Sunni and Shia Islam class different things as sin; who would be a sinner if only one of them is correct?

Question

I keep thinking about why Sunni and Shia and other muslim communities have different opinion about different issues which makes them very difficult for us to follow right path.

Let's take example. sunni and Shia views on Mut'ah are different so I don't know which one is right. We are in one religion and one religion has one law created by Allah so if something is sin by Law that means it is sin and nobody can change it. Sunni community says Mut'ah is haram and Shia community says Mut'ah is halal. What if Mut'ah is halal and we consider is haram and what if it is really haram.

Who would be responsible for a change in view? Who would be a sinner?

Answer 1

To Answer the Question:

In Islam all throughout history there have been many different opinions on Islamic Jurisprudence. Within Sunni School of thought there are 4 major Jurisprudence schools; Hanafi, Sha'fi, Maliki, Hanbali. In the Shia(Twelver) School of Thought there is only 1 school of jurisprudence known as Ja'fri.

These are the 5 Madhabs of Islam.

Now it depends on what you follow, if one of the school of thought says something is Halaal(and you follow that madhab).. then for you it is Halaal. You will not get a sin for that, because at first you tried to search for the truth and in your search you found that one of these madhabs is the most correct and then you aligned yourself with that madhab... Allah is the guider and if he guided you to that madhab... then your job is over..

This brings us to the discussion of Taqleed. Taqleed is a concept of Islam... where you search for the most knowledgeable Scholar and if you find someone you think has lots of knowledge of contemporary issues and he is able to Give Fatwas according Qur'an and Hadith in the light of contemporary issues. Then it is your job to follow him, do his Taqleed (Follow the Fatwas he gives)...

Now the question is what if the madhab I follow and Scholar I do taqleed of... what if something they say is wrong and in actuality haraam. In that case there will be no Sin upon you. Because your job was to find where Truth is... and if You Sincerely tried to search for the truth, with an open heart and found that particular madhab, scholar, etc... Then Allah is the guider and you will have no Sin upon you. Allah is also Most Merciful and Forgiving.

Answer 2

ِAs the first answer is totally deviating from the point of OP's question I would like to say this:

The main reason for this differences can be summarized in this verse of Qur'an:

( فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا )
And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result
Surat An-Nisā'4:59

It is because of the neglecting - deliberately or on ignorance- the commands of this Ayah (verse) the differences had happened.

And the reasons for this neglecting are many, for example :

• Following inclinations (إتباع الهوى)
• Chauvinism (الحمية )
• Favoring reasoning over scripts (تقديم العقل على النقل)
• Ignorance

So these reasons - combined or individually - will result in these differences that we see.

And you should know that the right path is one and the aberration paths are many

وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous. Surat Al-'An`ām 6:153

And our Prophet (ﷺ) showed us how to find this right path as he said in the hadith:

So hold fast to my Sunnah and the examples of the Rightly- Guided Caliphs who will come after me. Adhere to them and hold to it fast. Beware of new things (in Deen) because every Bid'ah is a misguidance

And in another hadith:

...I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray

And yet another hadith:

Beware! I have been given the Qur'an and something like it

So hold on to The Quran and the Sunnah

May Allah make us all the followers of his right path