The Criterion for Deriving Rulings from the Book and the Sunnah

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some students of knowledge introduce opinions, issues, and matters that the righteous Salaf did not address, believing that they have discovered them and gained insight into them in a way that those before them did not. They state these opinions openly, arguing that the Book and the Sunnah are a source that never dries up and can be drawn from in every age. What is the criterion for such opinions?

Answer:
If a matter arises that requires research and has not been researched before, there is nothing preventing scholars from researching it and deriving its ruling from the Book and the Sunnah. However, this is for scholars, not for anyone who is merely a self-taught person or a beginner in seeking knowledge. This is for scholars, and it is not sufficient for just one person; it must be a body of scholars who look into this matter. That is why meetings are held among scholars in official gatherings, and problems are presented to them, such as the Fiqh Council and the Committee of Senior Scholars.
And the Ifta Committee; these matters are presented to scholarly bodies. Yes, and if one person comes and issues individual rulings on them, that is absolutely unacceptable, especially if he is a self-taught person or a beginner in seeking knowledge. That is not permissible. These matters require attention. One should not say, "I am taking from the Book and the Sunnah." You do not have the qualifications, my brother, to reach the level of taking from the Book and the Sunnah. You have not reached that level, and you do not have the conditions of ijtihad to be in the rank of Imam Ahmad, Abu Hanifa, al-Shafi'i, and Malik. You have not reached that degree. Yes.