Describing the scholars' disagreement as conflict
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The Shaykh:
Please clarify your view on those who describe the scholars' disagreement as conflict. For example, they say, "The scholars disagreed on this issue." That is fine; they disagreed or differed, and there is no harm in that. The scholars used to say, "People disagreed on such-and-such," or "They differed on such-and-such." However, the point lies with the one who has the evidence, because conflict differs: there is a blameworthy conflict and a conflict that has no effect, meaning as long as it is based on ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). As for the blameworthy conflict, it is the one that divides the Muslims, and its cause is hatred and enmity. This is a blameworthy conflict. Do not conflict and fail, and do not let your strength be scattered. And whatever agreement and unity of word occurs, that is obligatory. But conflict in issues of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and disagreement in issues of fiqh never breeds enmity. There is no denial in issues of ijtihad where the correct view has not become clear. As for the issues where the correct view has become clear, we clarify the error of the one who erred in them and call him to return. Have you made it clear, may Allah preserve you, the categories of people in fiqh in religion? Do you know the categories of people in religion and its learning? And the categories of people in that are three, as you have clarified and explained. So what about learning other sciences besides the religious ones?
Please clarify your view on those who describe the scholars' disagreement as conflict. For example, they say, "The scholars disagreed on this issue." That is fine; they disagreed or differed, and there is no harm in that. The scholars used to say, "People disagreed on such-and-such," or "They differed on such-and-such." However, the point lies with the one who has the evidence, because conflict differs: there is a blameworthy conflict and a conflict that has no effect, meaning as long as it is based on ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). As for the blameworthy conflict, it is the one that divides the Muslims, and its cause is hatred and enmity. This is a blameworthy conflict. Do not conflict and fail, and do not let your strength be scattered. And whatever agreement and unity of word occurs, that is obligatory. But conflict in issues of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and disagreement in issues of fiqh never breeds enmity. There is no denial in issues of ijtihad where the correct view has not become clear. As for the issues where the correct view has become clear, we clarify the error of the one who erred in them and call him to return. Have you made it clear, may Allah preserve you, the categories of people in fiqh in religion? Do you know the categories of people in religion and its learning? And the categories of people in that are three, as you have clarified and explained. So what about learning other sciences besides the religious ones?
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-039-الفقه في الدين|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:21:41)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
