Imamate of a Non-Muqallid

Question

Zayd is a hafiz of the Qur’an and a non-muqallid (one who follows no madhhab). He also does not accept the scholars, the saintly elders of the religion and the like. What is the ruling on appointing him as imam? He has seen a dream, which is as follows: (The dream.) Zayd says: “A long time ago I saw a dream: in a large field, on the eastern side [were] non-Muslims, on the western side ordinary Muslims, and on the northern side some people were standing wearing turbans and the like, with very thick books in their…

Answer

Having looked at all the questions and at Zayd’s dream, it appears that Zayd is a mubtadi‘ (an innovator), and the imamate of a mubtadi‘ is makruh tahrimi. As for Zayd’s seeing in a dream that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was driving the scholars away, what is meant by this are the evil scholars (‘ulama’ al-su’)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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