At that point, we say: Our position regarding this disagreement—and by this I mean the disagreement among scholars whom we know to be trustworthy in knowledge and religious commitment, not those who are merely regarded as scholars but are not truly qualified, for we neither consider such people scholars nor deem their statements worthy of preservation among the views of the learned—is as follows. Rather, we mean those scholars who are known for their sincere counsel to the Muslim community and Islam, and for their knowledge. Our position toward them has two aspects:

1—Why did these leading scholars differ from what the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger require? The answer can be understood from the causes of disagreement we have mentioned, as well as from the many others we have not mentioned. These become apparent to a student of knowledge even if he is not deeply versed in scholarship.

2—What is our position regarding following them, and which of these scholars should we follow? Should a person follow one imam and never depart from his view, even when another is correct, as is the custom of those who fanatically adhere to their legal schools? Or should he follow whichever evidence he considers strongest, even if it conflicts with the view of the imam with whom he associates himself