Tawhid: Following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is an obligatory command, and a warning against taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence)

The Shaykh : Now, a condition of worship is following whom? Following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not permissible for anyone, by the consensus of the Muslims, if the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has become clear to him, to abandon it for the saying of anyone, whoever he may be. Be careful, my brother. If the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has become clear to a person, it is not permissible for him to abandon it for the saying of anyone, whoever he may be. Because if he abandons the Sunnah of the Messenger for the saying of so-and-so and so-and-so, he has not fulfilled the testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, for he has made a partner to the Messenger in the message. Now, suppose one of the Companions said something that contradicts the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); do we take the saying of this Companion or the saying of the Messenger? Answer, everyone: the saying of the Messenger. And if someone says to us, "This is the saying of so-and-so and so-and-so from the Companions," we say: these people are subject to error and are not protected from it, but the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is protected from error in conveying the message of Allah. If any person says regarding something the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "So-and-so said such-and-such," and opposes the saying of the Messenger with it, this is absolutely not permissible. Tawhid of following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is obligatory. Now, if a person says, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said such-and-such," and al-Shafi'i says such-and-such, Ahmad ibn Hanbal says such-and-such, Malik says such-and-such, Abu Hanifah says such-and-such, Ishaq says such-and-such, Sufyan al-Thawri says such-and-such, and al-Awza'i says such-and-such, and then he brings up the imams, is it permissible to abandon the saying of the Messenger for the saying of these imams? No, by Allah, it is not permissible. Even the imams themselves, may Allah have mercy on them and reward them with good, disavow anyone who prioritizes their saying over the saying of the Messenger of Allah. Al-Shafi'i even said: "If you see my saying contradicts the saying of the Messenger, cast it aside" (may Allah be pleased with him). And Ahmad ibn Hanbal says: "Do not make your religion a matter of taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence) of men", meaning do not follow men and abandon the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The saying of the Messenger is what is followed. Listen: Did He say, "Did you answer so-and-so and so-and-so?" Answer: No. So the saying of no one, no matter how great they are in the hearts of their followers, is not something to be used as evidence, but rather something for which evidence is sought.