Some say: One must adopt a school of jurisprudence at the beginning of the path of knowledge, without fanaticism, until the matter becomes regulated for you.

The questioner : Several questions have come in: a question about, or one that completes this topic, even if from a distance, which says:The questioner : Some say: One must adopt a school of jurisprudence at the beginning of the path of knowledge, without fanaticism, until the matter becomes regulated for you and the technical terms used by the scholars become clear to you. Then, after that, you look and research through preference, proof, and evidence. What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : This is the opinion, with a condition. We always emphasize that it is obligatory for true Islamic preachers to return their community to the guidance of the first community. What was the first community like? Were there schools of jurisprudence? Was there a school for some of the Companions? A school called the Bukhari, another called the 'Umar, a third called the 'Uthmani, and a fourth called the 'Ali? The answer is no. Rather, they were in fact one community. And there is no doubt that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were not all scholars. In fact, as we understand from the books of the scholars, the least of them were from among the people of knowledge, while the majority were as the Qur'an indicated: . Did the majority ask, targeting in their questioning a man among them to whom they were fanatical, excluding the others? The answer is no. They asked whichever of the scholars among the Companions was available to them, without bias toward any one of them. It must be, as they say, "history repeats itself," but history repeats itself through the actions of the people of history. So I want to say: the condition is correct as it came in the question. In the present age, a person should study a systematic, school-based study. But the condition I want to state is this: in the general communities known today for adopting schools of jurisprudence. However, if it is restricted to a man who lives in a country or village where there are individuals from among the scholars who are not fanatical about any of the four schools of jurisprudence, but whose methodology is the Book and the Sunnah, then this person residing in this country is not allowed to study this study that we said is the norm today. Rather, he must study under these scholars based on the Book and the Sunnah in all the rulings of the Shari'ah. But if there are not— as is the reality, unfortunately— in most of the lands of Islam except school-based scholars, then he has no choice but to study under one of them. Then, after that, he expands his study of the Sunnah and the details of the Imams to become acquainted with the evidence of the Shari'ah and with what each school adopted in terms of derivation. He then exercises preference when he reaches this level. This is the condition I wanted to add to that question which I affirmed. But with this addition, and to this extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.