If a person issued a fatwa (scholarly legal ruling) and I acted upon it, am I considered a follower or a traditionalist?

The questioner : If, for example, a person... and this scholar issued a fatwa (scholarly legal ruling), and I acted upon this fatwa after I was reassured about...; is it said of me that I am a follower or a traditionalist if... my trust is in this scholar and he is not...?

The Shaykh : Answer: The matter differs. This person is undoubtedly a traditionalist. However, if he has a level of knowledge, intellect, or understanding such that he can comprehend the evidence of the Muslim and has heard it and been reassured by it, then he is a follower. And when we say that this person is a traditionalist, it does not mean that taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) is forbidden, as some people may imagine. We forbid making taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) a religion; such that taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) becomes for the Muslim as if it is the primary reference. And this—unfortunately—is what some of the ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) proponents explicitly state: that we are not obligated to refer to the Book of Allah and the hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds) of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and that our scholars are sufficient for us, and our scholars are more understanding, more pious, and more knowledgeable, and so on. We may say that this statement is correct, but that does not negate the fact that it is obligatory for every Muslim to exert his effort to be as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: . So, for a person to be on clear evidence is an obligatory matter for every individual, with the observation that these individuals differ in their ability to understand issues with their detailed evidence from the Book and the Sunnah. So, whoever cannot do any of that, and asked the scholar he trusts for clarification...; he has done what is obligatory upon him; because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said in the Noble Qur'an: . So, he has fulfilled his obligation. But if he has some culture, he is able to seek clarification fromThe Shaykh : if he limits the answer to saying it is permissible or not permissible, or—for example—obligatory or recommended practice, or something similar, when he asks him: What is the evidence for that? And he has the ability to understand the evidence; then he is undoubtedly on clear evidence of his religion, according to the verse of Allah the Exalted. This is what I hold, and Allah knows best.