In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, and we ask Him for help. Praise belongs to God, Lord of the two worlds, and greetings and peace upon our master, Muhammad, and upon all his family.

(1) The start of the book. First one must know that futuwwat has been derived from fatwa, and the meaning of fatwa is as follows. For any task that one performs, or any occupation or action in which one becomes engaged and in which there is a doubt regarding its expediency some will say, ‘[This task] is expedient, do it,’ but others will say, ‘It is not expedient, don't do it.’ When a helpless person becomes confused about [the expediency of that particular] task he should go to a judge who is just and equitable, or to a wise man who is virtuous, or to a mufti with a formal legal opinion and has attained perfection in knowledge, rules (adab) and practice (‘amal), or to a master of futuwwat who is adorned with various kinds of knowledge and wisdom. He should consult with such a person, [saying], ‘Such and such a problem has befallen me,’ or ‘I have sworn an oath, and I [want] to carry out such and such a task and business [but] the community is opposed [to it].’