Is it permissible to criticize one who has become clear to him one of the two opinions in a matter of scholarly disagreement?
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The questioner : If it has become clear to him, meaning one of the two matters, he is not to be criticized. For example...
The Shaykh : It is not that simple. One must exercise independent legal reasoning, my brother. One must exercise independent legal reasoning. Do you understand? Now, since you have given an example, you know that I have graded this hadith as authentic. Let us do a practical lesson: who graded it as weak?
The questioner : Ibn Uthaymeen, in the book...
The Shaykh : But, but, that is enough. Now, do you know that Ibn Uthaymeen is our companion, our friend, and our beloved, and he praises us greatly and very greatly? Do you know if Ibn Uthaymeen is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner : But he is a specialist in Islamic jurisprudence.
The Shaykh : My brother, the best speech is that which is brief and to the point. Do you know if he is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Now, I have found the comparison here between two in your knowledge. Did you find the similarity?
The questioner : I found... I found.
The Shaykh : How did you find it?
The questioner : He is a specialist in hadith, but what I meant was...
The Shaykh : My brother, may Allah guide you. Do not complicate the issue. You are saying "I found," while your first answer means you did not find it. I asked you: Do you know that Ibn Uthaymeen, despite his virtue, is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : So, did you find the similarity?
The questioner : I did not find it.
The Shaykh : Then, please, do not rush. This is one point. Who is older of the two in age? You will say, "I do not know." This is another distinct similarity. And this means: of the two, who spent his life in the science of hadith, so-and-so or so-and-so?
The questioner : Of course, our Shaykh. He understands age not for the sake of age itself, but rather...
The Shaykh : That is why I was forced to say, "Who practiced more?" All this, my brother, is to help the individual among the Muslims so that they do not live in confusion, with so-and-so grading a hadith as authentic, so-and-so grading it as weak, so-and-so saying it is permissible, and so-and-so saying it is not permissible, and so on. Otherwise, if there had been room to elaborate on the opinion further, I would have entered into it. But not everything that is known should be said. However, this is sufficient for you.
Please proceed.
The Shaykh : It is not that simple. One must exercise independent legal reasoning, my brother. One must exercise independent legal reasoning. Do you understand? Now, since you have given an example, you know that I have graded this hadith as authentic. Let us do a practical lesson: who graded it as weak?
The questioner : Ibn Uthaymeen, in the book...
The Shaykh : But, but, that is enough. Now, do you know that Ibn Uthaymeen is our companion, our friend, and our beloved, and he praises us greatly and very greatly? Do you know if Ibn Uthaymeen is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner : But he is a specialist in Islamic jurisprudence.
The Shaykh : My brother, the best speech is that which is brief and to the point. Do you know if he is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Now, I have found the comparison here between two in your knowledge. Did you find the similarity?
The questioner : I found... I found.
The Shaykh : How did you find it?
The questioner : He is a specialist in hadith, but what I meant was...
The Shaykh : My brother, may Allah guide you. Do not complicate the issue. You are saying "I found," while your first answer means you did not find it. I asked you: Do you know that Ibn Uthaymeen, despite his virtue, is a specialist in hadith?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : So, did you find the similarity?
The questioner : I did not find it.
The Shaykh : Then, please, do not rush. This is one point. Who is older of the two in age? You will say, "I do not know." This is another distinct similarity. And this means: of the two, who spent his life in the science of hadith, so-and-so or so-and-so?
The questioner : Of course, our Shaykh. He understands age not for the sake of age itself, but rather...
The Shaykh : That is why I was forced to say, "Who practiced more?" All this, my brother, is to help the individual among the Muslims so that they do not live in confusion, with so-and-so grading a hadith as authentic, so-and-so grading it as weak, so-and-so saying it is permissible, and so-and-so saying it is not permissible, and so on. Otherwise, if there had been room to elaborate on the opinion further, I would have entered into it. But not everything that is known should be said. However, this is sufficient for you.
Please proceed.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.