Returning matters to the scholars means this: when a person does not know a matter of his religion, he does not answer it from himself. He takes the question to the people who know, the scholars, and he takes his answer from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ as they explain it. Nobody knows the whole religion by himself, and Allah has not left the one who does not know to guess. He has told him where to take his question. This page shows that from the books, in the scholars’ own words: the command to ask, who the people of knowledge are, where a difference of opinion is taken back to, and how a student treats the scholars when he thinks one of them has made a mistake.
I gathered this page from four books in my library: the tafsir [explanation of the Qur’an] of Shaykh Abdur-Rahman as-Sa’di, at the verses this subject turns on; two booklets of Shaykh Ibn Baz, Knowledge and Its Excellence and Knowledge and the Manners of Its People; and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s The Book of Knowledge, in its chapter on the manners of the student, its chapter on how knowledge is taken, and its appendix of the sayings of the Imams [the great early scholars whose schools are followed]. Their words are quoted word for word. Everything else on this page is my own summary of what they say, and the references at the end show where each passage stands.
Allah’s Command: Ask the People of Knowledge
The command stands in two places in the Qur’an with the same words. In Surah an-Nahl, Allah says: “And We sent not before you any but men to whom We revealed. So ask the people of the Reminder [the Qur’an and the earlier scriptures], if you do not know” (16:43). Shaykh as-Sa’di explains what the verse carries beyond its first occasion:
The general meaning of this verse points to implicit praise for people of knowledge, and indicates that the highest type of knowledge is knowledge of the revealed Book of Allah, as Allah instructs those who do not know to refer to them in all cases.
This indicates that Allah entrusted them with His revelation and that they are enjoined to purify themselves and strive to attain attributes of perfection.
Two things stand in that explanation. The one who does not know is instructed to refer to the people of knowledge in all cases, not only in the large matters. And the people he is sent to are described as entrusted with the revelation, which is why their answer carries weight: they are answering from what was entrusted to them, not from their own opinions. Shaykh Ibn Baz applies the same verse in the plainest terms. The believer should ask the people of knowledge about the matters he is unsure of, and the duty does not rest on the questioner alone:
It is upon the scholars to explain and teach the people the religion, this is obligatory upon them. The concealment of knowledge is a grave matter.
Asking and teaching are two sides of one command. The one who does not know must ask, and the one who knows must answer and teach; holding knowledge back is named a grave matter. The second verse, in Surah al-Anbiya (21:7), was sent down about an earlier question, whether the Messengers before the Prophet ﷺ were men or angels, and the doubters were told to ask the people of the earlier scriptures. As-Sa’di sets out why the verse reaches further than that first occasion:
Although the particular reason for revelation of this verse had to do with asking the People of the Book about the earlier Messengers, as they were people of knowledge, it is general in meaning and applies to other matters of religion, both basic and minor. If a person does not have any knowledge of such an issue, he may ask one who does know it. So it is a command to learn and ask people of knowledge.
So the pattern is fixed by the verses themselves. A matter of religion that a person does not know is not settled by his own thinking, and it is not left unanswered either. It is carried to someone who knows it. The next question is the natural one: who are these people of knowledge that everyone else is sent back to?
Who the People of Knowledge Are
Allah names their station in Surah Aal ‘Imran (3:18), where He testifies that there is no god worthy of worship but He, and the angels testify, and the people of knowledge testify with them. As-Sa’di explains why their testimony is joined to His:
As for the testimony of the people of knowledge, that is because they are the reference point to be consulted in all religious matters, especially the most important, greatest and noblest matter, namely affirming the oneness of Allah (tawheed).
The reference point in all religious matters: that is the place the verse gives them, and it begins with tawheed [singling out Allah alone in worship], the greatest matter of the religion. In the points he draws from the same verse, as-Sa’di adds that Allah singled them out for the honour of testifying to the most important matter anyone can testify to, that He mentioned their testimony alongside His own and that of the angels, and that their being counted among the witnesses shows they are trustworthy people of good character, fit to be entrusted with what He entrusted to them. A scholar, in this picture, is not simply a man with information. He is a witness to the truth of the religion, and people are sent back to him because his knowledge is joined to trustworthiness. The books give the marks by which a scholar is recognised; they do not hand down one fixed list of names for every time and place.
When There Is a Difference, the Matter Goes Back to Allah and His Messenger
Returning a matter to the scholars does not end with the scholar’s own opinion, because the scholars themselves are under a return that stands above them. In Surah an-Nisa (4:59), Allah commands the believers to obey Allah and to obey the Messenger, and He commands that when they differ over a thing, they refer it back to Allah and His Messenger. As-Sa’di explains that the answer to a disputed matter is found in the Book and the Sunnah in one of several forms: in a clear and specific text, in the general meaning of a text, on the basis of a hint or indication, or on the basis of a general principle to which similar cases are compared. Then he states what the referring itself means:
This indicates that whoever does not refer to them concerning controversial matters is not really a believer; rather he is a believer in taghoot.
that, namely referring to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), is better and more seemly in the end, because the ruling of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) is the best and most just of rulings, and is in the best interests of people in their religious and worldly affairs and in the hereafter.
