What is your opinion on adhering to only one school of jurisprudence for the beginner, for the sake of study?

The questioner : But is it permissible for a beginner, for example, a student of knowledge, to follow a specific school of jurisprudence solely for the purpose of study, on the basis that if he were to exercise independent legal reasoning from the start and not follow a specific path in organized study... I mean, as if he followed a school of jurisprudence for the sake of study, provided that he does not...

The Shaykh : If he follows a school of jurisprudence or studies it, and keeps in mind the beautiful phrase I quoted earlier from Abu al-Hasan al-Laknawi, meaning that whenever he becomes clear to him that an issue in the school he is studying is contrary to the Sunnah, he leaves it, even if he is studying it as a school to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then I see no objection to this. In fact, I say that there is no way today for one who wants to study knowledge, as long as the majority of Muslims adhere to a specific school of jurisprudence. If we were to return to the era of the first generation, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and those who followed them, where there was no imam to be followed to the exclusion of others. For example, we all know the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): — the Companions — — the Tabi'un — — the followers of the Tabi'un. So we know that there was no one among the Companions who was a "Bakri" (follower of Abu Bakr), nor an "Umar" (follower of 'Umar), nor an "Uthmani" (follower of 'Uthman), nor an "Ali" (follower of 'Ali); rather, they would ask the people of knowledge among them. There was no one who said, "By Allah, I do not ask, I do not benefit, I do not follow, and I do not adhere to anyone except Abu Bakr," or "except 'Umar." None of that was the case. The same can be said about the Tabi'un. If we were in a purely Salafi environment today, we would not say to study a specific school of jurisprudence, because this study is like studying earthly laws, in the sense that it is not obligatory for a Muslim to study anything other than the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). But because of this long, extended period, it is no longer possible for a student of knowledge to understand the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except through the schools of jurisprudence. But here there is a slippery slope; this study, although it is the means, as we said, to understanding the Book and the Sunnah, is a means and not an end. So often, as we see, it turns into an end, and the true end is forgotten, which is the Book and the Sunnah. So if the student, as I said, studies a specific school not to make it his highest and noblest goal, but as a means to get to know this Islamic jurisprudence, and then to distinguish what agrees with the Sunnah from what contradicts it... Oh Allah, it is clear that our guest today has the lion's share of the questions. What is it, Abu Munir?
(laughing)The Shaykh .