The Ruling on Responding to Those Who Disagree and Those Who Support Them

Question:
Is there a hadith regarding responding to one of the claimants, and regarding punishment, and regarding the person himself?

Answer:
Which hadith? Responding to the people of error, misguidance, and desires is among the best of the acts of drawing near to Allah. It is part of correcting knowledge and refuting falsehood. However, only a scholar who is well-established in knowledge can do this. The beginner and the intermediate student of knowledge are not suitable for it, because if they enter into responding, they may do more harm than good. Yes, responses are not undertaken by anyone but the people of knowledge. We have not wasted our time now except with the responses that have multiplied, issued by people who are not people of knowledge. If these responses were issued by the people of knowledge, they would have been beneficial and scholarly.