How to respond to those among the enemies of the da'wah who say that the Salafis forbid taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) for others while they themselves follow their shaykhs?

The questioner : They say that most Salafis are followers of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence), even though they forbid taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) for others. They are followers of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence). You find one of them saying, "Ibn Taymiyyah said so and so," or "Ibn al-Qayyim said so and so," or "Al-Albani said so and so."

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : They forbid taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) for others, yet they themselves are followers of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence).

The Shaykh : This shows you the context. It is true that the Salafis say, and I said earlier: "Ibn al-Qayyim said: 'Knowledge is what Allah said, what His Messenger said...'" and so on. But the Salafis ask Al-Albani, "What is the evidence for what you say?" This is not something a subordinate would say to his superior; it is not possible to say such a thing. But if the one who askedThe Shaykh : Al-Albani about an issue and its evidence, and if he says, "Al-Albani said so and so," then it is the truth to attribute the statement to its speaker. And if I say, "Ibn Taymiyyah said so and so," that is the etiquette of knowledge. But I do not follow Ibn Taymiyyah just because Ibn Taymiyyah said it; rather, I follow Ibn Taymiyyah because he explained this matter and presented evidence for it from the Book and the Sunnah. There is a vast difference between the taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) that we fight against and this taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) with which they accuse our Salafi brothers.