A'LA HADRAT'S FIRST FATAWA:

In a letter sent to his illustrious Khalifa, Malakul Ulema, Hadrat Mawlana Zafaruddeen Bihaari, A'la Hadrat (alaihir rahmah) wrote, "With the Grace of Almighty Allah, this servant wrote his first Fatawah at the age of 13. It is also at this age that I completed my religious education and gained a certificate of proficiency in this field. On this day, a question was put forward to me as to whether milk, if reaching the belly of a child, would prove fosterage or not? I replied that even if milk reached the child's belly, either through the nose or mouth, fosterage would be proven, therefore, making it Haraam upon the child to marry this women". (Al Malfooz, Part I, pg. 12) 

His father was so amazed and delighted by this in-depth reply that he assigned the young A'la Hadrat (alaihir rahmah) the task of issuing Fatawahs (Islamic Verdicts). For many years, thereafter, A'la Hadrat (alaihir rahmah) carried this very important duty with absolute dignity and responsibility. 

A'la Hadrat (alaihir rahmah) began answering hundreds of Fatawas daily. He received them in all languages - Arabic, Urdu, Persian, English and many other languages. 

Professor Dr J.M.S. Baljon, Department of Islamology, University of Leiden (Holland), when commenting about A'la Hadrat's (alaihir rahmah) answers to religious enquiries, said: "Indeed, a great scholar I must confess. When reading his Fatawas, I am deeply impressed by the immensely wide reading he demonstrates in his argumentations. Above it, his views appear much more balanced than I expected. You are completely right; he deserves to be better known and more appreciated in the West than is the case at present."