exploring Alifta, one arrives at:

Fatwas of Ibn Baz
Browse by subject > Usul-ul-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) > Ifta' and Istifta' > Fatwa derived from several doctrines > Q 1: Do you affiliate to a specific Madh hab (School of Jurisprudence)? What is your approach in deciding Fatawa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) and arriving at...
(Part No. 4; Page No. 166)
An interview with the Sudanese Newspaper "Al-Rayah"
Questions submitted to His Honor Sheikh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz from the delegates of the Sudanese newspaper "Al-Rayah" (The Flag) Mr. Mahdy Ibrahim Muhammad and Mr. Muhammad Waqa` Allah Ahmad ..
His Honor graciously replied as follows:
Q 1: Do you affiliate to a specific Madh-hab (School of Jurisprudence)? What is your approach in deciding Fatawa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) and arriving at the evidence for it?
A: I follow the Madh-hab of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah be merciful to him), but not by way of Taqlid (strictly following a specific School of Jurisprudence). Rather, I employ the principles that he put into practice.
As for the debatable issues, my approach is to give preference upon establishing evidence and issue the Fatwa in accordance with that, whether it agrees with the Madh-hab of Al-Hanabilah or not, for truth must be followed.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) states: O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ??? ???? ???? ????), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (??? ???? ???? ????), if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.

Why not ask your question of someone, of a group, who authentically are Muslim Legal Scholars?

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The General Presidency of Scholarly Research and 'Ifta

Advise the King of Saudi Arabia on religious issues and are the only body in KSA with the authority to issue a fatwa:

http://www.alifta.com/Fatawa/FatawaSubjects.aspx?languagename=en&MenuID=5&View=Tree&NodeID=1&PageNo=1&SectionID=0


I am not a Muslim Legal Scholar. I refer you to:

Reliance of the Traveller, a classic manual of Islamic Sacred Law, Ahmad Ibn Naqib al-Misri, in Arabic with facing English text, commentary and appendices edited and translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller.
Revised Edition, 1994 Beltsville, MD: Amana Publications.
$40 from Amazon

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not Muslim, and I'm surprised that The Economist, of all publications, wrote such a prejudiced article. Just seeing the title as, "The Sorry State of Arab Men," made my jaw drop. This is The Economist, where I wanted to work when I was in college. WTF?

I thought you were supposed to judge an article by its content, not just the title. Are you disagreeing with the data and/or analysis?

Are you disagreeing that the title of the article is racist, and that the contents of the article don't present a nuanced view of Islamic society and instead hone in the crazies? I'm the non-Muslim PP you're responding to, btw. Not sure if your prejudice-baiting thread or the Economist's prejudicial article is more disappointing, but since the publication is generally a respected and intelligent one, I'm going to say I'm more disappointed in the Economist.

I read the article and it really didn't make any commentary on Islam whatsoever. As an Arab-American I thought it was spot-on. There is an epidemic of domestic violence in the Arab world that is largely ignored. It's just facts.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not Muslim, and I'm surprised that The Economist, of all publications, wrote such a prejudiced article. Just seeing the title as, "The Sorry State of Arab Men," made my jaw drop. This is The Economist, where I wanted to work when I was in college. WTF?

I thought you were supposed to judge an article by its content, not just the title. Are you disagreeing with the data and/or analysis?

I'm not Muslim, and I'm surprised that The Economist, of all publications, wrote such a prejudiced article. Just seeing the title as, "The Sorry State of Arab Men," made my jaw drop. This is The Economist, where I wanted to work when I was in college. WTF?

Muslim legal scholars promote a notion of qiwamah (guardianship) that gives men authority over women. In conservative countries, such as Saudi Arabia, this is official policy.

is this real?

http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21721651-they-are-clinging-patriarchy-comfort-sorry-state-arab-men