Are all those referred to as "Shaykh" or "Imam" in your fatwas considered among the people of knowledge and virtue? Is this considered an endorsement of them? And does it indicate that they have reached the rank of ijtihad? Do you quote from innovators or people of misguidance, and what are the areas in which you might quote from them? Are all those from whom you transmit narrations regarding religious rulings and fatwas considered by you to be scholars? What is the status of Ibn al-Imad (d. 1089 AH) and Shaykh Abdullah al-Battati? Are they considered scholars?

A person may be an "imam" in a particular art and have great mastery in it, even if he is described as being an innovator (mubtadi') in another aspect. Al-Zamakhshari, for instance, is an imam in linguistics. As for us, the one we often describe as an "imam" is he who was a leader in knowledge, having followers known for their adherence to his school of thought, like the four Imams. We may also bestow this title upon some of their prominent companions who were known for their advanced standing in sciences and were attested to for their skill and knowledge. We do quote from some who were known for innovation (bid'ah) in the fields of knowledge in which they excelled, such as Al-Zamakhshari in Tafsir (definition) (exegesis) and linguistic sciences. However, concerning matters of Sharia (definition) rulings and jurisprudential branches (furu' fiqhiyyah), we only quote from the accredited books of the four madhhabs (schools of thought), or the words of verified Imams known for ijtihad (definition) (independent reasoning) and following the athar (prophetic traditions/sayings of companions). As for Ibn al-Imad, he was a jurist, historian, and scholar of literature, with works such as Shadharat al-Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab (Scattered Gold in the News of Those Who Passed Away) and Sharh Matn al-Muntaha (Commentary on the Text of Al-Muntaha) in Hanbali fiqh. As for the other contemporary person inquired about, it is not within the site's purview to evaluate and judge him.