The Ruling on a Mujtahid Announcing His Error

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, is it not better for one who has exercised independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and erred to say, "This is from Satan and from my own self"?

Answer:
If he says it as Abu Bakr did, that is good. Announcing it and pointing out the shortcoming of the self and admitting to the error is good. It is not obligatory that he speak it aloud, but he should admit it to himself and admit his error to himself. As for stating it explicitly, that is not necessary, unless someone is taking his ijtihad as a guide. If he has written this as a fatwa in a book and published it for the people, and he realizes that he was wrong, then he must announce that he has retracted this matter, so that he does not mislead the people with it, and so that the people are not held accountable for it, bearing the burden of it. So let him announce that he has retracted this fatwa and this statement, and that he erred in it. Yes.