A Scholar’s Mistake Does Not Disqualify Him

It must be stated here that a scholar may err in the ruling he issues on a given, real-world question. Such slips have occurred in the past and will continue to occur. But—does that error strip the scholar of his standing and allow his opponents to brand him with crude epithets that he does not deserve, saying, as some have actually said, “He is a jurist of the Sacred Law, not a jurist of reality”?

This is a false dichotomy that contradicts both the Sharīʿah and plain fact.

Taken at face value, such talk would require the scholars of the Qur’an and Sunnah to be simultaneously versed in economics, sociology, politics, military strategy, the operation of modern weaponry, and every other discipline besides.

I do not think any rational person imagines that all these sciences and branches of knowledge could be gathered within a single individual, no matter how learned or “perfect” he might be.