The Difference Between Following and Taqlid, and the Limits of Taqlid
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Question:
These are some questions, Honorable Shaykh. The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, what is the difference between following (ittiba') and taqlid (blind following)? What is the ruling on taqlid? And what are its limits?
Answer:
But if you know, even the call and taqlid are one thing. Following and taqlid, if it is upon truth, that is good. If following and taqlid is upon truth, that is good, but if following and taqlid is upon falsehood, that is not permissible, as Allah the Exalted said, and if it comes to us[Al-Baqarah 2:170]. [Al-Baqarah 2:170] This is a path to misguidance, and it is not permissible.
As for taqlid upon truth and following upon truth, there is no harm. They said: Well, Yusuf (peace be upon him) said, and I followed the religion of my fathers[Yusuf 12:38], and Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) [An-Nahl 16:123] the Muslims, so this following upon truth is commanded, [At-Tawbah 9:100], taqlid, taqlid, taqlid.
The one who has the ability to move and can reach the truth by himself, it is not permissible for him to follow blindly; rather, he must exert his own effort (ijtihad). He seeks the truth with the capabilities Allah has given him by which he can know the truth. So he exerts his own effort, if the conditions we mentioned are present in him. As for the person who cannot exert effort because the conditions are not present in him, he must follow, but not follow blindly in the highest sense; rather, he takes from the statements of the scholars what he sees has evidence for it. That is, the scholars have exerted effort, but in their statements, he takes from them what appears stronger to him by evidence. He does not take without weighing, or take what agrees with his desire from the statements of the scholars and leave what contradicts his desire. This is not permissible. So there are people who cannot do either absolute ijtihad or restricted ijtihad.
So the common people, for example, and the beginners, it is obligatory for them to ask the scholars of knowledge. Allah the Exalted said[An-Nahl 16:43]. The result is that people are in three categories. The first are the people of ijtihad and scientific capabilities; it is not permissible for them to follow blindly, but they must exert effort. The second is the student of knowledge who has limited capabilities; he does not have the conditions for absolute ijtihad, but he has capabilities by which he can distinguish between the statements of the scholars and know the stronger position from the weaker position. He exerts effort in the statements of the scholars and takes what he sees and what appears stronger to him, that it is established by something in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So the third category is the common people and the beginners among the students of knowledge who cannot do either absolute ijtihad or weigh between the statements of the scholars. It is obligatory for them to ask those in whose knowledge and religion they have trust. They choose from the scholars those in whose knowledge and religion they have trust and ask them,[An-Nahl 16:43].
These are some questions, Honorable Shaykh. The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, what is the difference between following (ittiba') and taqlid (blind following)? What is the ruling on taqlid? And what are its limits?
Answer:
But if you know, even the call and taqlid are one thing. Following and taqlid, if it is upon truth, that is good. If following and taqlid is upon truth, that is good, but if following and taqlid is upon falsehood, that is not permissible, as Allah the Exalted said, and if it comes to us
to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed
لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُthey say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing."
قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَاAs for taqlid upon truth and following upon truth, there is no harm. They said: Well, Yusuf (peace be upon him) said, and I followed the religion of my fathers
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And it was not for us to associate anything with Allah
إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَن نُّشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِThen We revealed to you, [O Muhammad], to follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not
ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَAnd the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُThe one who has the ability to move and can reach the truth by himself, it is not permissible for him to follow blindly; rather, he must exert his own effort (ijtihad). He seeks the truth with the capabilities Allah has given him by which he can know the truth. So he exerts his own effort, if the conditions we mentioned are present in him. As for the person who cannot exert effort because the conditions are not present in him, he must follow, but not follow blindly in the highest sense; rather, he takes from the statements of the scholars what he sees has evidence for it. That is, the scholars have exerted effort, but in their statements, he takes from them what appears stronger to him by evidence. He does not take without weighing, or take what agrees with his desire from the statements of the scholars and leave what contradicts his desire. This is not permissible. So there are people who cannot do either absolute ijtihad or restricted ijtihad.
So the common people, for example, and the beginners, it is obligatory for them to ask the scholars of knowledge. Allah the Exalted said
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَSo the third category is the common people and the beginners among the students of knowledge who cannot do either absolute ijtihad or weigh between the statements of the scholars. It is obligatory for them to ask those in whose knowledge and religion they have trust. They choose from the scholars those in whose knowledge and religion they have trust and ask them,
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-073-فضل التفقه في الدين|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:12:05)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.