Whenever he (mu’adh b. jabal) sat in a meeting for preaching, he would say: Allah is a just arbiter; those who doubt would perish. One day Mu’adh b. jabal said: In the times after you there would be trails in which riches would be abundant. During these trails the Quran would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say: What happened with the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I introduce a novelty for them other than it. So avoid that which is innovated (in religion), for whichever is innovated is an error. I warn you of the deviation of a scholar from right guidance, for sometimes Satan utters a word of error through the tongue of a scholar; and sometimes a hypocrites may speak a word of truth. I said to Mu’adh b. jabal: I am at a loss to understand may Allah have mercy on you that a learned man sometimes may speak a word of error and a hypocrite may speak a word of truth. He replied: Yes, avoid the speech of a learned man on distract you from him (the learned), for it is possible that he may withdraw (from these well-known things), and you get the truth when you hear it, for truth has light. Abu Dawud said: In this tradition Ma’mar on the authority of al-Zuhrl said: The words “wa la yun iyannaka” instead of “wa la yuthniyannaka,” with the same meaning: “it may not distract you” salih b. Kaisan on the authority of al-Zurhrl said in this tradition the words “al-mushtaharat” (well-know things). He also said the word “La yuthniyannaka” as ‘Uqail mentioned. Ibn ishaq, on the authority of al-Zuhri, said: Yes, if you are doubtful about the speech of a scholar until you say: WHAT did he mean by this word? (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 4611)   

أَنَّ مُعَاذًا ؓ كَانَ يَقُولُ كُلَّمَا جَلَسَ مَجْلِسَ ذِكْرٍ اللهُ حَكَمٌ عَدْلٌ وَقَالَ أَبُو الْيَمَانِ قِسْطٌ تَبَارَكَ اسْمُهُ هَلَكَ الْمُرْتَابُونَ فَقَالَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ يَوْمًا فِي مَجْلِسٍ جَلَسَهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ فِتَنٌ يَكْثُرُ فِيهَا الْمَالُ وَيُفْتَحُ فِيهَا الْقُرْآنُ حَتَّى يَأْخُذَهُ الْمُؤْمِنُ وَالْمُنَافِقُ وَالْحُرُّ وَالْعَبْدُ وَالرَّجُلُ وَالْمَرْأَةُ وَالْكَبِيرُ وَالصَّغِيرُ فَيُوشِكُ قَائِلٌ أَنْ يَقُولُ فَمَا لِلنَّاسِ لَا يَتَّبِعُونِي وَقَدْ قَرَأْتُ الْقُرْآنَ؟ واللهِ مَا هُمْ بِمُتَّبِعِيَّ حَتَّى أَبْتَدِعَ لَهُمْ غَيْرَهُ فَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمَا ابْتُدِعَ فَإِنَّ مَا ابْتُدِعَ ضَلَالَةٌ وَاحْذَرُوا زَيْغَةَ الْحَكِيمِ فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَدْ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الضَّلَالِ عَلَى فَمِ الْحَكِيمِ وَقَدْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ وَمَا يُدْرِينِي يَرْحَمُكَ اللهُ أَنَّ الْحَكِيمَ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الضَّلَالَةِ وَأَنَّ الْمُنَافِقَ يَقُولُ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ؟ قَالَ اجْتَنِبْ مِنْ كَلَامِ الْحَكِيمِ الْمُشْتَبِهَاتِ الَّتِي تَقُولُ مَا هَذِهِ؟ وَلَا يُنْئِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يُرَاجِعَ وَيُلَقَّى الْحَقَّ إِذَا سَمِعَهُ فَإِنَّ عَلَى الْحَقِّ نُورًا وَفِي رِوَايَةِ الْقَاضِي وَلَا يُثْنِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ وَرَوَاهُ عُقَيْلٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ فَقَالَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ وَلَا يُثْنِيَنَّكَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ فَأَخْبَرَ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ أَنَّ زَيْغَةَ الْحَكِيمِ لَا تُوجِبُ الْإِعْرَاضَ عَنْهُ وَلَكِنْ يُتْرَكُ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ مَا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ نُورٌ فَإِنَّ عَلَى الْحَقِّ نُورًا يَعْنِي وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ دَلَالَةً مِنْ كِتَابٍ أَوْ سُنَّةٍ أَوْ إِجْمَاعٍ أَوْ قِيَاسٍ عَلَى بَعْضِ هَذَا  

[Machine] That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Beware of the mistake of the scholar and wait for his arrival, and likewise..."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ اتَّقُوا زَلَّةَ الْعَالِمِ وَانْتَظِرُوا فَيْئَتَهُ وَكَذَلِكَ  

[Machine] I heard al-Awzai say, "Whoever rejects the binding opinions of the scholars has left Islam."  

