Al-Shafi’i reported: Abu Yusuf, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “I know our elders among the scholars would dislike to say in their verdicts that this is lawful and this is unlawful, unless it was clearly found in the Book of Allah Almighty, without needing to be explained.”
Ibrahim al-Nakha’i narrated from his companions, “When they intended to issue a verdict on something, or prohibit something, they would say ‘this is disliked’ or ‘there is no harm in it.’ As for when we say this is lawful and this is unlawful, there is nothing greater than this.”
Source: al-Umm 7/371
عن الشافعي قَالَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ رحمه الله أَدْرَكْتُ مَشَايِخَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَكْرَهُونَ فِي الْفُتْيَا أَنْ يَقُولُوا هَذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ إلَّا مَا كَانَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَيِّنًا بِلَا تَفْسِيرٍ
وعَنْ إبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَ عَنْ أَصْحَابِهِ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إذَا أَفْتَوْا بِشَيْءٍ أَوْ نَهَوْا عَنْهُ قَالُوا هَذَا مَكْرُوهٌ وَهَذَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ فَأَمَّا نَقُولُ هَذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ فَمَا أَعْظَمَ هَذَا
7/371 الأم للشافعي كتاب سير الأوزاعي وطء السبايا بالملك
