What is to be done when the opinion of one scholar conflicts with that of another scholar from the people of the Sunnah and the community on a particular issue?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah keep us with you, O honorable Shaykh. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has bestowed upon us distinguished scholars who have preserved the religion for us. The question is:
When the opinion of one scholar conflicts with that of another scholar from the people of the Sunnah and the community on a particular issue, whom should I follow?
Knowing that I am unable to reconcile the evidence or determine which is stronger, what is your opinion? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I will ask you about a patient for whom two doctors differed in prescribing medication. Whose opinion should be preferred?
The questioner : He is unable to determine which is stronger.
The Shaykh : One should prefer the one whose heart feels reassured that he is more knowledgeable and more trustworthy. So, if two people issue a ruling for you and they are equal in your estimation regarding knowledge and trustworthiness, that is because not every scholar is trustworthy. We divide scholars into three categories:
Scholars of the religion, scholars of the state, and scholars of the people.
As for the scholars of the religion, may Allah include you and us among them, these are the ones who adhere to the religion of Islam and to the ruling of Allah and His Messenger, and they do not care about anyone else.
As for the scholars of the state, they look at what the ruler wants and issue rulings according to his whims. They try to twist the necks of the texts from the Book and the Sunnah so that they align with the whims of this ruler. These are losing scholars of the state.
The third category: scholars of the people. They look at the direction of the people. If the people are inclined to deem something permissible, they deem it permissible, or if they are inclined to deem it forbidden, they deem it forbidden. They also try to twist the necks of the texts to align with the whims of the people.
So, in any case, if two scholars differ in your view, look at which one is more trustworthy in your estimation in terms of knowledge and in terms of religion, and take what your heart feels reassured by. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 2774, do you understand? If you do not find reassurance or a stronger opinion, some scholars said: choose between taking the opinion of this one or the opinion of that one.
Some scholars said: take the stricter one, because it is safer.
Some scholars said: take the easier one, because it is more in accordance with the spirit of the Islamic Shari'ah. This is because the Islamic Shari'ah is built on ease, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is the wording of al-Bukhari. So, as long as we do not know that the religion has prohibited this thing or that the religion has made this thing obligatory, we are free, do you understand?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : May Allah keep us with you, O honorable Shaykh. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has bestowed upon us distinguished scholars who have preserved the religion for us. The question is:
When the opinion of one scholar conflicts with that of another scholar from the people of the Sunnah and the community on a particular issue, whom should I follow?
Knowing that I am unable to reconcile the evidence or determine which is stronger, what is your opinion? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I will ask you about a patient for whom two doctors differed in prescribing medication. Whose opinion should be preferred?
The questioner : He is unable to determine which is stronger.
The Shaykh : One should prefer the one whose heart feels reassured that he is more knowledgeable and more trustworthy. So, if two people issue a ruling for you and they are equal in your estimation regarding knowledge and trustworthiness, that is because not every scholar is trustworthy. We divide scholars into three categories:
Scholars of the religion, scholars of the state, and scholars of the people.
As for the scholars of the religion, may Allah include you and us among them, these are the ones who adhere to the religion of Islam and to the ruling of Allah and His Messenger, and they do not care about anyone else.
As for the scholars of the state, they look at what the ruler wants and issue rulings according to his whims. They try to twist the necks of the texts from the Book and the Sunnah so that they align with the whims of this ruler. These are losing scholars of the state.
The third category: scholars of the people. They look at the direction of the people. If the people are inclined to deem something permissible, they deem it permissible, or if they are inclined to deem it forbidden, they deem it forbidden. They also try to twist the necks of the texts to align with the whims of the people.
So, in any case, if two scholars differ in your view, look at which one is more trustworthy in your estimation in terms of knowledge and in terms of religion, and take what your heart feels reassured by. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Righteousness is that with which the soul is tranquil and the heart is tranquil
البرّ ما اطمأنّت إليه النّفس، واطمأنّ إليه القلبSome scholars said: take the stricter one, because it is safer.
Some scholars said: take the easier one, because it is more in accordance with the spirit of the Islamic Shari'ah. This is because the Islamic Shari'ah is built on ease, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The religion is ease.
الدّين يسرThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.