Choosing the Easiest Option when the Fatwa Differs

20-7-2022 | IslamWeb

Question:

If a muslim who doesn't have much knowledge of Quran and Sunnah gets different answers from two different students of knowledge and he needs to choose one urgently, what should he do? Can he choose the easiest option?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

What is required of the layman Muslim if he finds various Fatawa [on the same issue] is for him to imitate the most trustworthy scholars.

If he finds that they seem to be all equal, and none of them appears to be the best one, then in this case one view suggests that he chooses one of them, and another opinion proposes that he acts according to the most strict amongst them.

A third view, however, advises that he acts according to easiest Fatwa for all the texts indicating easiness and facilitation in the Sharee'ah, such as the Saying of Allah (what means): {Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.} [Quran 2:185]

Therefore, in this case, there is no harm for a layman Muslim to choose the easiest option.

Allah knows best.