for the judiciary, and there is no one else besides him, then it becomes incumbent upon him; for it is a communal obligation (fard kifaya) that no one else is capable of fulfilling, so it becomes personally binding upon him, like washing and shrouding the deceased. It has been narrated from Ahmad something that suggests it is not personally binding upon him, for he was asked: Is the judge sinful if no one else is found? He replied: He is not sinful. This may be interpreted literally as meaning it is not obligatory for him due to the risk to his own self, for he is not required to inflict harm upon himself to benefit others, and this is why Abu Qilaba refrained from it when he was told: There is no one else but you. It may also be interpreted as applying to someone who is unable to fulfill the obligation due to the oppression of the ruler or others, for Ahmad said: The people must have a judge; would the rights of the people go to waste!

Section: It is permissible for a judge to accept a stipend (rizq). Shurayh, Ibn Sirin, Al-Shafi'i, and the majority of scholars granted a concession for this. It is narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he appointed Zayd ibn Thabit to the judiciary and allocated a stipend for him. He also provided a stipend to Shurayh of one hundred dirhams each month. He sent Ammar, Uthman ibn Hunayf, and Ibn Mas'ud to Kufa and provided them with a sheep every day; half of it for Ammar, and half for Ibn Mas'ud and Uthman, and Ibn Mas'ud was their judge and teacher. When he sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal and Abu Ubayda to the Levant, he wrote to them to look for righteous men from among those with them, appoint them to the judiciary, be generous to them, provide for them, and suffice them from the treasury of Allah. Abu al-Khattab said: It is permissible for him to accept a stipend if there is a need, but if there is no need, there are two opinions. Ahmad said: It does not please me for him to take wages for the judiciary, but if he does, it should be in proportion to his work, like the administrator of an orphan's estate. Ibn Mas'ud and Al-Hasan used to dislike taking wages for the judiciary. Masruq was also...