Was there a consensus on the permissibility of complete adherence (taqlid) to one of the four schools of thought (madhahib) in the third century AH, and does the noble verse: (O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger) indicate the imitation (taqlid) of the four schools of thought, and that the second part of it applies only to the people of ijtihad (independent reasoning), and that the common people must adhere to one of these schools?

It is not obligatory for a Muslim to follow a specific school of thought among the four [Sunni] schools or others. Nor is it permissible for anyone to imitate someone in the religion of Allah Almighty in such a way that they do not contradict them in any matter, big or small. This is because imitating a specific scholar is an innovation that appeared in the fourth century. The imams themselves used to forbid imitating them, such as Imam Ahmad, who said: "Do not imitate me, nor Malik, nor Al-Thawri, nor Al-Awza'i, but take [knowledge] from where they took."

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah emphasized that a Muslim is not obligated to imitate a specific person in everything they say; rather, everyone's قول (statement) can be taken or left, except that of the Messenger (peace be upon him). The verse: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you" does not indicate the imitation of the four imams. Rather, it calls for obedience to Allah, His Messenger, and those in authority, who are the rulers and scholars who follow Allah's command. As for His (Allah's) saying: "And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger," this addresses those who are qualified to examine evidence. As for those who do not possess this qualification, they must ask the people of knowledge and act upon their fatwas.