Questions such as:

"Who do you take from?" "What masjid do you frequent," "What's the haal of fulaan?"... are very useful qestions if you want to gain insight into someone's manhaj. Imām Muslim narrated in the introduction of his Ṣaḥīḥ, from Muḥammad ibn Sīreen, that he said: «لم يكونوا يسألون عن الإسناد، فلما وقعت الفتنة قالوا سمُّوا لنا رجالكم، فيُنْظَر إلى حديث أهل السنة فيُؤْخَذ حديثهم، ويُنْظَرُ إلى أهل البدع فلا يُؤْخَذ حديثهم» "They never used to ask about the chain of narration. But when the fitnah occurred (i.e. Emergence of people of innovation), they said, 'Name for us your men.' Thus, they would look to the ḥadīth of Ahlus-Sunnah and accept them, and look to the ḥadīth of Ahlul-Bid’ah and reject them." Al-’Allāmah Zaid ibn Hādi Al-Madkhali raḥimahullāh was asked: What is the ruling on testing people based on their stance towards scholars of the Sunnah or leaders of innovation? Does this apply to contemporaries as well? Please provide clarification, may Allāh reward you. Answer: There is no doubt, my brother, that the Salaf Aṣ-Ṣāliḥ used to test people based on their stance towards scholars known for their steadfastness in adhering to the Sunnah, soundness of belief, and correctness of methodology. These scholars were also known for their strictness towards people of desires and innovations. I have come across about ten texts from the Salaf, each containing an example that illustrates how people were tested by their attitude towards the people of the Sunnah. Whoever recognised the virtue of these scholars, loved them, and spoke well of them was considered to be a person of the Sunnah. On the other hand, whoever disparaged them and attacked their honour was considered to be a person of misguidance and innovation. Here is a small sample from many Salafi texts: 1. Imām Al-Barbahāri, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: «إذا رأيتَ الرجلَ يحبُّ أبا هريرةَ وأنسَ بنَ مالكٍ وأسيدَ بنَ حضير فاعلم أنَّهُ صاحبُ سُنَّةٍ إن شاء الله» “If you see a man who loves Abū Hurayrah, Anas ibn Mālik, and Usayd ibn Ḥuḍhayr, know that he is a person of the Sunnah, In-shā-Allāh.” 2. He also said: «إذا رأيتَ الرجلَ يحبُّ أيوبَ وابنَ عون وابنَ إدريس الأودي والشعبي- وذكرَ جماعةً من الفضلاءِ إلى أن قال:- فاعلم أنَّهُ صاحبُ سُنَّة». “If you see a man who loves Ayyūb, Ibn ’Awn, Ibn Idrīs Al-Awdi, and Ash-Sha’bi—and he mentioned a group of virtuous scholars—then know that he is a person of the Sunnah.” 3. Additionally, he said: «إذا رأيتَ الرجلَ يحبُّ أحمدَ بنَ حنبل والحجَّاجَ بنَ المنهال وأحمدَ بنَ نصر وذكرهم بخيرٍ وقال قولَهم فاعلم أنَّهُ صاحبُ سُنَّة». “If you see a man who loves Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Al-Minhāl, and Aḥmad bin Naṣr, and speaks well of them, know that he is a person of the Sunnah.” [Sharḥ As-Sunnah, p. 117-118] You also asked: Does this apply to contemporaries in our time? The answer is: YES, PEOPLE ARE TESTED IN EVERY TIME AND PLACE by their stance towards the scholars of the Sunnah in both ’Aqeedah and Sharī’ah. These are scholars who have dedicated themselves to preserving the Sunnah, understanding its texts, implementing it, and defending it. Testing people by their stance toward the people of the Sunnah is not limited to a particular person or group of individuals. Rather, people are tested by every person of the Sunnah in every era and place, as you have described. Likewise, people are tested by their stance towards the people of innovation and those who promote it. For instance, ’Uqbah ibn ’Alqamah reported: I was with Arṭa'ah ibn Al-Mundhir when someone from the assembly asked: “What do you say about a man who associates with the people of the Sunnah and mingles with them, but when the people of innovation are mentioned, he says, 'Leave us alone, don’t mention them!'?” Arṭa'ah replied: "He is one of them. Do not be deceived by him." I was surprised by this statement from Arṭa'ah, so I went to Al-Awzā’ē, who was known for his insight into such matters, and I mentioned this to him. He said: