The Ruling on Blind Adherence to a School of Jurisprudence
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Q349: The listener Abdullah Muhammad from Kenya says in his question: Is it permissible to blindly adhere to the school of jurisprudence that a person follows in any ruling of the Shari'ah, even if this contradicts the truth, or is it permissible to leave it and follow the correct school in some rulings? And what is the ruling on sticking to only one school?
A349: Adhering to one of the four well-known schools of the people of the Sunnah and the community that remained, were preserved, and were established among the Muslims, and claiming affiliation with one of them; there is no harm in this. It is said: So-and-so is a Shafi'i, so-and-so is a Maliki, so-and-so is a Hanafi, and this title still exists as an old one among scholars. Even some scholars are said to be Hanbali, for example: Ibn Taymiyyah the Hanbali , Ibn al-Qayyim the Hanbali , and the like. There is no blame in this. Mere affiliation with a school is not prohibited; but on the condition that one does not restrict oneself to this school by taking everything in it, whether it is wrong or right. Rather, one takes what he knows to be right, and what is wrong, he
is not permitted to take. And if the stronger position becomes clear to him, it is obligatory for him to take it, whether it is in the school he claims affiliation with, or in another school. Because whoever the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) becomes clear to him, he has no right to leave it for the saying of anyone. The model to follow is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So we follow the school as long as it does not contradict the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If it contradicts him, this is an error by the jurist, and it is obligatory for us to leave it and take the Sunnah, and take the stronger position that conforms to the Sunnah, from whichever school it is, from the schools of the jurists. As for the one who takes the saying of the imam absolutely, whether it is wrong or right; this is considered blind following. And if he sees that it is obligatory to follow a specific person other than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); this is apostasy from Islam. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Whoever says that it is obligatory to follow a specific person other than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this person is given the choice to repent, and if he repents, otherwise he is killed. Because no one is obligatory to follow except the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the other mujtahid imams
(may Allah have mercy on them), we take their sayings that conform to the Sunnah. As for if the jurist errs in his independent legal reasoning, it is forbidden for us to take the error." And Allah the Exalted knows best.
A349: Adhering to one of the four well-known schools of the people of the Sunnah and the community that remained, were preserved, and were established among the Muslims, and claiming affiliation with one of them; there is no harm in this. It is said: So-and-so is a Shafi'i, so-and-so is a Maliki, so-and-so is a Hanafi, and this title still exists as an old one among scholars. Even some scholars are said to be Hanbali, for example: Ibn Taymiyyah the Hanbali , Ibn al-Qayyim the Hanbali , and the like. There is no blame in this. Mere affiliation with a school is not prohibited; but on the condition that one does not restrict oneself to this school by taking everything in it, whether it is wrong or right. Rather, one takes what he knows to be right, and what is wrong, he
is not permitted to take. And if the stronger position becomes clear to him, it is obligatory for him to take it, whether it is in the school he claims affiliation with, or in another school. Because whoever the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) becomes clear to him, he has no right to leave it for the saying of anyone. The model to follow is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So we follow the school as long as it does not contradict the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If it contradicts him, this is an error by the jurist, and it is obligatory for us to leave it and take the Sunnah, and take the stronger position that conforms to the Sunnah, from whichever school it is, from the schools of the jurists. As for the one who takes the saying of the imam absolutely, whether it is wrong or right; this is considered blind following. And if he sees that it is obligatory to follow a specific person other than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); this is apostasy from Islam. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Whoever says that it is obligatory to follow a specific person other than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this person is given the choice to repent, and if he repents, otherwise he is killed. Because no one is obligatory to follow except the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the other mujtahid imams
(may Allah have mercy on them), we take their sayings that conform to the Sunnah. As for if the jurist errs in his independent legal reasoning, it is forbidden for us to take the error." And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.