The Imaam said, “From our Salafi aqidah is that we do not hold [that we have a] legislative authority over the people [Ed. Note: i.e., to force them to take our opinion], for indeed Allaah said to His Messenger, “You are not a dictator over them,” [Ghaashiyah 88:22] so we are not controllers over the people. But we say that statement mentioned by some callers, ‘Say your piece and go.’

You do not have authority with a sword, making the people follow your opinion, but rather with the true principle [that], ‘The truth is clear and falsehood defective,’ so we make clear our statement.

And of a surety, as is the case with the most true statement on the face of the earth, i.e., ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah,’—have all the people adopted it? No. So it is even more the case that the people will not adopt a [certain] opinion of this scholar or that.”

Aaraa’ul-Imaam al-Albaani at-Tarbawiyyah, p. 118.