How can one respond to those who justify their personal choices through ijtihad (independent reasoning) and interpretation, while ignoring explicit Quranic verses and Prophetic hadiths, such as the Almighty’s saying: "O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy," and the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them"?

Interpreting religious texts with such absolute freedom is invalid and a straying from the truth. Texts are of two types:

1. Texts whose meanings are unanimously agreed upon: Such as those related to prayer (Salat), charity (Zakat), monotheism (Tawhid), Paradise (Jannah), and Hellfire (Nar). Interpreting these in a way that contradicts this consensus leads to opposing the Messenger and following a path other than that of the believers. 2. Texts whose interpretation has been differed upon by scholars: Interpreting these is permissible only with specific controls: The interpretation must align with that of the righteous predecessors (Salaf Saliḥ). The interpreter must follow scholarly rules, not their personal desires, and the interpretation must conform to the Arabic language and its customs, and to what is established in the texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah. The interpreter must be someone who possesses the knowledge that qualifies them for independent reasoning (ijtihad) in interpreting the words of Allah and His Messenger, as Allah commanded to ask the people of knowledge (Ahl al-Dhikr).