• One of his universal rulings is that whoever first lays claim to something that is lawful and unowned acquires the stronger right to it. This covers:
– being the first to sit in a mosque, market, or public courtyard;
– being the first to take up residence in dwellings or endowments that are not subject to an administrator’s allocation;
– being the first to benefit from lawful pursuits such as hunting land or sea game, extracting resources from oceans or mineral seams, gathering wild herbage or fire-wood, reclaiming barren land, and every other matter that falls under this foundational principle.
• Another universal ruling is the acceptance of the word of trustworthy custodians concerning what lies in their hands—whether their guardianship stems from the Lawgiver or from the owner by agency, bequest, or supervision of a waqf. The statements of all such people are accepted about whatever they assert regarding receipts, expenditures, and similar matters, so long as their claim is plausible; this is precisely what is meant by entrusting them with custody and authority.
Know, however, that accepting their word in these issues does not preclude auditing them, demanding to see how those internal and external expenditures are handled, or clarifying the reasons for any shortfall or damage; doing so provides firmer grounds for judging their honesty or deceit.
Granting them a completely free hand on the plea that they are trustworthy and that their word suffices is a mistake both in Sharia and in fact. The Lawgiver himself audited His officials and corrected them, and uncovering the truth of affairs is required by the consensus of all discerning people. How many a person once deemed trustworthy has been proven, beyond doubt, to have betrayed that trust once he was scrutinised!
• A further universal ruling is that an obligation lapses when a person is utterly incapable of performing it, yet if he can fulfil part of it, that part remains binding while the remainder is excused. This rule applies consistently to acts of worship, obligatory rights, and other matters—just as necessity permits the forbidden, but only to the extent that the necessity requires.