I am astonished at people who know the isnād and its authenticity, yet follow the opinion of Sufyān

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

(Imam) Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

I am astonished at people who know the chain of transmission (isnād) and its authenticity, yet they follow the opinion of Sufyān. Allah, the Most High, said:

فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ

“And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) command beware, lest a fitnah befall them.” [24:63]

Do you know what the fitnah is? The fitnah is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Perhaps, when he (the person) rejects some of his [the Prophet’s] statement, some deviation may enter his heart, thus, he is destroyed.

Al-Allamah Salih al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, commented:

Ahmad: He is Imām Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal. He died in 241 AH. May Allah have mercy upon him. Sufyān: He is Abū ʿAbdillah Sufyān ibn Saʿīd al-Thawrī, the Imam, the Zahid, devout worshipper, trustworthy and Faqih. He died in 161 AH. May Allah have mercy upon him.

When it was said to Ahmad: “There are people who leave the hadith and follow the opinion of Sufyān or other than him among the Fuqaha,” he said: “They know the chain of transmission and its authenticity” — Meaning: They know the authenticity of the isnād of the hadith. This is because the authenticity of the isnād demonstrates the authenticity of the hadith.

“(They) oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) command” — Meaning: The command of Allah or the Messenger ﷺ. The verb is used with ʿan (عن) because it carries the meaning of turning away.

“Lest some fitnah befall them” — A trial in this world, “or a painful torment be inflicted upon them” in the Hereafter.

“Perhaps he” — Meaning: The person with whom the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ has been established as authentic; “if he rejects some of his (the Messenger’s) statement.”  “(Something) of deviation” — Meaning: Turning away from the truth and corruption of the heart.

Overall Meaning:

Imam Ahmad disapproved of those who knew that a hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is authentic, but thereafter blindly follow the opinion of Sufyān or other than him when it opposes the hadith, and make false excuses to justify their action.

Despite the fact that it is an obligation and a definitive duty upon a believer, when the Book of Allah, the Most High, and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ reach him and he understands their meaning concerning whatever matter it may be, he acts upon them, even if whoever it may be opposes him. This is what our Lord, Blessed and Most High, commanded us, and what our Prophet ﷺ commanded us to do. Ahmad then fears for a person who has had the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ established as authentic, but then opposes something from it, that his heart may deviate, thus causing him to be destroyed in this worldly life and the Hereafter. He cites the aforementioned verse as evidence, and there are many similar verses in the Qur’an, such as His (Allah’s) statement:

فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ

“So when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate.” [61:5]

Relevance of Mentioning This in the Chapter

A warning against blindly following the scholars without proof and (against) abandoning acting upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. And this is shirk in obedience.

Beneficial Lessons Derived from the Narration

Blindly following (taqlīd) is prohibited for someone who knows the proof and knows how to derive and understand rulings from it. Taqlīd is permissible for someone who does not know the proof, so he follows those among the people of knowledge whom he trusts regarding their knowledge and religious devotion.

A paraphrased excerpt from Al-Mulakh-Khas fī Sharḥ Kitāb al-Tawḥīd, pp. 297–298.