ says:

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"Ask the people of knowledge if you do
not know."

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Many lands have been spared strife
by Allah's leave.

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That was through fatwas.

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That is why Allah ﷻ commanded

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this: When grave crises arise, refer them
back to those qualified, as He says:

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"When news of security or fear
comes to them, they spread it around;"

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"They should have referred it
to the Messenger and those in authority."

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"Then those able to infer it
would have known it."

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"Without Allah's favor and mercy
upon you, you would have followed Satan."

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"Except for a few among you."

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Hence Allah ﷻ obligated some of
the Ummah to study deeply.

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They must delve into Sharia rulings
and attain ijtihad.

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Only then are they fit
to issue fatwas.

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Allah ﷻ says:

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"It is not for the believers to go forth
all together.

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"Rather, a group from each party
should learn the religion."

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"They should warn their people
when they return home."

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"So that they may beware."

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This point must be stressed.

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The office of fatwa
must be protected.

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Unqualified people
must be kept out.

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Otherwise they harm
the Muslim community.

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That is why the texts strongly
stress this.

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They forbid speaking about Allah ﷻ
without knowledge.

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This includes fatwas
that lack proper grounding.

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They are not based on Allah's Book
or His Messenger's Sunnah ﷺ.

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Such fatwas are forbidden.

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That is why Allah ﷻ says:

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"Who is more unjust than one
who invents lies about Allah?"

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And He, Glorious and Exalted,
also says:

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"Woe to you. Do not invent lies
about Allah."

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"Or He will destroy you with
punishment. The one who lies has failed."

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The Muslim community needs people
in many fields.

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That includes medicine and construction.

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It also includes agriculture
and industry.

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All these fields need muftis too.

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They must guide people to Allah's law.

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That is not limited to worship.

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It covers every sphere of life.

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Sharia is complete, and believers need
its rulings throughout life.

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Allah ﷻ says: "We sent down the Book
as clarification of all things."

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Hence the Message is universal
for all creation.

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Allah ﷻ says: "We sent you only
to all mankind."

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As a bearer of good news
and warning.

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Scholars said issuing fatwas has
two conditions.

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The first is integrity.

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The word and fatwas of those lacking it
are not accepted.

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Allah ﷻ says: "O believers, if a sinner
brings you news, verify it."

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The second condition is reaching the level
of ijtihad.

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One must be able to derive Sharia rulings
and apply them to people's cases.

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Ijtihad requires four conditions.

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The first is knowing the scriptural
texts—the Quran, the Sunnah

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and the other proofs—their conditions, and
how to apply them.

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The second condition is knowing the rules

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of interpretation and inference found in
usul al-fiqh.

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The third is some knowledge of Arabic.

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This enables one to understand the texts
of the Quran

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and Sunnah conveyed in that language.

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The fourth condition is knowing the points
of agreement and disagreement.

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This prevents one from producing
an unprecedented view.

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It also links new issues
to earlier ijtihad by analogy.

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Scholars have said that those qualified to
issue fatwas are of five ranks.

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The first are those capable of ijtihad.

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The absolute mujtahids follow no imam
in usul or furu'; they do ijtihad in both.

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Second are school mujtahids, called the
exponents of wajh.

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In usul they adhere to a particular
imam's usul

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but in furu' they are not bound by what is
reported from him

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and may even adopt views outside their
school based on their own ijtihad.

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They were called exponents of wajh.

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Because a wajh is a view held
in the school without the imam's report.

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The third category are those of tarjih.

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they do not go beyond the reports and
opinions found in the school;

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they only prefer one report over another.

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The fourth category are those of takhrij:

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they analogize the issues at hand to the
imam's reported views

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or apply the school's principles to
subsidiary cases.

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The last category are called
the memorizers:

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they know the school's terminology, where
issues are discussed in its books

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and which cases resemble those the
scholars mentioned.

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There are also qualities they mention for
those fit to issue fatwas:

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The mufti should be calm-minded.

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He must understand issues
and their application.

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He must also apply the evidence
to those issues.

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He should not issue fatwas then.

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That includes times of anger,
worry, boredom, and the like.

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They also require him not to be hasty
in cases, judging only after full review.

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So the scholars said:
"It is forbidden to follow a lax mufti."

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A lax mufti is one who rules on a matter
before fully examining it.

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One point stressed here is that fatwa
is a very grave matter.

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People must respect it and esteem
all that pertains to it.

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So one should draw near to Allah ﷻ
by addressing people's issues and cases.

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Their rulings must be taken
from the proofs of Sharia.

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Another fact also confirms this.

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The Two Holy Mosques receive pilgrims,
Umrah performers, and visitors.

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They need to know the rulings
they must observe and what is forbidden.

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They therefore need muftis so their acts
accord with Sharia and hardship is lifted.

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They must also avoid incurring duties
such as fidyah, expiation, and the like.

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This is because they did not comply
with what the Sharia requires.

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I discussed applying fatwa
to the Two Holy Mosques in my paper.

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But the session chair—may Allah bless
and reward him—wanted fairness among us.

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Please excuse me for ending here.

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I ask Allah ﷻ to grant everyone success
in all good, and joy here and hereafter.

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I ask Allah ﷻ to guide this land's rulers
to His pleasure and reward them well.

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At their head are the Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince.

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I also ask Allah ﷻ to grant success
to the patrons of this symposium.

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They range from the regional governor
to the Holy Mosque's religious chief.

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I also ask Allah ﷻ to grant
the other presenters success and joy.

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Finally, I thank the session chair—
may Allah reward him—and the rapporteur.

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May Allah ﷻ bless everyone.

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And Allah ﷻ knows best.

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Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,
his family, and all Companions (RA).