The Reasons Behind Differences of Opinion

“The causes of differing are countless, among them are the following: 1. The differences between people in terms of knowledge and understanding. 2. The fact that the texts are subject to the possibility of differences in regards to words, syntax, construction, context, and so on.” - Excerpt from the book Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi, the illustrious scholar, muhaddith of Madinah, and teacher of great scholars like Shaykhs Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad b. Isma‘il al-San‘ani explains in this treatise, entitled Al-Iqaf ‘ala Sabab al-Ikhtilaf, some of the many reasons why scholars differed over Islamic rulings and issues.