al-Moulakhas al-Fiqhi - Salih Al-Fawzan - (2/619)

The Book of the Judiciary
Chapter: Legal Rulings Concerning the Judiciary in Islam

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah said: “It is obligatory to regard holding judicial office as a form of religion and a means of drawing closer to Allah, for it ranks among the finest acts of devotion. What has corrupted most people is their pursuit of prestige and wealth through it.”

The basis for this comes from the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. The Exalted says, “And judge between them by what Allah has revealed” (4:105), and He says, “O David, We have made you a vicegerent on earth; so judge between the people in truth” (38:26).

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—undertook the task himself, and he appointed judges in the regions that came under Muslim rule. His successors after him did the same. The Muslims unanimously agree that judges must be appointed to settle disputes among the people.

Linguistically, qaḍāʾ (judgment) means to perfect a matter and bring it to completion, as in the verse: “He completed them as seven heavens in two days” (41:12). In technical usage it refers to clarifying the sharʿī ruling, enforcing it, and resolving conflicts.

كتاب القضاء باب في أحكام القضاء في الإسلام قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية ﵀: "والواجب اتخاذ ولاية القضاء دينا وقربة؛ فإنهما من أفضل القربات، وإنما فسد حال الأكثر بطلب الرئاسة والمال بها ... " انتهى. والأصل في ذلك الكتاب والسنة والإجماع: قال الله تعالى: ﴿وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ﴾ ، وقال تعالى: ﴿يَا دَاوُدُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقّ﴾ . وقد تولاه النبي صلى الله عليه وسل بنفسه، ونصب القضاة في الأقاليم التي دخلت تحت الحكم الإسلامي، وكذلك خلفاؤه من بعده. وأجمع المسلمون على نصب القضاة للفصل بين الناس. والقضاء في اللغة معناه: إحكام الشيء والفراغ منه؛ قال تعالى: ﴿فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ﴾ ، وله معان أخرى، وأما معناه اصطلاحا؛ فهو تبيين الحكم الشرعي والإلزام به وفصل الخصومات.