DOMESTICATION OF FATĀWĀ

 

©Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

Those who are in the habit of reporting the case of our local scholars to foreign scholars are taking the fitnah on ground to another level. We seek Allāh's mercy and protection. Why do some people create unnecessary dichotomy between our foreign and local scholars to heat up the already tensed da'wah platforms? The discrimination is becoming very glaring. Some people will convict and sentence some local scholars on some perceived errors and spare some foreign scholars on the same or almost the same mistakes. 

It is always better if we can be seeking our clarifications from our local scholars that we trust, they can't all be in error. Or is it true that there are people amongst us who don't trust any of our indigenous scholars? If it is true, then we are in trouble! If this is the case, then those who shun our reputable local scholars to patronise foreign scholars are not to be trusted a bit. 

When has the Deen become a sporting matter where foreign athletes are valued over home based players? Allāh has really blessed us in this country with scholars of repute, globally acknowledged, who are equipped with sound knowledge on different fields in the sharī'ah and they understand our situations better than any foreign scholar, matter how highly placed. Our local scholars can't all be perfect and can't all be bad. They are capable of addressing our issues if contacted politely. The major problem is not valuing what we have close to us.

Then, one wonders why some foreign scholars give verdicts on local scholars without proper findings on the persons they are passing verdicts on. Why  don't they refer those who come to them back to our local scholars they trust because in most cases, our local issues can only be best assessed and treated by our local scholars. With due respect, those foreign scholars should rather to put a call to some local scholars to verify what is going on? 

By this, I do not mean questions can't be taken to foreign scholars at all, but the truth is our questions can be better addressed by our local scholars who understands what is going on. In some cases, foreign scholars who stumble on a question peculiar to a region with proper verification of situation of things could end up compounding their problems, and before they know it, things could have gone worse. 

For instance, no foreign scholar can handle the fitnah of jabatiyyah in both phases better than our local scholars who have direct experiences of what is going on and who are probably direct victims of their hastiness and defamation. No foreign scholar can treat Jakmal or Mudir's cases better than our local scholars.

Another concern that I have is, it is very important for a scholar to listen to the alleged statements of another scholar whose matter is presented before him. In the first place, it is unlikely that the foreign scholar understands our local language. Even if he does, what of the local circumstances surrounding the issues discussed? What if there are errors in the translations rendered? 

Then, what we must have noticed is that some of those who take these questions our local fitan to foreign scholars do ask them to get some premeditated answers. In most cases, they hide some facts in order to get fatāwa that suit them or favour them. Their motive is mostly to find a basis to label the local scholars who go against their glaring extremism. 

Allāh's aid is sought.