Question: Does differing on issues of methodology [1], such as gender mixing, studying and shaking hands with the opposite sex, and the use of television for da’wah purposes necessitate division and differing amongst each other?
Response: The issues of fiqh are issues of ijtihad; some of the opinions are correct in these issues and others are incorrect. We take the correct opinion and leave the one that is incorrect. Moreover, we don’t harbor enmity or boycott one another due to varying opinions as long as our creed is the same. The rest of the issues of fiqh in which there is room for ijtihad and examination do not necessitate boycotting and animosity.
Footnote
[1] The word “methodology” in this question has a different meaning than is commonly used; it doesn’t refer to issues related to creed, but rather issues that some scholars have differed on pertinent to fiqh. The Shaykh refers to the issues mentioned in the question as issues of ijtihad. It should be known that in all of these issues, one should follow the opinion he believes is supported by the strongest evidence, even though his ijtihad may lead him to a different conclusion than that of another. The Shaykh is addressing how to deal with those differences.
الاختلاف لا يوجب الفرقة
السؤال: فضيلة الشيخ وفقكم الله، هل الاختلاف في المسائل المنهجية مثل الاختلاط والدراسة المختلطة والمصافحة واستعمال التلفاز في الدعوة يوجب الفرقة والاختلاف بين أهل السنة والجماعة؟
الجواب: المسائل الفقهية قلت لكم لكن، مسائل اجتهادية فيها خطأ وفيها صواب، نأخذ الصواب ونترك الخطأ ولا نتعادى بسبب ذلك، ولا نتعادى بسب ذلك ونتقاطع ما دامت العقيدة واحدة، بقية المسائل الفقهية التي هي محل الاجتهاد والنظر لا توجب التقاطع والعداوة.
