How Fatwās First Came to Be Written Down: From the Companions' Scrolls to the Compilations of the Second Century

Answer

The collecting and compiling of fatwās began, to some degree, already during the blessed lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Many Companions ﵃ wrote scrolls (ṣaḥīfahs) and collections of ḥadīth during his lifetime; these included his rulings, commands, prohibitions, and approvals which he himself pronounced, as well as what he said in answer to the Companions' questions…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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