to adopt them, and no Muslim is obliged to adhere to any statement except that of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This, then, is law involving interpretation and independent scholarly judgment. It may, in fact, accord with the revealed law, in which case the one who holds it receives two rewards; or it may not accord with it. Yet Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. If a servant fears Allah as much as he can, Allah rewards him for that and forgives his error. No one is entitled to condemn, disparage, or punish someone in this position. However, once the truth is known to contradict his opinion, it is not permissible to abandon the truth with which Allah sent His Messenger for the opinion of any created being.

That truth is the law revealed by Allah—the Quran and the Sunnah—and it is the religion of Allah and His Messenger, so that Allah’s word may be supreme and all worship may be devoted to Allah. They do not wage jihad to uphold the opinion of a scholar, a shaykh, or someone exercising interpretation. Rather, they wage jihad so that Allah alone may be worshipped and worship may be devoted to Him. Thus, it is reported in al-Musnad from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“I was sent with the sword ahead of the Hour, so that Allah alone may be worshipped, without any partner. My provision has been placed beneath the shade of my spear, and humiliation and abasement have been imposed upon whoever opposes my command. Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

The Most High says:

“Fight them until there is no more fitnah and all worship is devoted to Allah.”

In the two Sahīh collections, Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī reported:

“It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, a man fights out of bravery, out of partisan zeal, or for show. Which of these is in Allah’s cause?’ He replied, ‘Whoever fights so that Allah’s word may be supreme is in Allah’s cause.’”