Ijaza Is Not Necessary

You don’t need an ijaza from a Shaykh to pass on knowledge – الإجازة

Imam al-Suyuti wrote 500 years ago:

الإجازة من الشيخ غير شرط في جواز التصدي للإقراء والإفادة، فمن علم من نفسه الأهلية جاز له ذلك وإن لم يجزه أحد، وعلى ذلك السلف الأولون والصدر الصالح،
وكذلك في كل علم في الإقراء والإفتاء خلافاً لما يتوهمه الأغبياء من الاعتقاد كونها شرطاً
وإنما اصطلح الناس على الإجازة لأن أهلية الشخص لا يعلمها غالباً من يريد الأخذ عنه من المبتدئين ونحوهم، لقصور مقامهم عن ذلك،
والبحث عن الأهلية قبل الأخذ شرط فجعلت الإجازة كالشهادة من الشيخ بالأهلية
“Authorization (ijaza) from a shaykh is not a prerequisite for being allowed to impart knowledge and spread benefit.
So, anyone who knows of his own qualification may do so even if no one authorizes him.
This is the view of the early forbears and the pious ancestors.
This, likewise, applies in every science, in imparting knowledge and issuing fatawa.
This contravenes the view of the simpleminded (aghbiya’) who imagine that to be a prerequisite.
The only reason the scholars (nass) introduced authorization (ijaza) was that entry level learners and their like who desire to learn from another, in most cases, do not know the person’s qualifications in light of their own inadequacy.
And searching for qualification before taking instruction is a prerequisite. So, authorization (ijaza) was treated like a testimony (shahada) of one’s qualification from an authorized shaykh.”

[“Al-Itqaan fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an”, 2/652].

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The Prophet said:
بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً
“Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence.”
[“Sahih Bukhari”, 3461].

And he said:
أَلاَ لِيُبَلِّغِ الشَّاهِدُ مِنْكُمُ الْغَائِبَ
“Let those who are present pass this on to those who are absent.”
[“Sahih Bukhari”, 105].

If you know 1+1=2 – you can pass it on.

You don’t need to become a maths teacher before you can pass that on.

Similarly, if someone asks you about the ruling on wine, fornication, stealing, etc. you don’t have to become a qualified scholar before you can answer these questions.

If you know – you can tell others – especially if you are simply passing on on what qualified scholars have said.

There is no problem with this.

However, we should ONLY speak about matters we know about.

We should not talk based on ignorance.