Imam Malik said:

It is not the peoples business or those before us from the salaf, whom we follow and whom Islam is dependant on to say, "This is lawful and that is unlawful". Instead the person should say "I dislike such and such, or I like such and such". As for lawful and unlawful, these are slanders against Allah. Have you heard the saying of Allah, the Almighty: "Say: Have you seen the provisions which Allah has sent down for you; how He has made it lawful and unlawful. Say: Has Allah permitted you or do you invent a lie against Allah?" Surah Younus (10) :59] Because the lawful is what Allah and His Messenger made lawful, and the unlawful is what Allah and His Messenger made unlawful.

Ibn Qayyim said:

It is not permissible for the mufti to declare on behalf of Allah and His Messenger that a thing is lawful or unlawful, obligatory or hated unless he knows that it is as such and its permissibility, unlawfulness, obligation, or hatred is defined by Allah and His Messenger. And if he finds anything in the books (other than the Quran and authentic hadith) that he imitates and takes as his religion from, then it is not his right to make declarations on behalf of Allah and His messenger and go around telling the people these things. According to Allah and His Messenger, this person has no knowledge.

More than one of the salaf said, 'Be warned that is one of you should say "Allah has made this lawful or Allah has made that unlawful", Allah will say to him, "You have lied. I have not made this lawful or that unlawful"'.

In the hadith of Buraida recorded in Sahih Muslim, Prophet Muhammad said:

"If you surround a castle and they inside seek their surrender based upon the judgment of Allah and His Messenger, then do not base their surrender upon the judgment of Allah and His Messenger. For you do not know if you will apply Allah's judgment on them or not. Rather, get their surrender based upon your judgment and the judgment of your companions"

May Allah have mercy and protect us all from make the lawful unlawful in attempts to be over pious or appear sincere - for true piety would be to recognise the simplicity of the law as it stands.

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