If two sayings are reported from a scholar whom I follow in a matter, then which of the two opinions should I follow, and is it obligatory to reconcile between them, and if that is not possible, then what should I follow? And what is the opinion of Ibn Uthaymeen on kissing and embracing unmarriageable kin (mahrams)?

If two sayings are reported from a scholar, the first is considered retracted if the date is known. Otherwise, both sayings are recounted. The stronger of the two is that which his words indicate a preference for, or both are recounted without preference. It is not obligatory to reconcile two differing sayings, but some scholars consider it commendable to do so to avoid contradiction, like the Hanbali jurists in the madhhab of Imam Ahmad. If reconciliation is possible through the methods of usul (legal principles), such as interpreting a general statement in light of a specific one, or an unrestricted statement in light of a restricted one, then both sayings constitute the madhhab. If reconciliation is not possible and the date is known, then the madhhab is the second saying. If the date is unknown, then the madhhab is the saying closest to the evidence or to the rules of his madhhab.