Advice of Scholars - TO FOLLOW ONE OF THE FOUR MADHHABS

It is not permissible for those who have not reached the grade of ijtihâd to draw rules from the Nass, that is, the Book and the Sunna. Now some ignorant people claim that they have reached the grade of absolute ijtihâd, that they can draw rules from the Nass and that they no longer need to follow one of the four madhhabs, and they abandon the madhhab they have followed for years. They attempt to refute the madhhabs with their unsound thoughts. They make such ignorant, stupid statements as, ‘We will not follow the opinion of a religious man who was as ignorant as we are. ’ Deluded by Satan and provoked by the nafs, they claim superiority. They cannot realize that by saying so they reveal not their superiority but their stupidity and ignominy. Among these, we see also those ignorant heretics who say and write that everybody should read and derive rules from tafsîr books and [the Sahîh of] al-Bukhârî. O my Muslim brother! Completely avoid making friends with such idiots or supposing that they are religious men! Hold fast to the madhhab of your imâm! You are free to choose whichever you like of the four madhhabs. But it is not permissible to collect the facilities (rukhsas) of the madhhabs, that is, to unify the madhhabs, which is called ‘talfîq’.