Resorting of Ibn Idrees to Specialists in Adjusting Epistemic Conceptions

Abstract

One of the characteristics of scholars is to follow specialists and experts, resorting to them and taking from them in what they are more knowledgeable about. In fact, this is the Divine accredited approach we are ordered to adopt, as it is stated in His sacred Book when He says (…so ask the followers of the Reminder if you don’t know). By virtue of this, we find that Sheikh Ibn Idrees(May Allah rest him in peace) has emphasized this meaning by saying (People of every art are more knowledgeable, more informed and more accurate about their profession than other people). He, therefore, consulted specialists in many places throughout his process of deducting juristic laws which we find in his book Assara’ir(Inward Thoughts). I have tried to count the most important of these places, and arrange them into many entries including his resorting to philologists, historians, scholastic theologians, conventionalists and so on.