There are those who claim to be scholars who issue rulings without evidence; if asked for evidence, they become angry and agitated, saying, "Should I spend my life searching for evidence?"
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The questioner : There are those who claim to be scholars who issue rulings without evidence; if asked for evidence, they become angry and agitated, saying, "Should I spend my life searching for evidence?" And it is astonishing that he taught his students and followers a strange phrase, the substance of which is "that a scholar is not asked for evidence". What is the ruling regarding the statement of this person who claims to be a scholar? What is the ruling regarding his issuing a ruling without evidence and his anger at being asked for evidence? What is the ruling regarding the statement of his students and followers that a scholar is not asked for evidence? And what is the ruling regarding seeking a ruling from someone in such a condition? Please rule on this serious matter. May Allah reward you with good for making the answer accompanied by evidence.
The Shaykh : The truth is that what the questioner mentioned may be found in some people, especially those whose greatest concern is to have status among the common people. Indeed, some people issue rulings whether their ruling is based on evidence or whether it is mere following of a scholar, past or present, whom they hold in high regard. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned the scholarly consensus that one who follows a scholar without knowing his evidence is not considered among the scholars, because such a person is nothing but a copy of a book from the school of jurisprudence he follows, and he is not a scholar in any way. For this reason, I hold that following a scholar without knowing his evidence is not permissible except in cases of dire necessity. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) compared following a scholar without knowing his evidence to eating carrion, which is permissible in cases of dire necessity. As for when one is able to find the evidence, following a scholar without knowing his evidence is not permissible. This is understood from the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nahl 16:43].
As for the condition of this man who becomes angry when asked for evidence and says, "How can I spend my life seeking evidence?" this indicates his ignorance and his lowliness. Indeed, a scholar should be pleased when a questioner asks him for evidence, because if the questioner's request for evidence is not intended to cause difficulty or hardship, it indicates the questioner's love for the scholar, as he is building his belief, statement, or action on the foundation of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) so that he may worship Allah the Exalted with insight. The truth is that knowledge is the recognition of guidance through its evidence. A person will be asked on the Day of Resurrection what he answered the messengers, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Qasas 28:65] My advice to this scholar is to fear Allah the Exalted in himself and not to issue rulings except with evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, except in cases of dire necessity. He should urge his students to seek evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and train them in it and in deriving rulings from their evidence, so that Allah may benefit through him.
We have tried this ourselves, and sometimes a legal issue passes us by, and we seek it in the books of the scholars we have, but we do not find a ruling for it. Then, when we return to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), we find it close, covered by the generality of the wording, or by its meaning, or by its indication, or by its necessary implication, or by other known types of indication, either in the Qur'an or in the Sunnah. This indicates the shortcoming of human beings, and that no matter how much intelligence they reach or how they branch out rulings based on their evidence, they will not encompass what the conditions of creation require and what happens to them. But the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are the two that contain all of that. However, this also depends on the strength of understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Strength of understanding is a gift from Allah Mighty and Majestic to the servant, either by His favor or by Allah guiding him through practicing the Book and the Sunnah, reflecting on them, and looking at their indications.
Therefore, I urge my brothers, especially the students of knowledge, to always make their reference the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to seek help in understanding them and deriving rulings from them by what the established scholars have written of rules and guidelines that assist the student of knowledge in deriving rulings from their evidence. Indeed, in truth, the student of knowledge cannot do without what the Salaf wrote regarding how to extract rulings from their evidence.
As for the statement of this Shaykh that a scholar is not asked for evidence, this is an error. Rather, the true scholar is the one who presents the evidence first, to the extent he is able and according to the questioner's understanding. If he does not do so and is asked for evidence, let him be open-hearted in the question or in the request for evidence, and let him bring the evidence. And as I mentioned earlier, training students in extracting rulings from their evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is, in truth, one of the greatest means that assists in the spread of rulings and the extraction of rulings for new issues that were not known in our righteous predecessors.
The Shaykh : The truth is that what the questioner mentioned may be found in some people, especially those whose greatest concern is to have status among the common people. Indeed, some people issue rulings whether their ruling is based on evidence or whether it is mere following of a scholar, past or present, whom they hold in high regard. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned the scholarly consensus that one who follows a scholar without knowing his evidence is not considered among the scholars, because such a person is nothing but a copy of a book from the school of jurisprudence he follows, and he is not a scholar in any way. For this reason, I hold that following a scholar without knowing his evidence is not permissible except in cases of dire necessity. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) compared following a scholar without knowing his evidence to eating carrion, which is permissible in cases of dire necessity. As for when one is able to find the evidence, following a scholar without knowing his evidence is not permissible. This is understood from the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنت لا تعلمونAs for the condition of this man who becomes angry when asked for evidence and says, "How can I spend my life seeking evidence?" this indicates his ignorance and his lowliness. Indeed, a scholar should be pleased when a questioner asks him for evidence, because if the questioner's request for evidence is not intended to cause difficulty or hardship, it indicates the questioner's love for the scholar, as he is building his belief, statement, or action on the foundation of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) so that he may worship Allah the Exalted with insight. The truth is that knowledge is the recognition of guidance through its evidence. A person will be asked on the Day of Resurrection what he answered the messengers, as Allah the Exalted said:
And [mention] the Day He will call them and say, "What did you answer the messengers?"
ويوم يناديهم فيقول ماذا أجبتم المرسلينWe have tried this ourselves, and sometimes a legal issue passes us by, and we seek it in the books of the scholars we have, but we do not find a ruling for it. Then, when we return to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), we find it close, covered by the generality of the wording, or by its meaning, or by its indication, or by its necessary implication, or by other known types of indication, either in the Qur'an or in the Sunnah. This indicates the shortcoming of human beings, and that no matter how much intelligence they reach or how they branch out rulings based on their evidence, they will not encompass what the conditions of creation require and what happens to them. But the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are the two that contain all of that. However, this also depends on the strength of understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Strength of understanding is a gift from Allah Mighty and Majestic to the servant, either by His favor or by Allah guiding him through practicing the Book and the Sunnah, reflecting on them, and looking at their indications.
Therefore, I urge my brothers, especially the students of knowledge, to always make their reference the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to seek help in understanding them and deriving rulings from them by what the established scholars have written of rules and guidelines that assist the student of knowledge in deriving rulings from their evidence. Indeed, in truth, the student of knowledge cannot do without what the Salaf wrote regarding how to extract rulings from their evidence.
As for the statement of this Shaykh that a scholar is not asked for evidence, this is an error. Rather, the true scholar is the one who presents the evidence first, to the extent he is able and according to the questioner's understanding. If he does not do so and is asked for evidence, let him be open-hearted in the question or in the request for evidence, and let him bring the evidence. And as I mentioned earlier, training students in extracting rulings from their evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is, in truth, one of the greatest means that assists in the spread of rulings and the extraction of rulings for new issues that were not known in our righteous predecessors.