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Is it permissible to issue a fatwa based on the قول (saying/opinion) of a single scholar without knowing the opinions of other scholars and the evidence, such as issuing a fatwa that wudu’ is not obligatory for tawaf based on the قول of Ibn Taymiyyah, without knowing the rest of the scholars’ opinions or the evidence?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Issuing a religious ruling (fatwa) without knowledge is a grave sin, and its burden falls upon the one who issues it. However, it is permissible to convey the fatwa of a well-established scholar, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, provided there is certainty that the statement is accurately attributed to its speaker, even if the one conveying it does not know the preponderant nature of the statement or its evidence. It is also permissible for a common person (layman) to follow (taqlid) someone they believe is qualified to issue fatwas. Taqlid is the act of adopting a statement without knowing its evidence.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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