Is it considered an innovation (bid'ah) to adhere to a specific madhhab, taking into account that the majority of Muslims adhere to one of the four madhhabs and that prominent scholars were followers of them?

There is no objection to your countrymen following the madhhab (school of thought) of Imam Al-Shafi'i, for the obligation of the common person is to emulate one whose knowledge and piety are trusted among the people of knowledge. Imam Al-Shafi'i is among those whose imamate the Ummah has agreed upon, and a common person who emulates him is in a state of ease regarding his affairs. Allah Almighty says: "So ask the people of the message if you do not know."

If a common person emulates a trustworthy scholar, he is not to be blamed, provided there is no fanaticism for the madhhab or the belief of following a specific imam to the exclusion of others. This is similar to the case of the two great preservers of hadith, Al-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar, who were not fanatical; rather, they would oppose their madhhab and prefer a differing opinion when evidence became apparent.

The principle is the obligation to follow the evidence from the Quran and Sunnah for those who are able to do so. This does not contradict adhering to the recognized madhhabs, as long as the adherent commits to following the Quran and Sunnah whenever the preponderant opinion contrary to his madhhab becomes apparent to him.

These people should ease their extremism and not utter accusations of bid'ah (innovation) and misguidance without clear proof. Emulating Imam Al-Shafi'i is better for these common people than emulating individuals who take it upon themselves to declare a preferred opinion before fully grasping all aspects of the issues and who issue fatwas despite their shortcomings.

Sheikh Al-Fawzan said: "Adhering to one of the four well-known madhhabs is not forbidden, but on condition that one is not restricted to this madhhab, accepting everything in it whether right or wrong. Rather, one should accept what is right, and what is known to be wrong is not permissible to act upon. If the preponderant opinion becomes clear to him, then he must adopt it, whether it is in the madhhab he affiliates himself with or in another madhhab, because whoever has the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made clear to him, it is not permissible for him to abandon it for the saying of anyone."