Concerning the Muslim Missionaries that give Legal Rulings Q&A by Shaykh ‘Abdul’Azeez bin ‘Abdillah bin Muhammad Aali ash-Shaykh

There are some Du’aat (Muslim missionaries) that give opposing rulings concerning issues that the Major Scholars have already given rulings to, so what is your advice to them?

Answer: The Daai’ee (the Muslim missionary) to Allah concerns himself with making the truth clear, in calling to Islam, in explaining falsehood, and in warning from it based on the evidences contained within the Book and the Sunnah.

One should know however, that not every caller to Allah is qualified to give legal rulings. The caller does his best to invite to Allah, to preach and admonish, to inform and guide but he doesn’t reach the position where he is able to give rulings when he is doing all of this.

Therefore it is obligatory for the caller when asked about something he doesn’t know that he should not answer until after he has referred to the one who is more knowledgeable than him. One who will make the truth clear to him.

As for what is adopted by some of the callers whenever they preach or remind, they are asked questions and they give a response even if they know or do not, then this is not permissible. Based on this, some of them speak about issues that only the Major Scholars can give rulings for. They do this out of self-trustworthiness and forwardness, being reluctant to say, “I don’t know”, so one will give a ruling even though it opposes the truth.

Shaykh ‘Abdul’Azeez bin ‘Abdillah bin Muhammad Aali ash-Shaykh, 
Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Taken from the Islamic Research Magazine, pg. 54
Translated by Thomas Maldonado