The Ruling on Following Dispensations Across the Schools of Jurisprudence

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Indeed, Allah loves that His dispensations be taken.” Does this mean it is permissible to follow the dispensations among the schools of jurisprudence in order to make things easier for the servant?

Answer:
The dispensations that Allah has granted are not the opinions of the scholars; they are the scholars’ ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) and their opinions, not the dispensations established in the Shari’ah. Examples of the dispensations Allah has legislated for His servants include combining two prayers and breaking the fast in Ramadan for a traveler. These are not the dispensations of the scholars’ opinions; those are ijtihad, and they may be right or wrong. They may be right or wrong. It is not permissible to take the opinions of the scholars unless there is valid evidence. They are not dispensations. The dispensations are those that Allah has granted to His servants and made easy for them.