We have repeatedly explained that imitating scholars, meaning acting on their opinions without knowing their evidence and its sufficiency, is clearly forbidden, and Allah has considered it a form of polytheism; as He has said in describing the Jews: ﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾[1]; “They took their scholars and monks as gods besides Allah.” It has been narrated from Adi ibn Hatim that when he heard this verse, «قَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَلَيْسَ إِذَا أَحَلُّوا لَهُمْ شَيْئًا اسْتَحَلُّوهُ، وَإِذَا حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا حَرَّمُوهُ؟ فَقَالَ عَدِيٌّ: بَلَى، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ»[2]; “he said to the Messenger of Allah : ‘By Allah, they did not worship them.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Is it not that when they made something lawful for them, they considered it lawful, and when they made something unlawful for them, they considered it unlawful?’ Adi replied: ‘Yes.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Then that is worshipping them.’” It has also been narrated that a man asked Hudhayfah about this, and he replied: «أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَصُومُونَ لَهُمْ، وَلَا يُصَلُّونَ لَهُمْ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا أَحَلُّوا لَهُمْ شَيْئًا اسْتَحَلُّوهُ، وَإِذَا حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا حَرَّمُوهُ، فَتِلْكَ كَانَتْ رُبُوبِيَّتَهُمْ»[3]; “They did not fast or perform prayer for them. But when they made something lawful for them, they considered it lawful, and when they made something unlawful for them, they considered it unlawful. So that was their godhood.” A similar report has also been narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt[4]. Abu al-Aliyah [d. 93 AH] was asked: «كَيْفَ كَانَتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ؟ قَالَ: قَالُوا: لَنْ نَسْبِقَ أَحْبَارَنَا بِشَيْءٍ، مَا أَمَرُونَا بِهِ ائْتَمَرْنَا، وَمَا نَهَوْنَا عَنْهُ انْتَهَيْنَا لِقَوْلِهِمْ، وَهُمْ يَجِدُونَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مَا أُمِرُوا بِهِ وَمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ، فَاسْتَنْصَحُوا الرِّجَالَ، وَنَبَذُوا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ»[5]; “‘How was the godhood that existed among the Children of Israel?’ He replied: ‘They said: “We will not go ahead of our rabbis in anything. Whatever they command us to do, we obey, and whatever they forbid us from, we refrain from doing it at their word.” While they found in the Book of Allah what they were commanded to do and what they were forbidden from, yet they sought advice from men and cast the Book of Allah behind their backs.’” This is the very misguidance that has spread among this nation too as it did among the Jews, and the Prophet informed of it when he said: «لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ، حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَدَخَلْتُمُوهُ»[6]; “You will surely follow the ways of those who were before you, cubit by cubit and step by step, to the extent that if they entered the burrow of a lizard, you will enter it too!” Therefore, every Muslim must avoid imitating scholars, especially the scholars of this time, who have been greatly reproached in narrations; as it has been narrated: «سَيَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا اسْمُهُ، وَلَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ، يُسَمَّوْنَ بِهِ وَهُمْ أَبْعَدُ النَّاسِ مِنْهُ، مَسَاجِدُهُمْ عَامِرَةٌ وَهِيَ خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى، عُلَمَاءُ ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ شَرُّ عُلَمَاءَ تَحْتَ ظِلِّ السَّمَاءِ، مِنْهُمْ خَرَجَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ وَإِلَيْهِمْ تَعُودُ»[7]; “There will come upon people a time when nothing will remain of Islam except its name, and nothing will remain of the Quran except its script. They will be called by it, but they will be the furthest people from it. Their mosques will be well-maintained, but they will be devoid of guidance. The scholars of that time will be the worst scholars under the heavens. From them will come forth the ordeals, and to them they will return,” and it has been narrated: «يَكُونُ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ رُءُوسٌ جُهَّالٌ يُفْتُونَ النَّاسَ بِرَأْيِهِمْ، فَيَضِلُّونَ وَيُضِلُّونَ»[8]; “In the end time, there will be ignorant leaders who will issue fatwas to people based on their own opinions, thus going astray and leading others astray,” and it has been narrated: «يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ شَيَاطِينُ قَدْ أَوْثَقَهَا سُلَيْمَانُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي الْبَحْرِ يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ الدِّينَ»[9]; “Soon there will come a time when the devils that Sulayman bound in the sea will emerge and teach people religion.” Ali has said in describing one of them: «قَدْ سَمَّاهُ أَشْبَاهُ النَّاسِ عَالِمًا وَلَيْسَ بِهِ! بَكَّرَ فَاسْتَكْثَرَ مِنْ جَمْعٍ مَا قَلَّ مِنْهُ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا كَثُرَ، حَتَّى إِذَا ارْتَوَى مِنْ مَاءٍ آجِنٍ، وَاكْتَثَرَ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَائِلٍ، جَلَسَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ قَاضِيًا ضَامِنًا لِتَخْلِيصِ مَا الْتَبَسَ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ! فَإِنْ نَزَلَتْ بِهِ إِحْدَى الْمُبْهَمَاتِ هَيَّأَ لَهَا حَشْوًا رَثًّا مِنْ رَأْيِهِ ثُمَّ قَطَعَ بِهِ! فَهُوَ مِنْ لَبْسِ الشُّبُهَاتِ فِي مِثْلِ نَسْجِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ، لَا يَدْرِي أَصَابَ أَمْ أَخْطَأَ، فَإِنْ أَصَابَ خَافَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَخْطَأَ، وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَ رَجَا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَصَابَ! جَاهِلٌ خَبَّاطُ جَهَالَاتٍ، عَاشٍ رَكَّابُ عَشَوَاتٍ! لَمْ يَعَضَّ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ بِضِرْسٍ قَاطِعٍ! يَذْرُو الرِّوَايَاتِ ذَرْوَ الرِّيحِ الْهَشِيمَ! لَا مَلِيٌّ وَاللَّهِ بِإِصْدَارِ مَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا أَهْلٌ لِمَا قُرِّظَ بِهِ! لَا يَحْسَبُ الْعِلْمَ فِي شَيْءٍ مِمَّا أَنْكَرَهُ، وَلَا يَرَى أَنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ مَا بَلَغَ مَذْهَبًا لِغَيْرِهِ! وَإِنْ أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرٌ اكْتَتَمَ بِهِ لِمَا يَعْلَمُ مِنْ جَهْلِ نَفْسِهِ! أَشْكُو مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ يَعِيشُونَ جُهَّالًا، وَيَمُوتُونَ ضُلَّالًا، لَيْسَ فِيهِمْ سِلْعَةٌ أَبْوَرُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ إِذَا تُلِيَ حَقَّ تِلَاوَتِهِ، وَلَا سِلْعَةٌ أَنْفَقُ بَيْعًا وَلَا أَغْلَى ثَمَنًا مِنَ الْكِتَابِ إِذَا حُرِّفَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ، وَلَا عِنْدَهُمْ أَنْكَرُ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَا أَعْرَفُ مِنَ الْمُنْكَرِ»[10]; “The public calls him a scholar, but he is not! He is hasty to amass things of which less is better than more. When he has drunk his fill of stagnant water and increased his store without profit, he sits down to dispense judgment, to elucidate what has perplexed others. When faced with an impenetrable case, he stitches together a jumble of rags concocted from his own capricious opinions, then passes judgment. Yet, he remains entangled in a web of doubt, not knowing whether he has judged correctly or erred. When correct, he is afraid he may have erred, and when errant, he hopes he has judged correctly! A total ignoramus, he stumbles about in his ignorance like the night-blind riding the steeds of darkness. Never biting into knowledge with strong teeth, he flings around narrations as the wind scatters dry leaves! By Allah, he is not qualified to judge the cases that come to his waterhole. He dismisses whatever is beyond his understanding, not realizing that others have found a path. When a case is too obscure for him to grasp, he hides the fact, for he knows he lacks knowledge. The blood of the executed screams from his oppression, and inheritances cry out from his injustice. I complain about men who live in ignorance and die in error! No commodity is less profitable to them than the Quran when explained correctly, and no commodity is more profitable or more valuable to them than the Quran with its meanings corrupted. Nothing for them is worse than right or better than wrong.” Mansoor has also described them in one of his letters and said:

They do not pluck a leaf from the tree of religion but uproot it! They remove a husk from people’s eyes and leave a pine tree in their own eyes! They shoo flies away from people’s backs and carry camels on their own backs! They beautify their outward appearance and defile their inner characters! They are sweeter than honey in people’s eyes and more bitter than colocynth behind the walls! They like the truth but not as much as power and like knowledge but not as much as fame! They want the Hereafter for others and the world for themselves! They think of themselves as greater than what they are and consider others lesser than what they are! They want Allah for themselves and do not want themselves for Allah! Wisdom is like ignorance to them, and light is like darkness to them! The flattery of the ignorant has deceived them, and charming titles have astonished them! They put expediency before Sharia and prefer benefits to the truth! They do not think the truth is in what they deny, nor do they see anything beyond what they have communicated to others! I swear to Allah, they have followed in the footsteps of the past nations’ scholars, except that those would distort the words of Sharia and these distort its meanings! So Beware of them so that they do not mislead you as the scholars of the past nations misled them![11]

Based on this, it was not permissible for you to ask your Sheikh about the book Return to Islam to accept his opinion. Rather, you should have read it entirely and looked at its proofs with an eye of contemplation and fairness, accepting it if it conforms to the intellect and Sharia, and rejecting it if it contradicts the intellect and Sharia, regardless of your Sheikh’s opinion; because your Sheikh is not infallible, and ignorance, envy, fanaticism, or arrogance may influence him, leading him to reject the book without any rational or religious justification. What further indicates this is that he and other Sheikhs like him who reject the book do not mention even one of its alleged flaws in detail and with evidence. Rather, they suffice with a blanket rejection, which is no different from arbitrariness and slander, such as their statement: “It is a misleading book that should not be read!” While it is a voluminous book that includes many topics, such as proving the Oneness of Allah, Prophethood, and the Hereafter, clarifying prayer, Zakat, fasting, Hajj, and other matters about which there is no disagreement among Muslims, as well as other topics about which there is disagreement among the Sahabah, the Tabi‘un, and people of knowledge. Every Muslim must look at these matters with a critical eye, free from negative thoughts, prejudgment, and sectarian bias, and follow the best of what has been said about them, seeking the pleasure of Allah; as He has commanded it, where He has said: ﴿الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ ۚ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمْ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ﴾[12]; “Those who listen to the word and follow the best of it. They are the ones whom Allah has guided, and they are the people of understanding.”