The Ruling on Taqlid in Detail and the Explanation of Blind Taqlid

Question:
May Allah reward you with good. This questioner asks: Did Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) condemn taqlid? If so, what were the reasons he relied upon (may Allah have mercy on him)?

Answer:
There is a distinction regarding taqlid. Blind taqlid—this is what Ibn al-Qayyim and others condemn. It is taking a scholar’s opinion without evidence, or taking a scholar’s opinion even if it contradicts the evidence. This is blind taqlid.
If a scholar's statement contradicts the evidence, it is not permissible to follow it. If one does follow it, that is blind following (taqlid). However, following a scholar out of necessity, when a person is ignorant and is unable to determine the ruling himself, is permissible; he asks a scholar from among the scholars and takes his fatwa (scholarly legal ruling), and there is nothing wrong with that. Allah the Exalted said: Following a scholar in matters of validation, or following out of necessity when one does not know that the scholar is contradicting the evidence, is permissible. But if a person does not need to follow a scholar, and is able to research the ruling and derive the evidence, then it is not permissible for him to follow blindly. Or if he is unable to research, but he knows that this mufti (scholar who issues fatwas) is contradicting the evidence, is it permissible for him to take his statement despite its contradiction of the evidence? This is blind following, which Ibn al-Qayyim and others have condemned.