Disagreement in Opinion and Its Effect on Affection

Question:
Your Excellency the Shaykh, another questioner, Abu Rayd from Jeddah, says: I always hear that disagreement in opinion does not spoil the bond of affection. Does this include opinion in matters of religion?

Answer:
Yes, it includes disagreement in matters that are open to difference of opinion, and differences in views cover both religious and worldly affairs. Disagreement that stems from evidence and the understanding of evidence does not necessitate enmity between people. For this reason, the jurists differ, and the four imams differ among themselves, yet they are brothers. Even the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed in some matters, and this did not lead to distance or enmity between them, because the objective of all is one, and the source of all is one, which is the religion of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. Therefore, disagreement does not necessitate enmity between the scholars and between the followers of the scholars.
This is a permissible matter. Allah the Exalted and Majestic has given them a wide scope to look, derive rulings, and reflect on His verses and His creations. They derive from the evidence in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and Allah gives each person of understanding what He wills (Glorified and Exalted is He). This does not necessitate enmity between the scholars. Therefore, disagreement exists between the imams and their followers, and this did not necessitate enmity between them; rather, they are brothers even if they differ in opinions and independent legal reasoning.