in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the final return.’”

“Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. It will have the good it has earned and bear the evil it has earned. Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not lay upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”

It is established in the Sahīh, on the authority of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), that Allah answered this supplication. When the believers said, “Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake,” Allah said, “I have done so.” The same applies to the rest of the supplication. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said, “Allah has pardoned my community for mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are compelled to do.”

Thus, when a mufti, a soldier, or a layperson expresses a view according to their best judgment—whether through independent legal reasoning or reliance on scholarly authority—intending to follow the Messenger to the best of their knowledge, they do not deserve punishment, by the consensus of the Muslims, even if their error is unanimously recognized as such.

If they say, “We have spoken the truth,” and support their position with evidence from the revealed law, no judge may compel them to accept his view merely on his own authority, nor rule that his view, rather than theirs, is the truth. Rather, the Quran and Sunnah must judge between him and them. The truth with which Allah sent His Messenger must not be concealed; rather, it must be brought to light. If it becomes clear, everyone must return to it. If it does not, each side should leave the other alone. This is the case with questions disputed by adherents of the different schools of law. No one says that a follower of one school must follow someone else’s school merely because the latter is a judge, for the situation may be reversed: the other person may become a judge