The phrase
وَبِهِ يُعْتَمَد
Transliteration: wa bihi yuʿtamad
Literal meaning: “And upon it reliance is placed.”
Explanation
- This is a tarjīḥ
/ taṣḥīḥ formula used by later Ḥanafī jurists.
- It means: “This
is the opinion that is relied upon (ʿumida ʿalayhi) in the madhhab.”
- It is very
close in function to wa ʿalayhi l-fatwā and wa bihi yuftā,
but it emphasizes academic reliability rather than the act of
issuing fatwā.
- In practice, it
marks the opinion that is:
- the strongest
/ most reliable (muʿtamad) in terms of transmission and argument,
- the one that muftīs, judges, and scholars depend upon in applied law.
Relation to other formulas
- wa ʿalayhi
l-fatwā → stresses fatwā practice.
- wa bihi yuftā → stresses the
fatwā-giving action.
- wa bihi
yuʿtamad → stresses reliability / trustworthiness of the opinion.
- al-muʿtamad (المعتمد) →
“the relied-upon view,” often used independently in marginalia and fatwā
texts.
- Sometimes jurists use both together: “wa bihi yuʿtamad wa ʿalayhi l-fatwā” → “it is relied upon and the fatwā is issued upon it.”
✅ In summary:
Wa bihi yuʿtamad = “This is the opinion that is relied upon (the
muʿtamad position of the madhhab).”