their being obligatory or prohibited. For inability renders commands and prohibitions inapplicable, even where an obligation exists in principle. And Allah knows best.

Among these matters subject to scholarly judgment, in both knowledge and practice, is the following: a scholar or ruler may say or do something on the basis of independent scholarly judgment or by following another scholar’s judgment. If another scholar or ruler does not share the first one’s view, he does not command it—or commands only what he considers beneficial—nor does he forbid it. For he has no right to forbid another from following that person’s own scholarly judgment, nor to compel that person to follow his judgment instead. Thus, as far as he is concerned, these matters are among the acts that are excused: he neither commands nor forbids them. Rather, they fall between permissibility and pardon. This is a very broad subject, so reflect upon it.