The Third Point: Clarifying that it is obligatory for the Muslim to do one of three things according to his condition: either taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence), itiba' (following), or ijtihad (independent legal reasoning).

Al-Id Abbas: The third point is that we believe that in his Islamic legal rulings, in which he seeks to know the rulings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in worship, in his conduct in life, and in his various deeds, it is obligatory for the Muslim to do one of three things according to the condition in which he is. If he is a scholar who is well-established in knowledge, in the language of the Arabs, in the principles of jurisprudence, and in the sciences necessary for a mujtahid (a scholar qualified to derive rulings), such as tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds)—we do not mean to be exhaustive, requiring him to be, for example, an expert in grammar or the language or the like—but rather that he actually has the capability, that he feels it himself and the scholars around him feel it—then if a person is of this standing and has the ability to derive rulings from the Book and the Sunnah, we believe that he must do so. It is not permissible for him to practice taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) except in matters where he is unable to perform ijtihad (independent legal reasoning), either because he has no time for it or due to various circumstances. This is the obligation of the first group: scholars must perform ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) and not practice taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) like others, except until they take up the role and are able to perform ijtihad (independent legal reasoning).
The second group are the muqallids (those who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence), and these are the majority of people due to their circumstances, their work, and their immersion in their worldly affairs. We believe that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has obligated them with a matter that is clear in His saying, (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Surat al-Nahl: 43]. Their reality is that they say, "We do not know; we do not have the time, the intelligence, or the circumstances that qualify us to be scholars," and so on. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created people with differences in their intelligence, their talents, their minds, their circumstances, and their desires. Some have no desire for knowledge at all, so such a person is only required to acquire the necessary knowledge. The obligation of knowledge is a fard (obligatory) upon him, and there is no escape from it. As for anything beyond that, such as expanding one's knowledge, he may have a desire for other arts and other works.
The important thing is that this muqallid (one who follows a scholar without knowing his evidence) must, by the explicit text of the Qur'an, ask the people of knowledge. The people of knowledge are the people of knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah. As you see, , it did not say, for example, "ask those like you who are muqallids" or "ask other people who do not possess this quality," but rather . From this, we deduce that they must ask the people of knowledge about what? About the knowledge, because that is what they need. So this group of muqallids (those who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence) must ask the people of knowledge. However, we do not find in the Book of Allah, nor in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), nor in the actions and sayings of the Companions (the Companions of the Prophet), anything that obligates the Muslim to follow the opinion of one scholar, or the opinions and ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of a scholar in all his matters for his entire life. We do not find this at all. In fact, we challenge others to prove any of this.
Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has obligated us, if we are muqallids (those who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence), to ask, but did He obligate us to ask a specific person? Absolutely not. This foundation must remain as long as the heavens and the earth exist, until the Hour comes. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The best of generations is the generation in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent. Did the Companions (the Companions of the Prophet), did the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions), did their followers practice taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) of one scholar for their entire lives? Were there schools of jurisprudence? No, they did not exist; they only appeared after the third century. If it were good, then those predecessors must have preceded them to it. And if it is ... and it is a reality, then it means that it is not permissible for it to remain and continue, and we must return to what was in the first three centuries.
So the issue of madhhab (school of jurisprudence) is this second issue. The third type of people remains, which are the mutaba'in (those who follow), who are in the middle between the muqallids (those who follow a scholar without knowing his evidence) and the mujtahids (scholars qualified to derive rulings). These people have acquired some of the sciences; for example, they studied at a Faculty of Sharia, they attend gatherings of knowledge, and they have the intelligence and acquisition that qualifies them to understand what is presented to them. These people have obligations, but they do not independently derive or extract rulings from the Book and the Sunnah. So these people must follow and seek assistance with the sayings of scholars and ask the people of knowledge. But they must ask them with knowledge of the evidence, with clarification of the argument and proof. They should not follow in this manner, nor practice blind taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence). Rather, their methodology should be the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): [Surat Yusuf: 108]. This is the third foundation that the Salafi call invites to and is built upon.