Imam Aḥmad—may Allah have mercy on him—said, “How astonishing that people who know the chain of transmission and its soundness still prefer the opinion of Sufyān, when Allah the Exalted says: ‘So let those who oppose his command beware, lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment seize them.’ 1”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with them both—remarked, “Stones from the sky are about to rain down upon you! I say, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said…,’ and you reply, ‘Abū Bakr and ʿUmar said…?!’”

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan—may Allah have mercy on him—writes in Fatḥ al-Majīd: “It is obligatory upon every legally responsible person who is presented with evidence from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger and understands its import to submit to it and act upon it, even if others take a different view …”

He goes on: “Anyone who is sincere with himself, when he reads the scholars’ works, studies them, and acquaints himself with their statements, must then weigh those statements against what is found in the Book and the Sunnah. Every mujtahid among the scholars, and those who follow or affiliate with him, cites his proof; yet the truth in any given issue is but one. The imams are rewarded for their ijtihād. A fair-minded person therefore uses their words and reflections as a path to grasp the issues, retain them, and distinguish right from wrong by means of the proofs each contender presents. Through this he learns which scholar is more firmly supported by evidence and then follows him.”

Commenting on Allah’s words, “But if you obey them, you will surely be idolaters,” 2 he says: “Many have fallen into this with those they imitate, because they pay no heed to the proof when it contradicts the view of the one they follow. This is a form of shirk. 3 Some even go to extremes, believing that acting on the proof under such circumstances is disliked or forbidden. Thus the trial has intensified, and they say, ‘He is more knowledgeable than we are about the proofs …’” End quote.

Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “Issue Five: Conditions have changed to such an extent that, for most people, the worship of monks has come to be regarded as superior …”