all the reports that have been related regarding this. For Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab, the two caliphs of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his two viziers, and the best of people after him, would be asked about a ruling during their imamate and would not know the Sunnah regarding it; they would ask the people and be informed. Abu Bakr was asked about the inheritance of the grandmother, and he said: "You have nothing in the Book of Allah, and I do not know of anything for you in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But go back until I ask the people." Then he stood up and said: "I beseech Allah, who among you knows the judgment of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concerning the grandmother?" Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah stood up and said: "I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave her one-sixth." Umar also asked about a woman's miscarriage, and al-Mughirah [ibn Shu'bah] informed him that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) decreed for it a ghurra (a slave as indemnity). It is not a condition to know the issues that the mujtahids have branched out in their books, for these are branches that the jurists derived after having attained the position of ijtihad, so they are not a condition for it, as the position precedes them. It is not a condition for ijtihad in one issue that one be a mujtahid in all issues; rather, whoever knows the proofs of an issue and what pertains to it is a mujtahid in it, even if he is ignorant of others, just as someone who knows the laws of inheritance (fara'id) and their principles, it is not a condition of his ijtihad in them that he have knowledge of sales. For this reason, there is no imam who has not paused on certain issues. It is said: "Whoever answers every issue is insane." And if a scholar abandons "I do not know," his vital organs have been struck. It was narrated [that Malik] was asked about forty issues, and he said regarding thirty-six of them: "I do not know," and that did not remove him from the status of being a mujtahid. What is considered are the foundations of these matters, which are collected and recorded in the branches of jurisprudence and its principles (usul). So whoever knows that, and has been granted the understanding of it, is a mujtahid, possessing the right to issue fatwas and the authority of judgment if he is appointed. And Allah knows best.
Section: It is not a condition for the judge that he be a scribe. It is said: It is required, so that he may know (28) what
(23) In the original and B: "wazaraahu" (his two viziers). (24) Its verification has passed, in: 9/54. (25) Omitted from: the original. (26) Its verification has passed, in: 12/60. (27) In B: "an Malik annahu" (from Malik that he). (28) In M: "li-ilmi" (so that he may know).
الأخْبارِ الوارِدةِ في هذا، فقد كان أبو بكر الصِّدِّيقُ وعمرُ بنُ الخطابِ، خَلِيفَتا رسولِ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-، ووَزيراهُ (٢٣)، وخيرُ الناسِ بعدَه، في حالِ إمامَتِهما يُسأَلانِ عن الحُكمِ فلا يَعْرفانِ ما فيه من السُّنَّة، يَسْأَلَان الناسَ فيُخْبَران، فسُئلَ أبو بكرٍ عن ميراثِ الجَدَّةِ، فقال: ما لكِ في كتابِ اللهِ شىءٌ، ولا أعْلَمُ لكِ في سُنَّةِ رسولِ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- شيئًا، ولكنِ ارْجِعي حتى أسألَ الناسَ. ثم قامَ فقال: أنشُدُ اللهَ مَن يعلمُ قضاءَ رسولِ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- في الجَدَّةِ؟ فقامَ المُغيرَةُ بنُ شُعْبَةَ، فقال: أشْهدُ أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- أعْطاها السُّدُسَ (٢٤). وسألَ عمرُ عن إمْلَاصِ المرأةِ، فأخْبرَه المُغيرَةُ [بنُ شُعبةَ] (٢٥) أنَّ النَّبِيَّ -صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ- قَضَى فيه بغُرَّةٍ (٢٦). ولا يُشترَطُ معرفةُ المسائلِ التي فرَّعها المجتهدون في كُتبِهم، فإنَّ هذه فروعٌ فرَّعَها الفُقَهاءُ بعدَ حِيازةِ مَنْصِبِ الاجْتهادِ، فلا تكونُ شَرْطًا له وهو سابقٌ عليها. وليس من شَرْطِ الاجْتهادِ في مَسْألةٍ أن يكونَ مُجْتِهدًا في كلِّ المسائلِ، بل مَن عرَفَ أدِلَّةَ مسألةٍ، وما يتعلَّقُ بها، فهو مُجْتِهدٌ فيها، وإنْ جهِلَ غيرَها، كمَن يَعْرِفُ الفَرائضَ وأُصولَها، ليس مِن شَرْطِ اجْتهادِه فيها معرفتُه بالبيْعِ، ولذلك ما مِن إمامٍ إلَّا وقد توقَّفَ في مسائلَ. وقيل: مَن يُجيبُ في كلِّ مسألةٍ فهو مجنونٌ، وإذا تركَ العالِمُ: لا أدْرِي. أُصِيبَتْ مَقاتلُه. وحُكى [أنَّ مالكًا] (٢٧) سُئلَ عن أربعينَ مسألةً، فقال في ستٍّ وثلاثينَ منها: لا أدْرِي. ولم يُخرِجْه ذلك عن كَوْنِه مُجْتِهدًا. وإنَّما المُعْتَبرُ أصولُ هذه الأمورِ، وهو مجموعٌ مُدوَّنٌ في فُروعِ الفقهِ وأُصولِه، فمَن عرَفَ ذلك، ورُزِقَ فَهْمَه، كان مُجْتهدًا، له الفُتْيَا ووِلايةُ الحُكْمِ إذا وَلِيَه. واللهُ أعلمُ.
فصل: ليس مِن شَرْطِ الحاكمِ كونُه كاتِبًا. وقيلَ: يُشْترَطُ ذلك؛ ليَعْلَمَ (٢٨) ما
(٢٣) في الأصل، ب: "ووزراه".(٢٤) تقدم تخريجه، في: ٩/ ٥٤.(٢٥) يسقط من: الأصل.(٢٦) تقدم تخريجه، في: ١٢/ ٦٠.(٢٧) في ب: "عن مالك أنه".(٢٨) في م: "لعلم".
