If the statements of two scholars conflict, which one should one who is unable to determine the stronger position follow?

The questioner : If the opinion of Al-Albani and the opinion of Ibn Baz conflict regarding a specific ruling, which one do we prioritize?

The Shaykh : Allah is the Greatest. Do you prioritize this for me or for yourself?

The questioner : For you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And for you, where is it?

The questioner : Here in the cup.

The questioner : This stems from ignorance of the evidence.

The Shaykh : In any case, the question has its validity because, as the Lord of Mankind said, most people do not know, or rather, they do not have the capacity to distinguish the stronger position from the weaker one, or the sound evidence from the weak evidence. In reality, these people have no means of determining the stronger position except by weighing the individuals. In this case, we say that every Muslim should strive to determine which opinion is stronger using whatever means are available to him. Since we have stated that most people do not know and do not have the ability to determine the stronger position based on evidence, what remains for them? I will give you a very close example: a scholar who has devoted his life to knowledge and a novice scholar. It is easy for the common layman who cannot determine which of the novice's statements is correct based on its evidence, but he does not have this means. However, he can review the situation and say, "My brother, this one is a recent graduate, and the other, by the will of Allah, has been in this for a long time and has spent his life in knowledge." Therefore, I follow the opinion of the latter. There is no doubt that this approach is better than following what one's soul desires. As I said, one must determine the stronger position using what is available to him. For example, I say there is a scholar and another scholar who are close in age and have a long, blessed life in knowledge, but one is righteous and the other is not. Naturally, this is a factor for determining the stronger position for one who seeks the face of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. One would say, "This one is righteous; we should not follow the opinion of the other." There are many such factors. For instance, a free, independent scholar versus a scholar who is an employee and subservient. The layman should follow the opinion of the first and not the opinion of the second. Thus, we find that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has provided many factors for the common people to determine the stronger position so that their religion does not become a matter of following their desires.