Is it necessary that every one who is correct is sincere, and every one who is sincere is correct, or is it not?

The questioner : May Allah preserve and protect you, O honorable Shaykh: Is it necessary that every one who is correct is sincere, and every one who is sincere is correct, or is this not necessary?

The Shaykh : Say, "Every mujtahid is correct." Perhaps you mean this?

The questioner : Is every one who hits the truth sincere?

The Shaykh : No, that is only part of it. "Every mujtahid is correct"—this in its absolute sense is not correct. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) divided the mujtahids into two categories and said: This is clear in the detail that among the mujtahids, some hit the mark and some err. However, the one who errs may be correct from another angle, which is if he exerted effort and did his best, and reached a conclusion, but this conclusion is wrong in the ruling of Allah. So he is correct in what? In his ijtihad, his effort, and his seeking of the truth. But in the ruling, he is wrong. Then, hitting the correct ruling is a success granted by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is possible for one who is not qualified for ijtihad, or whose intention is not pure, to be granted success in hitting the correct ruling. But if one’s intention is pure, he is in a good state whether he hits the mark or errs.