:bism: (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
Fatwas are non-binding.
Fatwas are not forever valid. So, yes, a new
fatwa can overrule a new one as the ubiquity of technology makes cultural changes.
I should like to mention something that's really important to know which I don't see has been mentioned. Just as the Catholic Church at one point was abusing its power such as with selling of indulgences so there are scholars that sell
fatwas. Also, there are also scholars who abuse their power by issuing blatantly incorrect
fatwas for worldly gain, for example, in Afghanistan allowing the production of opium, when even laypersons know that drugs in Islam are categorically forbidden. Most Islamic scholars have issued
fatwas against any partaking of any activity even related to drugs. Then, of course, there was also a
fatwa issued for allowance of suicide bombing when Afghanistan was fighting against Russia for political victory, even though Islam categorically forbids any form of suicide which is what suicide bombing falls under and most Islamic scholars globally have declared suicide bombing haram
(forbidden). Now, of course, the result of the
fatwa that a scholar issued on the validity of suicide bombing is that
Daesh use these type of obscure and illegitimate
fatwas also as sources for all their
haram (forbidden).
No matter how high a scholar is in Islam in terms of knowledge, this scholar is not immune from the anger of God when he peddles his religious knowledge for worldly or political gain, and Allah knows all intentions of every person and will so punish such scholars accordingly for cheapening the religion of God. In fact, in a
hadith we know that the second group of persons (after false martyrs) whom Allah will call on Judgment Day are scholars and will expose their hypocrisy and throw them into Hell-fire.
That is why in Islam scholars are not nor have they ever been regarded as infallible and we're as human beings called to remember
Iblis (Satan) who was in Heaven and knew all heavenly knowledge and knows all religious books better than all humanity put together but Iblis is still doomed to Hell-fire because he fell into the sin of arrogance and hypocrisy. Iblis's religious knowledge didn't save him. That's why my sheikh
(Islamic teacher) (may Allah bless him) used to emphasize that the sum of all religious knowledge is to fear God. This is not to say that we should not love God or remember that God loves us but if we do not fear God, we will fall into evil deeds thinking this world can gain us something when in the end our destination is approximately 6 ft. grave.
While I do respect Islamic scholars just as I would and do respect professors of colleges and graduate schools, I try to take a long-range view of the Islamic scholar in question and ask myself whether this scholar is the "best companion" asked about and described by Prophet :saws:
(peace and blessings be upon him) as “one whose appearance reminds you of God, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter.” If instead I distrust the Islamic scholar, I would not take any
fatwa from him even if he were to be considered the highest scholar in the Islamic world because titles are meaningless and empty without the character, actions, and
taqwa (God-consciousness) to back up his/her religious knowledge.
We take refuge in Allah from being insincere, and we take refuge in Allah from ever learning religious knowledge to become hypocritical scholars. Allah knows everything, and even if Islamic scholars may mislead some persons here in this world for worldly or political or whatever gain, they will never be able to mislead Allah on Judgment Day and so they too should fear Allah and even more so than the common man because the common man is ignorant whereas this scholar is not.
And Allah knows best.
How binding is a fatwah? I suppose the closest word in English is 'decree'? Is a fatwah forever valid? Can a new fatwah over-rule an older one?
Sorry if I offended anyone, and thanks for answers.
