Seeking Knowledge and Following Scholars
This subtopic gathers questions on seeking religious knowledge and its obligation. It also covers the schools of law, following one scholar over another, scholars' qualifications, and the sources of legislation.
Questions readers ask here:
- What is the ruling on one who is ignorant of the necessary Sharia rulings related to worship?
- How did the Salaf treat their shaykhs, and what should be done when a scholar enters the mosque?
- What should be done when there is doubt about something being forbidden or permissible?
- What is the difference between Sharia and Fiqh?
Whether a particular hadith is authentic belongs under Hadith and Authenticity.
193 questions
Is it obligatory to ask the first scholar if that becomes feasible after having asked the second scholar, and is it permissible to ask the second or third scholar directly without asking the first, if that is not done out of following personal inclination?
How can reliable religious books be chosen from the Doha Book Fair to learn about the rulings of the abrogating and abrogated (nāsikh wa-mansūkh) and the principle of "the lesson is in the generality of the wording" (al-ʿibra bi-ʿumūm al-lafẓ)?
Why did God not protect the imams and scholars from error in matters of religion? And why did the Prophet, peace be upon him, not explain everything during his time?
Are the verses attributed to Imam Al-Shafi'i—"Be a jurist and a Sufi, not just one, for by God, I sincerely advise you. The former is harsh, his heart untouched by piety, and the latter is ignorant; how can an ignorant person be reformed?"—authentic, and what do they mean?
Will a person be held accountable for an action if it was based on a fatwa that later proved to be incorrect?
I am asking about the biography/translation of Al-Layth ibn Sa'd, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him.
How can one find an easy and accessible research method for the sayings of scholars and their differences on jurisprudential issues, specifically the sayings of scholars and the Four Schools of Thought on a particular issue?
What is the ruling on one who is afflicted by obsessive doubts (Al-Waswas), and is it permissible for him to adopt the easier opinion? And does his prayer become invalid if he follows the majority in the view that rubbing (Al-Dalk) is not obligatory? And what is the sufficient amount of rubbing according to the Malikis? And is it permissible for one afflicted by obsessive doubts to omit rubbing if the view that it is not obligatory is the stronger opinion? And is one who abandons prayer considered a disbeliever and will he abide eternally in Hellfire if he dies ignorant of this ruling?
What is the ruling on studying and learning Pythagoras's theorem in mathematics, and is there any sin incurred for having studied it in the past?
Is it considered disbelief (kufr) or unlawful (haram) not to believe in the consensus (ijma') of the Ummah after the first three centuries, or not to adopt analogical reasoning (qiyas) after the Tabi'in and their successors, while believing in the consensus and analogical reasoning of the Companions and the first three centuries, and holding the view that the hadith "My Ummah will not agree upon error" is weak?
What is the difference between the following books, and which one suffices over the others: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl by Al-Mizzī, Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb by Ibn Ḥajar, Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb by Ibn Ḥajar, al-Kāshif fī Maʿrifat Man Lahu Riwāyah fī al-Kutub al-Sittah by Al-Dhahabī, Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl by Al-Dhahabī, Lisān al-Mīzān by Ibn Ḥajar, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ by Al-Dhahabī, and al-Kāmil fī al-Ḍuʿafāʾ by Ibn ʿAdī?
Is the current method of seeking religious knowledge—by studying reliable books and the commentaries of well-known scholars, researching specialized websites, and contacting شیخs when necessary—sufficient and adequate in the absence of a direct شیخ?
If a Sheikh or a website issues an incorrect fatwa, and the questioner abides by it, does the questioner bear responsibility or sin, or the one who issued the fatwa, or both of them?
Can the rule "what is minor is overlooked" be applied to every minor issue in fiqh, or does it have specific conditions and controls?
What is the suggested progressive methodology for reading Ibn al-Qayyim's books on spiritual refinement in order to gain the intended benefit?
What is the meaning of "As for whoever is among those capable of examination and preference, it is not permissible for him to contradict what he has come to prefer" in Fatwa no. 188223? Does this mean the permissibility for the questioner to exercise ijtihad in choosing what he deems preferable from the evidence and sayings, rather than following dispensations? Is it permissible to seek fatwas from those on websites without knowing their knowledge and piety, and merely relying on their presentation of evidence?
What is the most accurate book among the books of the Fiqh of 'Ibādāt (acts of worship)?
What are the most prominent books in Hadith and Tafsir, and do different editions of books vary in their content?
How can one devise a plan or schedule for reading and progressing through the books of Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the subject of al-Raqāʾiq (heart-softeners)?
What do you know about Sheikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri?
Can a doctor who is content with knowing what is necessary for salvation and understanding the correct way to perform his acts of worship and maintain his creed attain the rank of Siddiq (the truthful one) or of the working scholars?
What is the difference between a printing (ṭab‘ah) and an editorial revision/critical edition (taḥqīq)? And what is the best editorial revision/critical edition and the best printing for the book "Madārij al-Sālikīn" and other famous books?
What are the websites or audiobooks that help a committed employee seek religious knowledge, memorize the Quran, and study the Prophetic biography?
Is it better for a beginner in seeking Islamic legal knowledge to combine eight disciplines, or to start with one discipline and then move on to another? And what are the recommended books for beginners in noble Prophetic narrations (Hadith Sharif) that gather authentic Hadiths? And is seeking knowledge for a specific subject by relying on a recording of a sheikh without meeting him personally considered seeking knowledge directly from him?