Ahlalhadith Praising Fuqaha

Ahl-al-Hadith praising the Fuqahaa -الفقهاء

1- Ibn Wahb said:

كل صاحب حديث ليس له إمام في الفقه فهو ضال
“Every person of Hadith that doesn’t have an Imaam in Fiqh, he is lost.”

[“Al-Jaami”, of Ibn Abi Zayd, 1/20].

And he said:

لولا أنّ الله أنقذني بمالك والليث لضللت فقيل له: كيف ذلك ؟ قال: أكثرت من الحديث فَحَيرني، فكنت أعرض ذلك على مالك والليث، فيقولان لي: خذ هذا ودع هذا
“If God had not saved me with Maalik and Layth, I would have been lost!”
He was asked, “How come?”
Ibn Wahb said: “I had gathered a lot of Ahadith and I got confused! I went to Maalik and Layth and they said: “Take this, and leave that.”

[“Tartib Al-Madarik”, 1/153].

2- Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah said:

الحديث مَضِلَّة إلا للفقهاء
“Hadith are a means of misguidance, except to the jurists.”

[“Al-Jaami”, of Ibn Abi Zayd, 1/118].

And:

التسليم للفقهاء سلامة في الدين
“Submission to the jurists is safety in Religion.”

[“Al- Jawaahirul Mudee’ah”, 1/166].

3- Imam Tirmidhi comments after narrating a Hadith, saying:

وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ الْفُقَهَاءُ وَهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَعَانِي الْحَدِيثِ

“This is what the Fuqahaa (jurists) have said; and they are more knowledgeable about the meanings of Ahaadith.”

[“Al-Tirmidhi”, 990].
https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/10/26