Issuing a Fatwa Based Only on Radd al-Muhtar (Shami)

Question

What is the standing of Shami (Radd al-Muhtar) among the books of fiqh? Can a fatwa be issued relying only on Shami, or not?

Answer

Shami is comprehensive and, taken as a whole, is a reliable source. For one who possesses proper competence (itqan), issuing a fatwa based only on Shami is correct.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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