Does a Muslim have to follow one of the four madhhabs?

The four madhhabs — Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, and Ḥanbalī — are schools of fiqh methodology preserved by trustworthy imams, and studying through one of them is a legitimate and often very beneficial way to learn; the Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever Allah wishes good for, He grants him understanding of the religion." However, no madhhab is itself a source of legislation: Allah commanded obedience to Him and His Messenger and the referral of disputes back to them, and each of the four imams is reported to have said that if an authentic ḥadīth contradicts his view, the ḥadīth is to be taken. There is legitimate difference among scholars on this: some hold that a layman who cannot weigh evidence should stick consistently to one qualified school, while others hold he may simply ask any trustworthy scholar, as Allah said, "Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know." What is agreed upon is that no one may follow a school in order to reject a clear, authentic proof, and that partisanship which splits the ummah is blameworthy.

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