Fatwa ID: 08209

 

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

 

Question:

 

Salam, I am a practicing Hanafi and I know talfiq is impermissible (without darurah) but my question is that what can be classed as darurah? For eg if one feels overwhelming lust can he follow Imam Shafi in the issue of hurmat musahara to save himself from the major consequences?

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

 

 

Answer:

 

No, he cannot. Darurah means a need or a necessity, not a want. It is a situation where one risks losing their life, suffering or exacerbating a severe injury, having their life savings stolen, failing to meet an obligation or incurring some other equally severe loss, and there exists no reasonably achievable permissible alternative [1]. As Allah s.w.t has said:

 

{ … وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ ۞}

 

“… and He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you except that to which you are compelled by necessity. Surely, there are many who misguide people based on their desires without having knowledge. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of the transgressors.”
(Surah Al-An’aam 119)

 

In the case of Darurah, obligations may be postponed or waived and the impermissible can become permissible, with limitations. One who is facing starvation may eat Haraam food if no Halal food is available, provided he eats only what he needs to and without desiring to eat Haraam. One with an open wound may wipe the bandage covering it during Wudhu until that wound heals. One suffering a life-threatening or debilitating illness may take a medicine which contains impermissible ingredients if no alternative can be found, and the medicine’s effectiveness is established [2].

 

Given that Darurah can make the impermissible permissible, in such circumstances some have permitted Talfiq, adopting an opinion from another Madhab, allowing one to implement a more lenient view while still remaining within the boundaries of the Shari’ah [3].

 

However, this is only permitted when one faces a genuine necessity that means adhering to their Madhab is either impossible or could cause real harm. The danger in Talfiq lies in the self-contradiction that arises when one is inconsistent in their methodology. By combining two opinions, one risks following an opinion held by nobody. There is also the danger of following an opinion where no necessity exists solely to adjust the rules to align with one’s own desires, rather than to seek the truth or overcome an otherwise unsurmountable dilemma.

 

However, what you have described is in no way a Darurah. When a Darurah is present it is almost never a matter of debate. It depends on what one needs or doesn’t need, not what one wants or doesn’t want. Both Madhahib agree that the relationships that incur Hurmat Musaharah are impermissible, and Talfiq is not a tool to make the Haraam Halal. Rather, a person with such desires has a clear alternative, which is to display some basic self-control [4].

 

 

only Allah  knows best.

 

Written by Maulana Yusuf Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

[1] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 1, pg. 446, Darul Fikr:

إذْ الضَّرُورَةُ الْعَجْزُ الْمُبِيحُ لِتَرْكِ أَدَاءِ الرُّكْنِ

 

[2] Surah Al-Baqarah 173:

{ … فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ۞}

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari 5686:

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ نَاسًا، اجْتَوَوْا فِي الْمَدِينَةِ فَأَمَرَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَلْحَقُوا بِرَاعِيهِ ـ يَعْنِي الإِبِلَ ـ فَيَشْرَبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا، فَلَحِقُوا بِرَاعِيهِ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا، حَتَّى صَلَحَتْ أَبْدَانُهُمْ

 

[3] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 6, pg. 56, Darul Fikr:

مِمَّا فِيهِ ضَرُورَةٌ ظَاهِرَةٌ تُبِيحُ الْخُرُوجَ عَنْ أَصْلِ الْمَذْهَبِ مِنْ طُرُوُّ الْمَنْعِ

 

[4] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 3, pg. 30-31, Darul Fikr:

(وَ) حَرَّمَ الْمُصَاهَرَةُ (بِنْتَ زَوْجَتِهِ الْمَوْطُوءَةِ وَأُمَّ زَوْجَتِهِ) وَجَدَّاتِهَا مُطْلَقًا بِمُجَرَّدِ الْعَقْدِ الصَّحِيحِ (وَإِنْ لَمْ تُوطَأْ) الزَّوْجَةُ لِمَا تَقَرَّرَ أَنَّ وَطْءَ الْأُمَّهَاتِ يُحَرِّمُ الْبَنَاتِ وَنِكَاحَ الْبَنَاتِ يُحَرِّمُ الْأُمَّهَاتِ، وَيَدْخُلُ بَنَاتُ الرَّبِيبَةِ وَالرَّبِيبِ. وَفِي الْكَشَّافِ وَاللَّمْسُ وَنَحْوُهُ كَالدُّخُولِ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَأَقَرَّهُ الْمُصَنِّفُ (وَزَوْجَةَ أَصْلِهِ وَفَرْعِهِ مُطْلَقًا) وَلَوْ بَعِيدًا دَخَلَ بِهَا أَوْ لَا