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An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 10-05-2026

An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department

(The Station of our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is One of Reverence and Veneration — and He was the First to Interpret the Noble Qur'an and Clarify its Meanings)

The General Iftaa' Department affirms that describing our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as ummī — unlettered — is a description of perfection and honour, and it is entirely impermissible for this description to be used in any way that diminishes his noble station ﷺ. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "Say: O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all — He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him so that you may be guided." [Al-A'rāf/158]

His not having read or written prior to his noble prophethood ﷺ is in fact a testament to his miracle — for Allah the Almighty revealed the Noble Qur'an to him and taught him from Himself beneficial knowledge and principles that illuminate all that was sent down to him. Through this, he surpassed philosophers, legislators, historians, and masters of the natural and physical sciences. His being unlettered, combined with the knowledge he possessed that puts in order the affairs of this world and the next, is the clearest proof that what he spoke was nothing other than divine revelation from Allah the Almighty.

The Prophetic Sunnah — comprising his words and deeds ﷺ — is the second source of Islamic legislation. It contains the explanation and interpretation of the words of Allah the Almighty, whether it comes as an elucidation of the Qur'an's meanings and rulings, or as rulings not explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an itself. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it." [Al-Ḥashr/7] He also says {what means}: "And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them, and that they might reflect." [Al-Naḥl/44]

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the first to interpret the Noble Qur'an, and it is impermissible to separate what the Prophet ﷺ brought independently from what he brought as an explanation of the words of Allah — for both are revelation from Allah the Almighty. He says {what means}: "Nor does he speak from his own desire. It is not but a revelation revealed." [Al-Najm/3–4] And the Prophet ﷺ himself said: "Indeed I have been given the Qur'an and something like it alongside it." — Narrated in the Musnad of Imam Aḥmad.

In this context, we make clear that it is not permissible for anyone to undertake the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an and the pure Sunnah, or the derivation of Sharia rulings, without having acquired the essential Islamic sciences that enable a sound understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ — such as the principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), the sciences of the Arabic language, and other related disciplines. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know." [Al-Naḥl/43]

We also caution strongly against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his noble Sunnah being treated as content for social media platforms — turned into material for mockery, ridicule, and the accumulation of views. This is entirely unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation of the reverence owed to him ﷺ.

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Summarized Fatawaa

The Prophet ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk" — is this ḥadīth authentic, and what does it mean?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "There will emerge from my nation people who will drink the Qurʾān as they drink milk." (Reported by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, and cited by al-Haythamī in Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid, who stated: "Its narrators are trustworthy.")
The meaning of this ḥadīth is that there will emerge from this blessed nation people who recite the Holy Qurʾān without reflecting upon its meanings or pondering its rulings — the noble verses passing over their tongues just as milk passes over them when it is drunk, leaving no trace of thought, understanding, or contemplation behind. [See: al-Taysīr bi-Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr,Vol.2/P.63] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the wisdom behind the legislation of fasting?

Fasting is a divine school from which the believer learns much and trains in virtues that may be needed in life. Among these virtues is patience, as it is the month of patience. Fasting also teaches honesty and consciousness of Allah in both private and public, for there is no observer over the fasting person in abstaining from lawful pleasures except Allah alone.
Fasting strengthens willpower, sharpens determination, and nurtures mercy and compassion among the servants of Allah. It is a struggle against the self, a restraint of desires, a purification of the soul, and a cultivation of goodness.
The Prophetﷺ said: "Allah, the Almighty, said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when one of you is fasting on a day, let him not engage in obscene speech or raise his voice in anger. If someone insults him or fights him, let him say: I am a fasting person. By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the breath of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk.’" [Bukhari and Muslim]

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) described with specific attributes and authorizing an agent to slaughter them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) that are described with specific attributes is permissible. This falls under the category of a salam sale (forward sale) if conducted using the terminology of salam, and under the category of a regular sale if not using the terminology of salam.
 
As for authorizing the seller to slaughter the sacrificial animal, the basic principle is that it is permissible, because the agent (wakil) stands in the place of the principal (muwakkil) in achieving his objective. This is a contract that the principal (the buyer) is entitled to perform himself, so authorizing another (the seller) to do so on his behalf is valid.
 
However, it is a condition for authorization to slaughter that the intention (niyyah) is present either at the time of slaughter or at the time of handing over the sacrificial animal to the agent. The basic principle is that the sacrificial animal must be specifically designated, as it is an act of worship. It is not required to designate it at the time of slaughter; rather, it is valid to do so before that.
 
It is permissible for the principal either to delegate the intention to the agent or to formulate it himself when authorizing the agent to slaughter. However, the sacrificial animal must be designated, even if at the time of slaughter, by the agent.
 
It is obligatory to designate the sacrificial animals so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own specific animal. Therefore, charitable organizations and companies must take this into consideration and establish a specific mechanism that ensures no mixing of sacrificial animals occurs, so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own designated animal. And Allah Almighty knows best.