To what extent is the نقل (transmission/citation) from the four Madhahib in the Kuwaiti Fiqh Encyclopedia accurate, is it permissible for the general public to adopt its rulings, and is it advisable for those who are not students of knowledge to benefit from it?

The Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Fiqh is a beneficial and valuable book, and its attribution to the madhhabs is generally correct, but errors may occur therein. Among these is the attribution to the Hanbalis that it is invalid for someone performing Dhuhr prayer by way of qada' (making up a missed prayer) to follow someone performing it by way of ada' (performing it on time). This contradicts the Hanbali madhhab, which validates the following of one who is performing qada' by one who is performing ada', and vice versa.

The Encyclopedia is useful for common folk, but it must be emphasized that the subject of fatwa is deeper than for a common person to derive it from a book, as the issue mentioned in the book might not apply to their specific situation. Therefore, a common person should seek fatwa from scholars and not suffice with reading books.