Is it permissible to act upon a fatwa that I recanted from acting upon after I swore not to do so based on it? And is it permissible to act upon a fatwa that I doubted, then became convinced of and acted upon?
If the fatwas differ:
1. If you are capable of examining the evidence: Follow what appears to be more correct and has stronger evidence, while being careful not to pursue concessions or personal whims.
2. If you are among the common folk: Take the of a scholar whom you trust for their knowledge and piety. If the muftis differ, then follow the one you find most reliable.
If you abandon acting upon a fatwa and then later become convinced of it for a valid reason, there is no harm in acting upon it, as long as it is not a blameworthy pursuit of concessions.
Similarly, there is no harm in breaking an oath if you see something better, and expiation for the oath is obligatory: feeding ten poor persons or clothing them or freeing a slave. If one cannot find these, then fasting for three days.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/142173
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 142173
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy