The Obligation to Follow Evidence and Not to Follow Anyone in Taqlid

May Allah reward you with good. Perhaps the choice of a specific school of jurisprudence or something similar, Your Eminence, is related to this question?

Answer: This is regarding the students of knowledge and the scholars. It is obligatory for them not to follow anyone in taqlid (blind following). However, if one affiliates himself with one of the schools of jurisprudence by way of affiliation, because he finds its rules and principles agree with him, there is no harm. But he has no right to follow Zayd or 'Amr, not al-Shafi'i, not Ahmad, not Malik, and not Abu Hanifah. Rather, he must take from where they took, and he must look at the evidence. So whatever is stronger in the evidence in matters of scholarly disagreement, he takes that. As for what they have agreed upon, praise be to Allah. But in matters of disagreement, he looks at the evidence. If the evidence is with Abu Hanifah, he takes it; with Malik, he takes it; with al-Shafi'i, he takes it; with Ahmad, he takes it; with al-Awza'i, he takes it; with others, he takes the evidence and prefers it based on the evidence. For Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Nisa: 59], and He says the Exalted: [Al-Shura: 10]. So it is obligatory for the scholars to present what people have disputed about to the evidences of the Shari'ah. So whatever is stronger in the evidence, it is obligatory to take it. As for the layperson, he asks the scholars of his time. He chooses the good people, the good scholar who shows that he emulates the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and who shows scrupulousness, and from whom knowledge is apparent, and people testify to his goodness. He seeks out and asks him. And his school of jurisprudence is the school of the one who issued the fatwa for him. He does not strain himself, but he seeks out the scholars and asks in his country or other countries about those known for knowledge, virtue, and following the truth, who are known for maintaining the prayers, and who are known for following the Sunnah by growing the beard, not letting the garment hang below the ankles, and staying away from positions of suspicion, and so on from the indicators of the scholar's uprightness. So if he is guided to a scholar whose outward appearance is good and who is known for knowledge, he asks him about what is difficult for him, and praise be to Allah. [Al-Taghabun: 16]. Yes.