Refutation of the Fabricated Fatwa Attributing Permissibility of Wearing the Cross to Shaykh Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله)
- Muiz As-Siddeeqi
- May 27
- 4 min read
Refutation of the Fabricated Fatwa Attributing Permissibility of Wearing the Cross to Shaykh Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله)
To the noble and esteemed Dr. Muḥammad ibn Saʿd ash-Shuwayʿir,
As-Salāmu ʿAlaykum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.
To proceed:
All praise is due to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), who has provided for this Ummah those who care for its sons and extend a helping hand whenever they are in need. Allah knows how overjoyed I am whenever I find someone who gives importance to my letters—especially in a time when people of virtue and goodness have become few, except those upon whom Allah has mercy.
Dear Dr. Muḥammad,
I have sent you a number of letters over different times, in which I requested Majallat al-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyyah (The Islamic Research Journal) and some books. I also had a number of questions, and you responded to them most graciously and excellently. This effort of yours left a beautiful and deep impression on me, and on my friends whom I informed about your kindness.
Today, O Doctor, I bring to you a matter that has caused widespread controversy, great division, and even disputes among friends and brothers. The issue arose when we received an audio cassette containing a set of questions that were reportedly posed to His Eminence Shaykh ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz (may Allah preserve him). Among those questions was one from an Egyptian brother, who asked about the ruling on wearing a cross. The Shaykh allegedly responded by saying it is permissible—a reply that caused a massive uproar among everyone.
As for me personally, I could hardly believe what I had heard due to the shock and gravity of it. I appointed myself as a defender of the Shaykh, but my stance was weak—because the voice on the tape indeed sounded like the Shaykh’s (may Allah preserve him). Meanwhile, al-Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ had transmitted a consensus (ijmāʿ) in his book ash-Shifāʾ, declaring that whoever wears a cross is a disbeliever.
So I kindly ask you, dear Doctor, to clarify this matter for us, as there are many young Muslims awaiting your response, especially because you are among those close to the Shaykh (may Allah preserve him). I sincerely hope you can heal our hearts, and how wonderful it would be if His Eminence personally could respond to this inquiry.
I do not conceal from you that the image of the Shaykh has been shaken in the eyes of many youth after hearing that tape, and that many people with diseased hearts have seized this opportunity to attack the Shaykh’s status and to defame him.
So, dear Doctor, do not withhold from us what will, by Allah’s permission, be a weighty deed on your scale of good—what will cut off the path of the malicious and protect the honor of one of the scholars of this Ummah.
May Allah grant you success and safeguard you in what brings benefit to this Ummah.
Wa as-Salāmu ʿAlaykum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.
Sender: Jeem. ʿAyn. ʿAyn. — Irbid, Jordan
I presented this letter to His Eminence—may Allah have mercy on him.
He responded with istirjāʿ (“Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return”) and said “Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh” (There is no might nor power except with Allah), then said:
“Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.”
After that, he dictated to me the following response, which was sent to the letter’s author.
From: ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn Bāz
To the respected brother Jeem. ʿAyn. ʿAyn.,
May Allah guide you to that which pleases Him, and keep you firm upon His religion. Āmīn.
As-Salāmu ʿAlaykum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.
To proceed:
I have reviewed your letter dated 14th Rabīʿ al-Awwal, 1417 AH, which you addressed to the noble Dr. Muḥammad ibn Saʿd ash-Shuwayʿir, concerning the cassette that is attributed to me—wherein a fatwa is alleged to have been issued permitting the wearing of the cross, and that I supposedly gave a ruling allowing it.
So let me inform you clearly:
This never came from me.
It is a lie upon me, and there is no basis for it whatsoever.
May Allah repay the one responsible for this fabrication with what he deserves.
And this is not the first lie fabricated against me—or against others among the virtuous scholars—by some malicious individuals. Many such fabrications have preceded it.
Among them is what was published in your country, Jordan, about a month ago in the al-Ra’y newspaper and others, claiming that I said:
“If a woman goes to work, she is a zāniyah (fornicator).”
They ripped this from its context, distorting a statement I made over twenty years ago to suit their desires. The original statement was titled:
“The Ruling on a Woman Working Alongside a Man”,
and it was published by the Islamic Daʿwah Center in Lahore, Pakistan — first edition in Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1399 AH, corresponding to March 1979 CE.
It was also included in our book:
Majmūʿ Fatāwā wa Maqālāt Mutanawwiʿah,
Volume 1, pages 422–432,
which was printed in 1408 AH, corresponding to 1987 CE.
The re-publication of that article was itself a reply to those distorters.
We are attaching a copy of it for your review.
Therefore, we kindly request Your Eminence to provide us with a copy of the cassette you referred to, so that we may review it and take the appropriate action.
May Allah make us and you among those who cooperate upon the truth, who aid the religion of Allah, and who assist in suppressing innovations and misguided desires.
Wa as-Salāmu ʿAlaykum wa Rahmatullāhi wa Barakātuh.
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This is a reply letter from His Eminence, issued from his office in the year 1417 AH.
(Majmūʿ Fatāwā wa Maqālāt ash-Shaykh Ibn Bāz, vol. 28, page 240)
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