(Part 19)
The Continuation;
The Third Topic:
Types of Taqlid and Its Scope
The Second Speech:
Taqlid in the Contemporary Era
The Majority Opinion (Jumhur):
Knowledge of Usul al-Din is not valid through Taqlid, because a follower cannot discern right from wrong. Even if a person attains belief without understanding the evidence, most Imams consider such a person a believer and eligible for intercession, but they also consider them sinful for neglecting reasoning. The Mu’tazilite majority does not consider a person who practices Taqlid in Usul al-Din to be a believer. (Al-Shawkani, 1419 AH, 2/241)
The method for acquiring knowledge in Usul al-Din is through Shari’ah and reason. All people possess intellect (though in varying degrees), and the parts of Usul al-Din that are understood through intellect and Shari’ah are definitive. What is known through Taqlid is speculative and prone to error. Therefore, according to the majority, Taqlid in Usul al-Din is not permissible.
The Third Speech:
Imitation in Jurisprudential Branches
The rulings of the true religion of Islam are divided into various categories, including fixed and interpretive (ijtihadi) rulings. Fixed rulings are those that remain unchanged and immune to interpretation under varying conditions of time and place; they are definitive and certain. However, the jurisprudential branches (furu‘ al-fiqh) refer to issues whose details are not explicitly mentioned in the primary sources, and discovering these details requires the ijtihad (independent reasoning) of a qualified jurist in accordance with the specific demands of the time and place. These types of rulings enable Muslims to adapt to changing conditions.
Requiring the general public to engage in ijtihad in such branches would divert them from their daily tasks and essential socio-economic responsibilities, as jurisprudential branches are a vast ocean from which rulings must be derived by jurists.
Imitation (taqlid) in jurisprudential matters is a subject of scholarly disagreement. The Zahiris and the Mu‘tazilites prohibit taqlid and consider ijtihad obligatory for all. The Hashwiyya and the Ta‘limiyya consider imitation obligatory and forbid ijtihad. However, the majority of Usulis have a conditional stance: imitation is forbidden for a mujtahid (qualified jurist) and obligatory for a layperson. But if a person possesses the conditions and competence for ijtihad, then ijtihad is not prohibited for them. (Al-Zarkashi 1413 AH, 4/566), (Al-Shahour n.d., 162)
The Fourth Speech: Imitation in Sufism
Islamic Sufism is a path based on self-purification and spiritual discipline, in accordance with Islamic law (sharia), aimed at achieving truth and spiritual perfection. The literal meaning of Sufism (tasawwuf) comes from the wearing of woolen garments, symbolizing asceticism and piety. The term may also derive from safwat, meaning purity (nearness) after impurity (distance). (Daneshpajouh 1379, p. 24)
Islamic Sufism, which originates from the Qur’an and Sunnah, places great emphasis on asceticism and the purification of the self from moral, psychological, and spiritual deviations. A Sufi in pursuit of purification requires a guide to assist and lead them step-by-step along the path to the ultimate goal. Following a spiritual guide (religious leader or murshid) is emphasized by all Sufi orders. Unconditional obedience to a religious leader —similar to how a corpse in the hands of the washer has no will of its own—means the disciple (murid) also relinquishes personal will, following the guide completely in order to attain higher spiritual stations. Love and self-sacrifice toward a religious leader is a sign of total imitation and complete obedience. This love and self-effacement lead the murid to become spiritually annihilated in a religious leader.
Imitation in spiritual and Sufi matters is widely observed. Love is the ultimate symbol of imitation of the religious leader, and without profound love between the guide and disciple, the disciple’s spiritual affairs cannot be properly ordered. Mysticism, as a personal and experiential path to self-knowledge, aims to refine the individual and present the purest and most righteous individuals to society. Hafez of Shiraz says about imitation of a religious leader:
“Stain your prayer mat with wine, if the Magian elder tells you to,
For the traveler is not ignorant of the customs of the road.”
Perfect, comprehensive imitation of the true religious leader —even in seemingly forbidden matters—is emphasized by the Sufis, because a true murshid is aware of the ways of spiritual progression and never leads to prohibited deeds.