The School of Imam Ahmad and Its Relationship to the Methodology of the Salaf and the State of Saudi Arabia
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Question:
The questioner says: They say that the State of Saudi Arabia follows the school of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, even though I see that it follows the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community as understood by the righteous Salaf. What is the correct view?
Answer:
And the school of Imam Ahmad is in accordance with the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Imam Ahmad is one of the imams of the righteous Salaf (may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him). He is one of the four imams among the hadith scholars and the imams of the righteous Salaf. We do not say that he is infallible, nor that he is free from error; he and all the others make mistakes. Imam Abu Hanifa makes mistakes, Imam al-Shafi'i makes mistakes, Imam Malik makes mistakes; they all make mistakes because they are not infallible. However, their mistakes are forgiven if they hit the mark, they receive two rewards, and if they err, they receive one reward for their independent legal reasoning. So Imam Ahmad is among the imams of the people of the Sunnah, but he is not infallible. Therefore, we take what agrees with the evidence, whether with Imam Ahmad or with others. The one who follows the school of Ahmad is on the school of the people of the Sunnah and the community, and the one who follows the school of Abu Hanifa, or the school of Malik, or the school of al-Shafi'i is on the school of the people of the Sunnah and the community, praise be to Allah. For this reason, their schools are called the schools of the people of the Sunnah, and they are called the imams of the people of the Sunnah. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
The questioner says: They say that the State of Saudi Arabia follows the school of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, even though I see that it follows the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community as understood by the righteous Salaf. What is the correct view?
Answer:
And the school of Imam Ahmad is in accordance with the methodology of the righteous Salaf. Imam Ahmad is one of the imams of the righteous Salaf (may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him). He is one of the four imams among the hadith scholars and the imams of the righteous Salaf. We do not say that he is infallible, nor that he is free from error; he and all the others make mistakes. Imam Abu Hanifa makes mistakes, Imam al-Shafi'i makes mistakes, Imam Malik makes mistakes; they all make mistakes because they are not infallible. However, their mistakes are forgiven if they hit the mark, they receive two rewards, and if they err, they receive one reward for their independent legal reasoning. So Imam Ahmad is among the imams of the people of the Sunnah, but he is not infallible. Therefore, we take what agrees with the evidence, whether with Imam Ahmad or with others. The one who follows the school of Ahmad is on the school of the people of the Sunnah and the community, and the one who follows the school of Abu Hanifa, or the school of Malik, or the school of al-Shafi'i is on the school of the people of the Sunnah and the community, praise be to Allah. For this reason, their schools are called the schools of the people of the Sunnah, and they are called the imams of the people of the Sunnah. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-109-ولا تنازعوا فتفشلوا|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (15:45)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.