'
Said Shaykhul Islam - rahimahullah:
كثير من علماء السل٠والخل٠وقعوا ÙÙŠ بدع من Øيث لا يشعرون، إما استندوا إلى Øديث ضعي٠أو أنهم Ùهموا من النصوص غير مراد الله -تبارك وتعالى- أو أنهم اجتهدوا، Ùإذا عÙر٠من عالم Ùاضل ÙŠØارب البدع ويدعو إلى السنة وعرÙوا صدقه وإخلاصه وتØذيره من البدع Ùوقع بسبب من الأسباب ÙÙŠ شيء من البدع الخÙية Ùلا نسارع إلى تبديعه، هذا هو القول الصØÙŠØØŒ وإلا لو Øكمنا على كل من وقع ÙÙŠ بدعة أنه مبتدع لما سلم Ø£Øد من أئمة الإسلام Ùضلا عن غيرهم
'Many scholars among the Salaf and Khalaf fell into some deviations while they never knew perhaps because they depended on certain weak narrations or they understood the texts in a way not intended by Allaah - the Mightiest and Sublimest -, or that they made juristic efforts (on that thereby falling into the error). So whenever it is known from an upright scholar who used to wage war against deviations, and call to the Sunnah, and his truthfulness and sincerity is known, as well as his warning from deviations. So if such a scholar (inadvertently) fell into one of the deviations due to one of the reasons, we would not be hasty to declare him a deviant. This is the true position otherwise if we were to rule that every scholar that fell into a deviation is a deviant then none would be left among the erudite scholars of Islam let alone those lower than them.'
Source: rabee.net
Translated by Aboo Aamir