Taghoot is everything that is worshipped or obeyed besides Allah. The warning is severe on purpose: a disputed matter that is not taken back to the Book and the Sunnah has been taken somewhere else instead. This is also where the scholars’ place becomes clear. The return is to Allah and His Messenger; the scholars are the people who know the texts and their meanings, and who can find the answer in the forms as-Sa’di lists. Returning to the scholars and returning to the Book and the Sunnah are not two competing returns. The first is the road to the second, for the one who cannot yet find the answer in the texts himself. This site treats the verse and its setting on its page on Sharia, and the command to obey those in authority, which stands in the same verse, on its page on obeying the rulers; neither is repeated here.
How Knowledge Is Taken in Practice
The command to ask leaves practical questions behind it. From whom is knowledge taken, face to face? Who may not be asked? And how is a scholar recognised, so that a beginner is not left to guess? The books answer each one.
First, knowledge is taken from a teacher, not gathered alone. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen lists the ways of acquiring knowledge in The Book of Knowledge, and the second of them is this:
From the ways to acquiring knowledge is that you take from a teacher who is reliable in his knowledge and religion, and this is the fastest and most reliable manner for seeking knowledge.
As for the second approach, then here there is constructive discussion whilst taking knowledge and refuting (doubts) with the teacher. With this, many doors of understanding, verification and methods of safeguarding the authentic statements and refuting the weak statements, are opened for the student.
Reliable in his knowledge and reliable in his religion: both are required, and the benefit named is verification. A student sitting with a teacher can have a statement checked, a doubt answered, and a weak statement recognised as weak. A reader alone with books has none of that correction, and the Shaykh says the student who studies alone is open to deviation through his lack of understanding. Second, the door of answering is not open to everyone. As-Sa’di’s explanation of the verse of asking closes with the other side of the command:
Because we are specifically instructed to ask those who have knowledge, this implies that it is not allowed to ask questions of one who is known to be ignorant and to have no knowledge, and it is prohibited for one who has no knowledge to give answers.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen says the same of the highest form of answering, the religious verdict [a formal ruling given to one who asks]:
Passing religious verdicts is a great rank; with it, one who is qualified is able to deal with issues that are uncertain for the general public in matters of their religion, that which guides them to the Straight Path. Since this is such a great rank, no-one should put themselves forward for it unless they are qualified to do so. Therefore, it is obligatory for the servants of Allah to fear Him and not speak except upon sound knowledge.
So the command to ask carries a protection with it. The questioner is protected from asking the ignorant, and the people are protected from answers given without knowledge, because speaking about the religion without sound knowledge is itself forbidden to the speaker. Third, a scholar is recognised by marks, not by claims. Shaykh Ibn Baz writes that whoever does not know the truth must ask the people of knowledge who are known for it:
Whoever is ignorant of the truth, then it is compulsory upon him to ask the people of knowledge who are recognised with knowledge, merit, correct aqeedah, and biography of the Prophet ﷺ.
Aqeedah is a person’s belief, what he holds about Allah, His Messenger, and the religion. The scholar to be asked is recognised by his knowledge, his merit, the correctness of his belief, and his following of the Prophet’s ﷺ way. For the ordinary person, the Shaykh adds that he takes from whoever is closest to the truth and upright, and he gives the marks by which the scholar himself is known:
As for the common folk, then they should ask the people of knowledge and take from them freely whoever is closest to the truth and upright.
A scholar is recognised by his perseverance, his taqwaa and his fear of Allah, striving to what Allah has made obligatory and keeping well away from what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have forbidden.
Taqwaa is a person’s mindfulness of Allah, acting in obedience to Him and keeping away from what He forbade, out of fear of Him and hope in Him. Perseverance in seeking and teaching, taqwaa, and fear of Allah: these are the signs the book gives. A man is not made a scholar by his own claim, nor by the size of his following, but by knowledge that shows in his conduct.
Returning to the Scholars Is Not Blind Following
One misunderstanding has to be cleared away, because the scholars cleared it away themselves. Returning matters to the scholars does not mean taking a scholar’s word above the Book and the Sunnah, and it does not mean clinging to one man’s opinions. The earliest Imams said so in their own words, and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen gathered their sayings in an appendix to The Book of Knowledge. Imam Abu Hanifah said:
When a hadeeth is found to be saheeh, then that is my madhhab.
It is not permitted for anyone to accept our views if they do not know from where we got them.
