A Fatwa from an Unaccredited Scholar

Question

May an unaccredited ‘alim or an unaccredited mufti — someone who has not obtained a certificate (sanad) from any institution — issue a fatwa in writing or verbally? For many members of Jama‘at-i Islami, who are for the most part neither ‘alims nor muftis, issue fatwas. In that case, should the fatwas of such unaccredited muftis be taken into consideration or not?

Answer

Whatever matter [a person] has fully researched — whether by studying it with a teacher or hearing it from people of knowledge — it is permissible to relate it with full care. Studying a book on one’s own, one often makes a mistake in understanding it; therefore cautious people always refrain from issuing a fatwa.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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