—obedience on the part of the Companions to the Prophet’s command, their seeking his guidance, and their eagerness to outstrip one another in implementing whatever he said. Such conduct is the very hallmark of faith. As for the person who is slow to carry out the command of Allah and His Messenger, he resembles the hypocrites about whom Allah says, “When they rise for prayer, they rise reluctantly” (Qur’an 4:142). You may see someone, for instance, informed of Allah’s and His Messenger’s ruling on a given matter, yet he procrastinates and grows heavy, as though a stone had been placed upon his head—Allah’s refuge is sought. Then he goes to every scholar he can find, hoping to secure a concession, even though the scholars have stated that chasing after concessions is an act of flagrant disobedience; indeed, the one who pursues concessions is himself sinful. Some have even said, “Whoever hunts for concessions has become a heretic,” meaning he has fallen into heresy.

Therefore, when a person hears the command of Allah and His Messenger from someone whose knowledge and piety he trusts, he must not hesitate. I emphasize both knowledge and piety, for among the people is one who is devout and conscientious yet lacks learning: he may have memorized a single hadith of the Messenger and then stands to address the public as though he were one of the great imams. Such a person—and his legal opinions—must be approached with caution, for his lack of knowledge makes him prone to many errors. Conversely, there are those who possess extensive learning but are ruled by their passions—Allah protect us; they issue verdicts that please people rather than please Allah. This type is called “the scholar of the populace.”

Thus scholars fall into three categories: the scholar of the state and the scholar of the populace.