(Part 20)
The Continuation;
The Third Topic:
Types of Taqlid and Its Scope
The Second Speech:
Taqlid in the Contemporary Era
The Majority Opinion (Jumhur):
Rumi, who is a lover and follower of Shams Tabrizi and imitates him in the fullest sense, nevertheless warns against following just anyone, stating:
“For many a devil appears in the guise of Adam,
So do not offer your hand to just anyone.”
Elsewhere, in the story of The Donkey Is Gone, he strongly criticizes blind imitation, saying:
“It was their imitation that ruined me,
A thousand curses upon that imitation!”
In Islamic Sufism, solitary deviation and neglecting imitation of perfected guides are considered dangerous and terrifying. It is emphasized that failing to follow a perfect religious leader leads to many hardships. Rumi says:
“A blind man fears a pit with every step, Treading the path with a thousand fears,
But a man with sight sees the breadth of the way, and thus knows where the pit and trap lie.”
Nevertheless, correct imitation of a perfected figure is endorsed and encouraged in Islamic Sufism.
The Fifth Speech: Imitation in Society
The term society is derived from the meaning of gathering dispersed elements. It refers to more than two individuals and denotes a group of people sharing common values. (Amid 1381, 1/84)
A healthy society consists of individuals who care for and love one another, sharing a common identity. Society is one of the most fundamental human needs; in fact, under current circumstances, solitary living seems practically impossible. In Islam, the first independent Muslim community was established in Medina. Numerous verses were revealed condemning hypocrisy and hypocrites to prevent division within the Muslim community. A society cannot form through discord and hypocrisy, but it can accommodate differing opinions and ideas.
Imitation is prevalent at all levels of society. The greatest institution representing society is the government. For example, many past and present governments in Islamic and non-Islamic countries imitate Western political policies, leading to the misconception that Islam lacks a political system and must follow the West. Secularism in Islamic societies arises from this view of imitating Western political culture, while in reality, Islam is not like Christianity with its separate clergy requiring separation of religion and politics. Islam is a comprehensive, progressive system capable of adapting to all times and places—a faith that is eternal and never obsolete. The interest-based economic and banking systems of the West have become widespread in most countries, even in some Islamic nations, despite Islam offering a just economic system designed to consider all social classes.
Blind imitation of Western culture has become so normalized that any mention of Islamic culture is viewed as backwardness and fanaticism. Today, naming children, revealing and varied clothing styles, lavish celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, and Valentine’s Day, as well as hairstyles and cosmetics, are widely imitated from Western media and culture to the point where people don’t even stop to think about it.