The Ruling on Obedience to Scholars in Making Things Lawful and Forbidden

Question:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, this questioner says: You stated (may Allah preserve you) regarding the chapter on obeying scholars and rulers that whoever obeys them in making things lawful and forbidden and considers them lawful has taken them as lords and thereby becomes a disbeliever, but if he does not consider them lawful...

Answer:
Hmm. As for the one who does not consider it permissible, he does not become a disbeliever; rather, it is a major sin. Does this mean that one does not become a disbeliever except by considering it permissible, even though Allah the Exalted said: ? Yes, this distinction is necessary, and this is what I have mentioned. This is found in the commentary on Tawhid (the oneness of Allah). It states that obedience is of two types: one obeys them while knowing that they have made permissible what Allah has forbidden and forbidden what Allah has made permissible. This is disbelief, because he has made them partners with Allah, as in the verse: "If you obey them, you will indeed be among the polytheists." But if he obeys them without knowing that they have made permissible what Allah has forbidden, or that they have forbidden what Allah has made permissible, and he has a good opinion of them, then this is a major sin. This is because it is obligatory for him to investigate and see whether they are right or wrong; he should not simply obey them. Rather, he must look into it and ask whether they are right or wrong. If he is the one who was negligent, this is a sin and a major one, but he does not become a disbeliever because he did not know their status; he did not know, but he was negligent in his investigation.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you