Who is qualified to be given the title "scholar" ('alim)? And is it permissible to bestow this title upon an Islamic education teacher, or is it exclusively reserved for senior شيخs (shaykhs)?
The terms 'alim' (scholar), 'faqih' (jurist), and 'mujtahid' (independent legal reasoner) refer to someone who exerts their utmost effort to deduce Islamic rulings from their proofs. This necessitates fulfilling the conditions of . Al-Shawkani mentioned five conditions: knowledge of the texts of the Qur'an and , knowledge of issues of consensus (ijma'), knowledge of the Arabic language, knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), and knowledge of the abrogating and abrogated verses/traditions (nasikh wa mansukh). Sheikh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen mentioned similar conditions, including: knowledge of the legal proofs, knowledge of the authenticity and weakness of , knowledge of the abrogating and abrogated and of consensus, knowledge of what differentiates rulings, knowledge of the linguistic implications of words and the principles of jurisprudence, and the ability to deduce rulings. This description is a legal term with its specific conditions, and it is not applied to every person who speaks about rulings, or studies Islamic subjects, or is a preacher, unless they meet these conditions.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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