The ruling on following the imam in matters of ijtihad that are subject to scholarly disagreement.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner: I mean, perhaps you could clarify the hadith for us: Sahih al-Bukhari 1236 ?
The Shaykh: And where is the paper? Give me the paper, yes.
The questioner: That he follows him in every movement and stillness.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner: So here, this witness, I mean, we intend that our brothers do not follow the imam in every movement. The movements that they, I mean, have become accustomed to, they think they have the right to perform them in the way they are accustomed to.
The Shaykh: I agree with you on what you mentioned, except for the last phrase, your saying that they think so. I do not think they think so, but they do not know.
The questioner: They do not know.
The Shaykh: So which is lighter for you, that we say you think so, or that you do not know?
The student: Or do we have other knowledge, O Shaykh? We have...
The Shaykh: No, no, it is not on you. Do not deviate. Let us stick to one policy.
The student: Hehehe.
The Shaykh: Heh, now I ask you, which is more gentle...
The student: We think this is the correct one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Hmm.
The student: We think this is the correct one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: The assumption.
The student: No, we know that this is the truth, I mean, according to the evidence we have.
Another student : We did it, or...
Another student : We did it, yes.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student: ... thoughts...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: I think the brother's statement is the correct one.
The Shaykh: It is the correct one.
The student: But there is something in my mind.
The Shaykh : Bring it.
The student: ... it is better that it remains in my mind, there is no need for it.
The Shaykh: Ah, fine, as you wish.
The student: O Shaykh, I think it is not denied that the one who holds the transmitted hadith...
The Shaykh: No, no, let us... what I understood is that they think it is not about a specific issue, namely holding, but rather in general. I mean, I believe you do not know that it is obligatory for the follower to follow the imam in matters of ijtihad that are subject to scholarly disagreement, but rather you believe that you should preserve the Sunnah even if the imam holds a view contrary to the Sunnah.
The student: Authentic, yes.
The Shaykh : Is that not so?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh: Therefore, your wording is more precise than his.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh: It is now clear to you.
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh: Ah, may Allah bless you. Do not think ill of us.
The student: Far be it, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Hehehe.
The questioner: And what is your opinion of his statement, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Is it a mistake, or I wish I had not changed his statement to mine, heh heh.
The student : May Allah reward you.
The questioner: Fine, are we right in that, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: If I were right, I would not have said "they do not know." So what do you say about his statement, (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 1236 to the end of the hadith, which is known to you, is it not a command where the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), orders the follower to follow his imam?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Fine, so do you do that in everything the imam does, even if he is the imam of the Muslims? Hmm.
The questioner: ... the last one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Hehehe.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh: We... Al-'Alawiyah, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman... we are coming down a little bit.
The student: But my Shaykh, this Al-'Alawiyah, it appears to be serious.
The Shaykh: They may, they may be mistaken.
The student: It is according to their assumption.
The Shaykh: Yes, indeed, what Allah willed, there is no power except with Allah. Hmm, what do you have?
The questioner: You mentioned, O Shaykh, just now that if the imam recites al-Fatihah and finishes, you remain silent until he finishes.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : When.
The Shaykh: He recites al-Fatihah.
The questioner: Yes, and when he finishes, you do not say "Ameen" until he says "Ameen."
The Shaykh: Until he starts.
The questioner: Fine, if he finishes al-Fatihah?
The Imam is to be followed
إنما جُعِلَ الإمام لِيُؤتَمَّ بهThe Shaykh: And where is the paper? Give me the paper, yes.
The questioner: That he follows him in every movement and stillness.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner: So here, this witness, I mean, we intend that our brothers do not follow the imam in every movement. The movements that they, I mean, have become accustomed to, they think they have the right to perform them in the way they are accustomed to.
The Shaykh: I agree with you on what you mentioned, except for the last phrase, your saying that they think so. I do not think they think so, but they do not know.
The questioner: They do not know.
The Shaykh: So which is lighter for you, that we say you think so, or that you do not know?
The student: Or do we have other knowledge, O Shaykh? We have...
The Shaykh: No, no, it is not on you. Do not deviate. Let us stick to one policy.
The student: Hehehe.
The Shaykh: Heh, now I ask you, which is more gentle...
The student: We think this is the correct one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Hmm.
The student: We think this is the correct one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: The assumption.
The student: No, we know that this is the truth, I mean, according to the evidence we have.
Another student : We did it, or...
Another student : We did it, yes.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student: ... thoughts...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: I think the brother's statement is the correct one.
The Shaykh: It is the correct one.
The student: But there is something in my mind.
The Shaykh : Bring it.
The student: ... it is better that it remains in my mind, there is no need for it.
The Shaykh: Ah, fine, as you wish.
The student: O Shaykh, I think it is not denied that the one who holds the transmitted hadith...
The Shaykh: No, no, let us... what I understood is that they think it is not about a specific issue, namely holding, but rather in general. I mean, I believe you do not know that it is obligatory for the follower to follow the imam in matters of ijtihad that are subject to scholarly disagreement, but rather you believe that you should preserve the Sunnah even if the imam holds a view contrary to the Sunnah.
The student: Authentic, yes.
The Shaykh : Is that not so?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh: Therefore, your wording is more precise than his.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh: It is now clear to you.
The student: It is clear.
The Shaykh: Ah, may Allah bless you. Do not think ill of us.
The student: Far be it, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Hehehe.
The questioner: And what is your opinion of his statement, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Is it a mistake, or I wish I had not changed his statement to mine, heh heh.
The student : May Allah reward you.
The questioner: Fine, are we right in that, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: If I were right, I would not have said "they do not know." So what do you say about his statement, (peace and blessings be upon him):
The Imam is to be followed
إنما جُعِلَ الإمام لِيُؤتَمَّ بهThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Fine, so do you do that in everything the imam does, even if he is the imam of the Muslims? Hmm.
The questioner: ... the last one, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Hehehe.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh: We... Al-'Alawiyah, Abu 'Abd al-Rahman... we are coming down a little bit.
The student: But my Shaykh, this Al-'Alawiyah, it appears to be serious.
The Shaykh: They may, they may be mistaken.
The student: It is according to their assumption.
The Shaykh: Yes, indeed, what Allah willed, there is no power except with Allah. Hmm, what do you have?
The questioner: You mentioned, O Shaykh, just now that if the imam recites al-Fatihah and finishes, you remain silent until he finishes.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : When.
The Shaykh: He recites al-Fatihah.
The questioner: Yes, and when he finishes, you do not say "Ameen" until he says "Ameen."
The Shaykh: Until he starts.
The questioner: Fine, if he finishes al-Fatihah?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.