in matters open to scholarly judgment. This is the case with all the righteous people of this nation regarding their errors and lapses.

Allah Most High says:
“And the one who has brought the truth and those who believe in it—those are the righteous. They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of those who do good, so that Allah may absolve them of the worst of what they did and reward them according to the best of what they used to do.”
[Surah al-Zumar 33–35]

Such were the righteous people of Kufa who consumed intoxicants on the basis of a mistaken interpretation, and those who followed them in this, even though the drink was wine. No one acquainted with the statements of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and those of the Companions doubts this. The same applies to the people of Mecca who justified temporary marriage and currency exchange through interpretation, following what Ibn ‘Abbās used to say—even if he had retracted those views or they had gone beyond what he said. Anyone acquainted with the texts of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has no doubt that these practices constitute forms of forbidden usury and forbidden marriage.

The same applies to the people of Medina who relied on interpretations concerning certain foods and anal intercourse, although no one acquainted with the texts of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions doubts that these are forbidden. Likewise, some of the earliest Muslims and their successors became involved in fighting during civil strife and in rebellion on the basis of mistaken interpretations, despite the known texts of the Quran and Sunnah calling for refraining from fighting and making peace.

Thus, whatever people of knowledge and religious devotion have justified through interpretation—whether concerning food, drink, marriage, ownership, or anything known to have been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger—it is not permissible