A hadeeth is a narration of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did, or approved; saheeh means it is authentic, established by its chain of narrators; and a madhhab is a scholar’s school of law and the body of his rulings. Abu Hanifah binds his own school to the authentic narration: when the hadeeth is sound, that is his position, whatever was said in his name besides it. And he forbids taking his views without knowing where he took them from. He also said:
When I say something contradicting the Book of Allah the Exalted or what is narrated from the Messenger ﷺ, then ignore my saying.
Imam Malik ibn Anas, the Imam of Madinah, said the same of himself:
Truly I am only a mortal: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: all that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah, accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it.
Everyone after the Prophet ﷺ will have his sayings accepted and rejected, not so the Prophet ﷺ.
This is the balance of the whole subject. The scholar is asked because he knows the Book and the Sunnah, and he is followed in what agrees with them; his own word is not a proof by itself, and he is the first to say so. Shaykh Ibn Baz states the working rule for the days when the scholars differ among themselves:
When the people of knowledge differ, then one should look at their saying and support that which is in agreement with the evidence without prejudice against anyone.
So a difference between scholars is not settled by loyalty to one of them, and it is not settled by the questioner’s own preference either. It is settled by the evidence, which is the return to Allah and His Messenger that the verse commanded. The etiquette of scholarly difference, how it arises and how a student should carry himself inside it, is treated on this site’s page on why Muslims have different rulings, and is not repeated here.
Manners When a Scholar Is Thought to Have Erred
Scholars are men, and men make mistakes; Malik’s words above say it plainly. The question that remains is how a student behaves when he believes a scholar has erred. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen treats it in The Book of Knowledge, in the etiquette of respecting the scholars and their positions. Backbiting a scholar, he explains, does a particular harm: it puts an obstacle between the people and that scholar’s knowledge of the Sharia [the rulings and guidance of Islam], so the people lose the good he carries because of the talk against him. Of the young students, he says:
Certainly, I say it is upon the youth to accept that which passes between the scholars from differences of opinion with good intention, and upon ijtihaad and to offer excuses in that which they err in.
Ijtihaad is the qualified scholar’s effort of reasoning from the Book and the Sunnah to reach a ruling. Differences between scholars are to be received on the basis that they came from that effort, made with good intention, and excuses are offered for the one who erred in it. Nor does respect mean silence. The Shaykh permits raising the matter with the scholar himself:
And there is no harm in speaking to them about that which you consider they have erred in, so as to clarify whether this error is directly from them or from those who say they have erred.
Sometimes the reported mistake is not the scholar’s at all, and sometimes discussion makes the truth clear to the one who raised it. What is forbidden is a different course: gathering a scholar’s mistakes and spreading them. The Shaykh calls it by its name:
Therefore honesty is obligatory, and it is not permissible for a person to take the mistakes of any one of the leaders or the scholars or others besides them and then circulate them amongst the people, whilst remaining silent about their good deeds. Certainly, this is not honesty!
And he gives the cure, which is direct and private, not public:
Just as I have mentioned previously, the cure to that which you suspect to be a mistake is to telephone the one whom you suspect has made the mistake and discuss the issue with him, then consider your position after the discussion.
Contact the man, discuss the issue with him, and only then settle your position. Many, the Shaykh notes, have come out of such a discussion having changed their own view. Respect for the scholars, honesty about their good, and a direct word instead of public talk: these manners guard the road by which knowledge reaches the people, which is the whole subject of this page.
References
Tafsir as-Sa’di: Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; International Islamic Publishing House, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Vol. 5, Surah an-Nahl 16:43, printed p. 207; Vol. 6, Surah al-Anbiya 21:7, printed p. 190; Vol. 1, Surah Aal ‘Imran 3:18, printed pp. 389-390; Vol. 2, Surah an-Nisa 4:59, printed p. 203).
Knowledge and Its Excellence: Shaykh Ibn Baz; SalafiManhaj, 2004 (printed p. 17).
Knowledge and the Manners of Its People: Shaykh Ibn Baz; Al-Hidaayah Publishing (held scan, PDF pp. 17 and 19; the scan shows no printed folio on these pages).
The Book of Knowledge: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; Fatwa-Online Publishing, 2001, Volume One, translated by Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad Akhtar Chaudhry (etiquette 9, printed pp. 75-77; Chapter Three, printed pp. 114 and 120; Appendix I, printed pp. 153-154).
Further Reading
- Methodology (Manhaj): the principles of the way of the Salaf, of which returning matters to the scholars is one.
- Seeking Knowledge (Talab al-Ilm): the virtue of knowledge and of seeking it, and the path of the one who seeks it.
- Why Do Muslims Have Different Rulings on Some Issues?: how differences between scholars arise, and the etiquette of carrying them.
- Do Muslims Have to Obey Muslim Rulers?: the same verse of Surah an-Nisa, at the command to obey those in authority, and the verse of referring matters of security and fear to those in charge of them.
- What Is Sharia?: what the Sharia is, and the referral of disputes to Allah and His Messenger in the same verse.
Verified on 2026-10-24 against the books listed above.