El que busca un dictamen legal (mustafti) no es un muqallid, porque el muqallid es quien adopta la norma de la Sharī'ah y actúa conforme a ella. En cambio, el mustafti es quien aprende el hukm shar'i de una persona que conoce ese hukm, ya sea que esa persona sea un mujtahid o no, y ya sea que el mustafti lo haya aprendido para ponerlo en práctica o solo por el afán de conocimiento. El mustafti es todo aquel que busca conocer la norma de Allah (SWT) respecto a una cuestión. Así, quien no es mujtahid en cuanto a un hukm es un buscador de dictamen legal en relación con ese hukm. Por tanto, quien no es mujtahid en ninguna cuestión es mustafti en todas las cuestiones. Quien es mujtahid en ciertas cuestiones es mustafti en aquellas en las que no ha ejercido el ijtihad. En cuanto a quien explica la norma de Allah (SWT) a un mustafti, es un mufti. Se dice en la lengua árabe:

The one who seeks a legal verdict (mustafti) is not a muqallid, because the muqallid is one who adopts the Sharī’ah rule and acts upon it. As for the mustafti (one who seeks a legal verdict), he is the one who learns the hukm Shar’i from a person who knows this hukm, whether that person is a mujtahid or not, and whether the mustafti learned it in order to practise it or just for the sake of knowledge. The mustafti is anyone who seeks to know the rule of Allah  pertaining to an issue. So anyone who is not a mujtahid with regard to a hukm is a seeker of a legal verdict in regard to that hukm. Thus the one who is not a mujtahid in any issue he is a mustafti (seeker of a legal verdict) in all issues. Whoever is a mujtahid in certain issues he is a mustafti in the issues he has not exercised Ijtihād in. As for the one who explains the rule of Allah  to a mustafti (seeker of a legal verdict) he is a mufti. It is said in the Arabic language:

Y si alguien pidió un dictamen legal (fatwa) a un 'álim sobre un asunto, significa que le pidió que emitiera un dictamen legal al respecto. Los dictámenes legales de los Compañeros (Sahabah) y de los Seguidores (Tabi'een) son las normas que aclararon a la gente. Y puesto que tener conocimiento de la norma de Allah es un deber obligatorio (fard), debe haber personas, sean mujtahids o no, que puedan enseñar las normas de la Sharī'ah a otros, independientemente de si enseñan a la gente las normas con o sin las pruebas. Dado que no se exige que quien enseña las normas sea un mujtahid, así como no se exige al musulmán que enseña a otros que aclare las pruebas, se permite que quien conoce una norma (hukm) la enseñe a otros cuando se ha familiarizado con ese hukm. Además, como no se exige que quien da dictámenes legales a la gente sobre las normas de la Sharī'ah, o se las enseña él mismo, sea mujtahid, por el contrario, se permite a un no mujtahid, que conoce la norma de la Sharī'ah de un mujtahid, emitir un dictamen usando ese hukm, porque él es un transmisor del hukm, aunque no lo declare así. Al realizar esta acción no hay diferencia entre un 'álim y otros, como ocurre en la transmisión de los ahadīth. Así como no se exige que quien transmite un hadīth sea un 'álim, tampoco se exige que quien transmite a otros un hukm Shar'i sea un 'álim. Por tanto, con mayor razón (min bab al-awla), no debe exigirse que sea mujtahid. Aunque sí se exige que conozca el hukm que transmite de manera clara y precisa, ya que no puede transmitirlo a otros si no es preciso y no es capaz de transmitirlo adecuadamente. Asimismo, no se exige a quien enseña a la gente el hukm Shar'i o les da dictámenes legales que les enseñe la prueba o se la transmita; más bien, se le permite limitarse solamente a transmitir el hukm Shar'i sin citar la prueba. e, le está permitido emitir fatwas con el hukm Shar'i y enseñárselo a la gente sin aclararles la evidencia. Sin embargo, está obligado a explicarles que lo que les transmite es un hukm Shar'i o la deducción (istinbat) de otra persona, es decir, de un determinado mujtahid. No obstante, si transmite una opinión y les dice:

And he sought a legal opinion from an ‘alim regarding an issue means he requested him to give a legal opinion about it. The legal opinions of the Sahabah and the Tabi’een are the rules they clarified to the people. And since having knowledge of Allah’s rule is a fard, there must be people, whether mujtahids or not who can teach the Sharī’ah rules to others, irrespective of whether they teach the people the rules with or without the evidences. Since it is not stipulated that the one who teaches the rules should be a mujtahid, just as it is not stipulated for the Muslim who teaches others to clarify the evidences, it is allowed for someone who knows a hukm to teach it to others when he becomes conversant about that hukm. Furthermore, because it is not stipulated for the one who gives legal opinions to people regarding the Sharī’ah rules or teaches them himself to be a mujtahid, on the contrary it is permitted for a non-mujtahid, who is acquainted with the Sharī’ah rule of a mujtahid to deliver a legal opinion using that hukm because he is a carrier of the hukm even if he does not declare about this. In performing this action there is no difference between an ‘alim and others, such as in the reporting of ahadīth. Just as it is not stipulated that the transmitter of a hadīth be an ‘alim it is not stipulated either for the one who conveys a hukm Shar’i to others to be an ‘alim. So it is by greater reason (min bab al-awla) that there should be no stipulation for him to be a mujtahid. Even though it is stipulated that he should know the hukm that he conveys in a clear and accurate manner since he cannot convey it to others if he is not precise and unable to convey it properly. Likewise, it is not stipulated for the person who teaches people the hukm Shar’i or gives them legal opinions to teach them the evidence or convey it to them, Rather it is allowed for him to limit himself just to conveying the hukm Shar’i without quoting the evidence. i.e, it is permitted for him to give fatwa with the hukm Shar’i and teach it to people without clarifying them the evidence. However, he is required to explain to them that what he transmits to them is a hukm Shar’i or the inference (istinbat) of someone else i.e, of a certain mujtahid. However if he conveys an opinion and he says to them:

El uso de las palabras "fasiq" (transgresor) y "naba" (noticia) en sus formas indefinidas (sustantivo verbal) indica que cuando un fasiq (transgresor) trae cualquier noticia, la gente debe abstenerse de adoptar lo que dice y procurar verificar el asunto y descubrir la realidad verdadera, y no simplemente aceptar lo que dice. El significado opuesto (mafhum al-mukhalafa) de este versículo es que la afirmación de la persona recta y justa ('adl) se toma, ya sea con el propósito de emitir opiniones legales o de adquirir conocimiento.

The use of the word ‘fasiq’ (transgressor) and ‘naba’ (news) in their indefinite (verbal noun) forms indicate that when any fasiq (transgressor) comes with any news, the people should desist from adopting what he says and seek to verify the matter and discover the true reality and not simply accept what he says. The opposite meaning (mafhum al-mukhalafa) of this verse is that the statement of the upright and just (‘adl) person is taken whether for the purpose of giving legal opinions or acquiring knowledge.