Some Role Models Falling into Major Sins
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The questioner: Our brother also says—and this is indeed a provocative question—he says: There are people who are role models for everyone, but they shave their beards. What is your opinion?
The answer: If a scholar disobeys his Lord, he is not a role model in that which he has disobeyed. The Jews were scholars, yet they disobeyed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not respond to the truth, so Allah criticized them and became angry with them. Therefore, any scholar who resembles them has a share of Allah’s anger to the extent of his disobedience. And whoever resembles the Christians in worshipping through ignorance and turning away from the religion has his share of misguidance and imitation of the Christians. For this reason, Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allah have mercy on him) or al-Thawri said: “Whoever among our scholars is corrupt has a resemblance to the Jews, and whoever among our worshippers is corrupt has a resemblance to the Christians.”
It is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of resembling both groups. If he finds a scholar committing a sin, he should not imitate him in that sin; rather, he should advise him and ask Allah for his guidance, and he should avoid following him in that matter. The role model is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); he is the scholar who is followed, not the disobedient scholar. If he disobeys in shaving his beard, in letting his garments hang below the ankles, or in other matters, the layperson should not imitate him in that. Rather, he should take as his example the successful scholars who feared Allah and followed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The true example is the Messenger, for he is the origin, he is the Imam (peace and blessings be upon him). The scholars who followed him did so because he is the example (peace and blessings be upon him) and because he is the Imam who is to be followed.
So if you follow the good scholars in letting the beard grow and in everything that Allah has prescribed, then in this you are following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whom the scholars followed in the truth; they followed him in what was prescribed for them (peace and blessings be upon him).
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
The answer: If a scholar disobeys his Lord, he is not a role model in that which he has disobeyed. The Jews were scholars, yet they disobeyed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not respond to the truth, so Allah criticized them and became angry with them. Therefore, any scholar who resembles them has a share of Allah’s anger to the extent of his disobedience. And whoever resembles the Christians in worshipping through ignorance and turning away from the religion has his share of misguidance and imitation of the Christians. For this reason, Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allah have mercy on him) or al-Thawri said: “Whoever among our scholars is corrupt has a resemblance to the Jews, and whoever among our worshippers is corrupt has a resemblance to the Christians.”
It is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of resembling both groups. If he finds a scholar committing a sin, he should not imitate him in that sin; rather, he should advise him and ask Allah for his guidance, and he should avoid following him in that matter. The role model is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); he is the scholar who is followed, not the disobedient scholar. If he disobeys in shaving his beard, in letting his garments hang below the ankles, or in other matters, the layperson should not imitate him in that. Rather, he should take as his example the successful scholars who feared Allah and followed the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The true example is the Messenger, for he is the origin, he is the Imam (peace and blessings be upon him). The scholars who followed him did so because he is the example (peace and blessings be upon him) and because he is the Imam who is to be followed.
So if you follow the good scholars in letting the beard grow and in everything that Allah has prescribed, then in this you are following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whom the scholars followed in the truth; they followed him in what was prescribed for them (peace and blessings be upon him).
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.