A few suggestions for those answering Ask Saint.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you all.

This is my first post on the Ask Saint platform. I have found this platform to be incredibly useful and informative. It gives me immense pleasure to see how people come together on a single platform to express their thoughts and share their knowledge. They ask questions and receive satisfactory answers. For me, this environment has proven to be extremely pleasant, and I have personally benefited greatly from it. I am deeply grateful to the entire management team of Ask Saint for providing such a wonderful platform.

Now, I will move on to the main topic of my article. I have noticed that sometimes, in answering certain questions, the respondents provide an opinion or an estimate. While this does provide an answer, there does not appear to be a systematic method for verifying or validating the information. Although all the respondents generally provide excellent and well-written answers, every writer needs suggestions to refine and improve their writing. A good writer always welcomes constructive criticism. Keeping this in mind, I would like to offer a few suggestions, especially for those who answer Islamic questions.

1. Firstly, regarding the issue of giving religious rulings, I quote a famous Hanafi scholar, Allama Ibn Abidin Shami (may Allah have mercy on him). Ibn Abidin Shami states that when the scholars of preference have determined a particular opinion to be more authoritative, it is obligatory to act upon that opinion. It is not permissible to act upon the weaker opinion except in unavoidable situations. This consensus is agreed upon by all scholars. Therefore, when scholars have deemed one opinion to be superior among various possibilities, it is the principle that the established and agreed-upon ruling should be given. Since there are often some rare and unconventional opinions in every matter, presenting these to the public can lead to confusion. Hence, only the agreed-upon and well-established opinions should be presented to the general public to avoid any complications in their practice.
2. If a person disregards the superior opinion among many and chooses an opinion based on personal preference, it constitutes following one’s desires, which is forbidden. Such a person is considered highly ignorant and foolish for jeopardizing their eternal hereafter for a minor worldly gain. These individuals do not have the right to issue religious rulings because giving a religious ruling is a very important and sensitive responsibility. Therefore, those who answer religious questions should exercise extreme caution and avoid giving answers based on personal preferences since the weaker opinion is considered invalid compared to the stronger one.
3. Similarly, giving preference without a valid reason is also incorrect. If you know the issue but lack a legitimate religious justification, you should refrain from answering. Otherwise, the questioner might ask for proof, and if you fail to provide it, they might lose trust in you and become disenchanted with the religion. Our goal is to attract people to the religion, not drive them away.
4. The responsibility of the Mufti is to issue the ruling, and the Qadi (judge) is responsible for enforcing it. Your duty is solely to provide the ruling. Whether to act upon it or not is the responsibility of the questioner or the authoritative bodies that enforce the system. Hence, you should only provide the ruling without any compulsion.
5. It is essential for a Mufti to be fully aware of the credibility of the opinion holder on which they base their fatwa in terms of both narration and reasoning. The Mufti must have the ability to distinguish between correct and weak opinions. If you do not know which opinion is correct and which is weak, there is a risk that you might give an incorrect ruling.
6. Until the Mufti has complete confidence, satisfaction, and certainty in their fatwa, it is not permissible to pass it on. Therefore, in case of doubt, you should not give an answer until you are fully satisfied with it.
7. The final point I want to make is to emphasize the grave sin of giving incorrect rulings. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said that whoever knowingly attributes falsehoods to him should prepare for their place in Hell. Therefore, I urge all of you to keep these points in mind when answering any questions to ensure we all continue to benefit from this excellent platform.

May Allah protect and support you all. Ameen.

Thank you very much.