Asalam Alaikum Brother, His trustworthiness as an Imām is to be questioned first because of his past. The community he lives in is predominantly Sunni/Hanafi? For instance the issue of blood in salah (correct me if i am wrong) the ḥanafī's say it will break wuḍūʿ whereas the Shāfi'īs say it does not. So a hypothetical question is if he is leading Ṣalāh and he is bleeding will the ṣalāh of the muqtadi become void? Secondly if he was asked a question will he be giving verdicts according to the position of Imam Shāfi'ī or Abū Ḥanīfa. Growing love for Imām al-Shāfi'ī does not mean you end up abandoning the Ḥanafī Madh-hab when most if not all of your community follow the ḥanafī school. Look at the love Imām Shāfi'ī had for Imām Mālik, but he did not abandon his opinion for Imām Mālik. It is a pre requisite that we have love for the Imām of Ahlus-Sunnah specifically the four Imāms. He needs to be asked the real reason he is following the Shāfi'ī school. He says he does not want to cause confusion but has already caused it. This is not me saying that it is impermissible for someone to join one of the other three schools. But you have to look at the commuity you live in. If you live in a place where majority of community is Ḥanbalī then it would make more sense (correct me if i am wrong) to follow that madh-hab and you should follow it in its entirety and not pick and choose. Allāh Knows Best
I stumbled across this video scrolling through youtube just now. The title was intriguing so i wanted to hear what this imam says. I dont listen to his speeches but i know his a well known imam among youngsters. The question is, can we change from hanafi to shaf'i if our love for imam shaf'i is more? or can we choose the shaf'i path for ease of practising islam in todays day and age? I just need to know if its permitted and what are the conditions for it?
