The Ruling on Following One Who Has Deviated from the Truth, Whether He Is a Jurist or a Preacher

Question:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may prayers and peace be upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, we thank the Honorable Shaykh for this valuable lecture. As for the questions, they are very numerous. I do not know if the Shaykh permits recording them all, or returning to them, or proceeding with brevity. Here is a group related to the topic of the lecture; we presented the questions that relate to the topic of the lecture. Honorable Shaykh, if one who follows one who has deviated from the truth prostrates under the word "the misguiders," does this apply to one who follows one who has deviated from the truth in the field of creed, but who is a jurist, a guide, and a preacher?

Answer:
Yes, one who follows one who has deviated from the truth while knowing that fact is undoubtedly included among the misguiders, because one who follows the misguided is himself misguided. As for one who follows him while having a good opinion of him and not knowing that he is deviating, then he undoubtedly has a share of misguidance and error.
And because he is negligent and deficient, for it is not permissible for him to follow anyone unless he knows that he is upright and that he is suitable for being followed, suitable as a role model. He does not follow everyone, nor does he follow everyone of whom he has a good opinion. Rather, he must be certain of his uprightness, his knowledge, the soundness of his belief, and the soundness of his conduct, because by doing so he exposes himself to a great danger. It is obligatory that a person does not follow blindly, but rather follows one who is on the right path. This is not called "taqlid" (blind following); it is called following and emulation. It is called emulation and following of the people of truth, approximately five.
The result is that everyone who follows a misguided person is misguided, but the misguidance varies; some is clear misguidance, and some is less than that. But this confirms that it is upon the person not to follow anyone, but rather he must strive to seek the truth and reach it himself if he is able. Otherwise, if he needs, for example, to follow someone, let him choose one who is suitable for that from among the people of truth, the people of insight, the people of knowledge, the people of trust, and the people of faith in Allah and His Messenger, who are attested to as being good.