When I was reciting Ayat al-Kursi, the thought of declaring Imam al-Shafi‘i an unbeliever crossed my mind, then a thought came to me that it is not permissible to follow him. I quietly said that my madhhab is Shafi‘i, so another thought came to me saying that perhaps I was afraid of declaring him an unbeliever so that I would continue to follow him. I affirmed that I did not declare this scholar an unbeliever, and that I trust his knowledge and piety, and I follow him because I agree with the Shafi‘i people of my town. The question is: Is it permissible for someone who has declared one of the scholars of the four madhhabs an unbeliever to follow him in his madhhab or not?

All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions. As for what follows:

Disbelief does not occur merely by passing thoughts, and your declaring Al-Shafi'i a disbeliever does not prevent you from following his school of thought. Just as declaring a scholar a disbeliever does not prevent benefiting from his knowledge in matters where he did not contradict the truth. We advise you to abandon obsessive thoughts (waswas) and to engage in learning and da'wah (inviting to Islam), and to seek out good companionship to cooperate in good deeds, and to avoid isolation, which makes it easier for Satan to dominate. And Allah knows best.