Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There was a time upon us when neither did we give fatwas nor were we worthy of it, but Allah the Exalted decreed otherwise and you see the state we have reached. From today onwards, whoever is faced with any matter should decide according to what is present in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. And if such a matter arises which is not found in the Book of Allah, then he should decide as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) decided. Then if such an issue comes up which is neither in the Book of Allah nor did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) make a decision about it, then he should decide as the pious predecessors decided, and he should not say, "I fear" or "this is my opinion," because the unlawful is clear and the lawful is also evident, and between the lawful and unlawful are some doubtful matters. So, leave that in which you have doubt and adopt that in which there is no doubt or suspicion.