Culled by Aboo Aamir
Issuing fatwas without knowledge leads to misguidance and opens the door to error and misguiding others, as mentioned in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr regarding the removal of knowledge.
A sincere believer must beware of following the errors of scholars and seeking out their concessions, for their errors are destructive to Islam, and whoever takes their concessions will gather all forms of evil within themselves.
It has been reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) feared for his Ummah the errors of scholars. Several hadiths mention this:
1. The First Hadith: Al-Tabarani narrated in Al-Sagheer from Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“I fear three things for you, and they are inevitable: the error of a scholar, the argumentative misuse of the Qur'an by a hypocrite, and the allure of worldly pleasures opened to you.”
2. The Second Hadith: Al-Tabarani narrated in Al-Kabeer from Abu al-Dardaa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“I fear three things for my Ummah,” and he mentioned among them “the error of a scholar.”
3. The Third Hadith: Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“The greatest of my fears for my Ummah are three,” and among them, he mentioned “the error of a scholar.”
4. The Fourth Hadith: Abu Nu'aym in Hilyat al-Awliya and Ibn Abdul Barr in Jaami’ Bayaan al-'Ilm wa Fadhlih narrated from Amr ibn Awf al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘I fear for my Ummah three actions after me.’ They asked, ‘What are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied: ‘The error of a scholar, unjust rulings, and whims followed.’”
These four narrations have some issues in their chains of transmission, but they strengthen one another. Supporting them is what Al-Darimi narrated with a sound chain from Ziyad ibn Hudayr, who said:
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: "Do you know what destroys Islam?" I said, "No." He replied: "It is the error of a scholar, the argumentative misuse of the Qur'an by a hypocrite, and the unjust rulings of misguided leaders."
Ibn Abdul Barr narrated it through various chains with similar wording.
Imam Ahmad narrated in Az-Zuhd from Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
"I fear for you: the error of a scholar, and the argumentative misuse of the Qur'an by a hypocrite."
Ibn Abdul Barr also narrated it in his book Jaami’ Bayaan al-'Ilm wa Fadhlih with similar wording. He also narrated a similar report from Salman (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abu Dawood and Al-Hakim narrated from Yazid ibn Amirah, who said that Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"I warn you against the misstep of a wise man (scholar), for Shaytan may cause a word of misguidance to come from the tongue of the wise, and a hypocrite may speak a word of truth."
I said to Mu’adh: "May Allah have mercy on you, how can I know when a wise man speaks a word of misguidance and when a hypocrite speaks a word of truth?" He replied:
"Yes, avoid from the words of the wise those statements that are widely condemned and cause people to say, 'What is this?' But do not let that stop you from benefiting from him, for it is possible that he might retract. And accept the truth when you hear it, for the truth has light upon it."
This is the wording of Abu Dawood.
In Al-Hakim's narration, Mu’adh said: "Beware of the misstep of a wise man." It also states: "Avoid from the words of the wise every ambiguous statement that, when you hear it, makes you say, 'What is this?'" The rest of the narration is similar to that of Abu Dawood.
Al-Hakim said: "This narration is authentic according to the criteria of Al-Bukhari and Muslim," and Al-Dhahabi agreed with him in his commentary At-Talkhees.
Ibn Abdul Barr also narrated this in his book Jaami’ Bayaan al-'Ilm wa Fadhlih, in which it is stated that the people asked Mu’adh: "What is the misstep of a wise man?" He replied:
"It is a word that alarms you, and you find it objectionable, saying: 'What is this?' So beware of his misstep, but do not let it turn you away from him, for he may soon retract and return to the truth."
Ibn Abdul Barr commented: "The wise have likened the misstep of a scholar to the breaking of a ship: when it sinks, many people sink with it."
He added: "If it is established that a scholar can err and make mistakes, it is impermissible for anyone to issue fatwas or adopt opinions without understanding their basis."
Ibn Abdul Barr also narrated from Khalid ibn Al-Harith, who said: "Sulaiman At-Taymi said to me: 'If you follow every concession of every scholar, evil will gather in you completely.'”
Ibn Abdul Barr concluded: "This is a consensus on which I know no disagreement."
From:.Taghleez al-Malaam 'ala al-Mutasarri'een ila al-Futyaa wa Taghyeer Al-Ahkaam (Severe Reprimand for Those Who Hasten to Issue Fatwas and Alter Rulings) pp.37-38