سَمِعْتُ الْأَوْزَاعِيَّ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَخَذَ بِنَوَادِرِ الْعُلَمَاءِ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ  

[Machine] I heard Al-Awzai say that among the people of Makkah, it is permissible to engage in sexual pleasure and to exchange money, while among the people of Madinah, it is allowed to listen to women's voices and have relations with them from behind. In addition, among the people of Syria, it is accepted to use force and obedience, while among the people of Kufa, drinking wine and eating suhoor (pre-dawn meal) is allowed.  

سَمِعْتُ الْأَوْزَاعِيَّ يَقُولُ يُتْرَكُ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ الْمُتْعَةُ وَالصَّرْفُ وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ السَّمَاعُ وَإِتْيَانُ النِّسَاءِ فِي أَدْبَارِهِنَّ وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ الْجَبْرُ وَالطَّاعَةُ وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ النَّبِيذُ وَالسَّحُورُ  

[Machine] I heard Al-Oza'i, may Allah have mercy on him, say: We avoid or refrain from five things that the people of Iraq say, and five things that the people of Hijaz say. From the sayings of the people of Iraq, they are drinking intoxicants, eating before dawn during Ramadan, except on seven specific days, delaying the Asr prayer until the shadow of everything becomes four times its length, fleeing on the day of battle, and from the sayings of the people of Hijaz, they are listening to music, combining prayers without excuse, enjoying women, exchanging one dinar for two, and approaching women from behind.  

سَمِعْتُ الْأَوْزَاعِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ يَقُولُ نَجْتَنِبُ أَوْ نَتْرُكُ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ خَمْسًا وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ خَمْسًا مِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ شُرْبَ الْمُسْكِرِ وَالْأَكْلَ فِي الْفَجْرِ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلَا جُمُعَةَ إِلَّا فِي سَبْعَةِ أَمْصَارٍ وَتَأْخِيرَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ ظِلُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَرْبَعَةَ أَمْثَالِهِ وَالْفِرَارَ يَوْمَ الزَّحْفِ وَمِنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ اسْتِمَاعَ الْمَلَاهِي وَالْجَمْعَ بَيْنَ الصَّلَاتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ عُذْرٍ وَالْمُتْعَةَ بِالنِّسَاءِ وَالدِّرْهَمَ بِالدِّرْهَمَيْنِ وَالدِّينَارَ بِالدِّينَارَيْنِ يَدًا بِيَدٍ وَإِتْيَانَ النِّسَاءِ فِي أَدْبَارِهِنَّ  

[Machine] Did you not verify these hadiths? I said the hadiths are reported as they were, but whoever permitted intoxication did not permit pleasure, and whoever permitted pleasure did not permit singing and intoxication. And no scholar is free from error, and whoever gathers the errors of scholars and adopts them, his religion will be lost. So Al-Mu'tadid commanded that the book be burned.  

أَلَمْ تَصِحَّ هَذِهِ الْأَحَادِيثُ؟ قُلْتُ الْأَحَادِيثُ عَلَى مَا رُوِيَتْ وَلَكِنَّ مَنْ أَبَاحَ الْمُسْكِرَ لَمْ يُبِحِ الْمُتْعَةَ وَمَنْ أَبَاحَ الْمُتْعَةَ لَمْ يُبِحِ الْغِنَاءَ وَالْمُسْكِرَ وَمَا مِنْ عَالِمٍ إِلَّا وَلَهُ زَلَّةٌ وَمَنْ جَمَعَ زَلَلَ الْعُلَمَاءِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِهَا ذَهَبَ دِينُهُ فَأَمَرَ الْمُعْتَضِدُ فَأُحْرِقَ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