326 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [June, 1911. 
our jurists are unanimous in the ‘‘ Conspicuous Reports ’’ ; 
but opinions differ regarding matters about which they differ. The 
most correct view is that stated in the Sirdjiyyah and other 
, viz., that the Muftt should give fatwé according to the 
dictum of the Imam absolutely, then according to the dictum of 
the second, then that of the third, then according to that of 
Zufar and Hasan b. Ziyad. In the Hawi-al-Qudsi, the strength of 
the argument is regarded as the correct criterion. When there 
is conflict between two views declared to be correct.—It is laid 
own in the chapter on Wag/ of the Bahr al-Ra’iq and other 
books that when there are two ‘‘ correct views ’’ regarding 
any particular question, it is lawful to give judgment and 
fatwa according to either of them. 
In the beginning of the Mudmarat it is stated: The 
signs of the fatwd are his (the jurist’s) saying, ‘in accordance there- 
with is the fatwd’; ‘ with it is given the fatwa’ ; ‘it we follow’; 
‘on it is the reliance ’; ‘in accordance with it is the practice » 
or ‘the most likely,’ or ‘the most reasonable,’ or 
the select,’ and such like expressions stated in the super- 
commentary of al-Bazdawi. End of the quotation. Our 
master al-Ramli says in his collection of fatwds: Some expres- 
sions are more emphatic than others. Thus the wor 
mos 
orrect,’’ ‘‘ most likely,’’ etc. The expression ‘‘ with it is 
given according to its opposite view, unless ze 
in the Hidayah, for instance, ‘‘ it is correct,’’ and in the Kaft 
its opposite view has ‘‘ it is correct.’? In such a case he has 
the option and he selects what he considers to be the strongest, 
and most advantageous. End of the quotation. This 
should be remembered. The substance of what Shaykh Qasim 
