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
What is the ruling on adopting Abu Hanifa’s view that blood invalidates ablution, and adopting Shafi‘i’s view after the prayer, relying on it, and not repeating the prayer?
What should a Muslim do if he cannot find trustworthy scholars to ask about matters of his religion, and those available are innovators and do not memorize the texts, and answers from reliable websites are delayed?
Are there cases in which it is preferable to perform a Sunnah over an obligatory act, contrary to the rule "what is indispensable for the fulfillment of an obligation is itself obligatory"?
Is there a narration from Imam Ahmad in which he contradicted the consensus?
What is the meaning of "the Lawgiver" and how does the common person know what the Lawgiver has prohibited, and what constitutes a permissible or impermissible difference of opinion?
What are the terms and references indicative of the expressions of the Maliki imams in Fiqh, such as "the Shaykh," "he cited it as proof," or "he championed it"?
Is it permissible for one who suffers from intrusive thoughts (waswās) to seek knowledge? Thank you.
Is it obligatory for a student of knowledge to adhere solely to the madhhab of his shaykh, and when is he able to weigh between evidences?
What is your opinion regarding someone who believes that speaking about religion is not exclusively reserved for scholars, citing that God commanded us to reflect and ponder upon the Quran, and that religion does not sanctify individuals, and therefore rejects interpretations, explanations of hadith, and the juristic reasoning of scholars, and sees that the Quran's ease for remembrance contradicts the calls of religious scholars for people to read interpretations and acquire Islamic legal knowledge?
Is it permissible for a common Muslim who trusts two different authorities to usually follow one of them, then sometimes follow the other in pursuit of what is easier, and is this considered an impermissible pursuit of dispensations, and must he make up the prayers he performed in this manner?
What is the appropriate way to learn the sciences of Qur'anic exegesis (Tafsir), Sunnah, and Prophetic biography (Seerah) after being unable to complete an institute for Sharia sciences? And is summarizing the core points from various exegetical works for each verse, then summarizing them for sisters, an effective method given the limited time and numerous tasks? And what is the opinion regarding the book "Nathm al-Durar" for learning Tafsir and Seerah?
If I trust the fatwas of two different websites, is it permissible for me to adopt the easier of the two opinions, even if it contradicts the majority opinion? And is this considered following concessions (rukhas)? And is it permissible for me, as a laywoman, to adopt the opinion of Ibn Hazm or Sheikh Al-Uthaymeen regarding the issue of the wetness from a woman's private parts nullifying ablution, knowing that the majority of scholars say it does?
How can one combine the study of Sharia sciences with university studies in the English Language Department?
What is the response to Subki's criticism of Dhahabi in "Tabaqat al-Shafi'iyyah al-Kubra" (Vol. 2, p. 22) regarding his accusation of bigotry, excessive criticism of the people of religion and wealth for the Ash'aris, and praise for the Mujassimah?
What is the refutation against someone who believes that the intellect is sufficient for contemplation and derivation of evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, and there is no need to refer to scholars?
What is the reprehensibility of prohibition (karaha tahrimiyya) according to the Hanafis and others? And will one who abandons an obligation be punished? And how did the Hanbalis deduce the obligatory acts of prayer?
Is it permissible to mix between the madhahib (schools of thought) in acts of worship, such as prayer, and is that considered seeking out dispensations (tattabu' al-rukhas)?
Is it permissible to be absent from religious lessons because the children, who go to sleep before one returns from the lesson, have not had supper, knowing that preparing supper before leaving leads to missing a large part of the lesson?
How can a student of knowledge review fiqh issues, learn about the opinions of scholars and schools of thought, and identify what is most correct (rajih), what is agreed upon, and what is differed upon? And what are the recommended books for researching this, while making use of Al-Maktaba Al-Shamilah program?
Is it permissible to object to fatwas if the mufti erred in interpreting verses and hadiths, or in the absence of an objection from another mufti?
Is it incumbent upon an unlearned questioner (mustaftī) to know the specific identity and current status of the mufti who issued the fatwa, and is it permissible for him to take rulings from an Iftaa website whose administrators he does not know, and is he considered negligent if he does so, and does the ruling differ if he cannot find someone he trusts?
Why did Ibn Taymiyyah invalidate logic? What are the books that discuss the Qur’an’s refutations of the arguments of the Arab polytheists, and the Qur’anic methodology in argumentation? And how should a Muslim scholar act if he is unable to respond to a rational or transmitted argument? And what should he do in this situation?
Does a permissible act become forbidden if it is coupled with a forbidden act, and what is the ruling on what results from this permissible act?
Is it possible to seek knowledge solely from books in light of the scarcity of scholars? What books are recommended to start with, and how can one overcome the difficulty of reading classical texts?