Taqlid and Ittiba'

Al-Halabi : Here is a question related to the topic of taqlid, specifically regarding hadith. It says:The questioner : Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Qattan stated in his book Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Ihham that it is permissible for a hadith scholar to follow another scholar (taqlid) in judging a hadith, whether authenticating it or weakening it. Therefore, we see him weakening some hadiths found in the two Sahihs. Is this methodology permissible in general, or are there restrictions on it?

The Shaykh : The matter has two aspects. The first aspect is that taqlid is not permissible in authenticating or weakening hadiths. The second aspect is that it is permissible to critique the two Sahihs. Regarding the first aspect, in my opinion, the answer has already been given, and there is no need to repeat it. However, I say that today we critique our great memorizers, the most famous of whom is al-Hafiz al-'Asqalani. Why? Because he follows others; he follows his shaykh al-Haythami. I know this through examples. This confirms what I said earlier: there is no escape from taqlid for anyone, absolutely. Otherwise, one would be more knowledgeable in science but narrower in understanding. This is because taqlid—and this is a reality that all our brothers must be jurists in, even if they are from the general Muslim public—includes what is permissible, what is obligatory, and what is forbidden. As for what is permissible, or as I said, obligatory, it applies to the general Muslim public. If a matter arises for them, do they perform ijtihad in it? The answer is certainly no, because they are not among those qualified for ijtihad. So, do they follow? We have a digression here: we have ijtihad, we have ittiba' (following), and we have taqlid. We are done. Do the general Muslim public perform ijtihad? We say no, because ijtihad has known conditions among the scholars of knowledge. Do they follow? I say, perhaps, perhaps. And "perhaps" means some of the general public: if the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah is mentioned to them, they grasp it and understand it. This is what applies to the saying of Allah the Exalted: As for the rest of the general people, hand you your hand and walk. Is it haram or halal? It is haram, and that is the end of it.The Shaykh : He said it like that, and the matter is finished. Do you want to understand it? Especially if the matter involves general and specific, absolute and restricted. If we can say that he is unable to follow, then his obligation is taqlid. From my personal experience, I know that many of our brothers from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah imagine that every scholar, when asked about a matter, must give a lecture on it: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said, and if it is as we said, the evidence needs clarification and explanation, and so on. This should be the answer to every questioner. I say this is a bid'ah (religious innovation) that contradicts what the Salaf al-Salih (the earliest generations) were upon. When one of the Salaf al-Salih was asked, and considering that the Noble Qur'an was revealed in their language, he would say: Allah said, the Messenger of Allah said. But if the matter is one of ijtihad and derivation, and it requires referring to the principles of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence), which he knows but others do not, he would say: I see it thus. If I am right, it is from Allah, and if I am wrong, it is from myself. So what is the position?The questioner : Allah the Exalted said: Every questioner has an obligation, which is to ask the scholar. The scholar has the obligation to answer. The answer sometimes requires explaining the evidence if it is clear, and if it is...The questioner : ...clear to him, then he must explain it. Not if it is, as we said earlier, from those general people who do not understand anything of the science except the summary of the answer: haram, halal, permissible, obligatory, fard, the prayer is invalid, the prayer is valid, and so on. This is what we should clarify in detail, because we are commanded to speak to people according to their understanding. And practically, when we study the Salaf, and here we always circle around our call to the Book, the Sunnah, and the Salaf al-Salih, because through their path we know these answers that contain this precision and these details. As for us riding our heads and relying on our own concepts for the texts of the Book and the Sunnah, and twisting our necks away from what our Salaf al-Salih were upon, the least that can be said about this is that we did not consider the like of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: Therefore, in any matter, whatever it may be, there must be explanation and clarification according to...The questioner : ...if he...The questioner : ...has the ability to understand the matter, and he is not a mujtahid, then he follows with insight. Otherwise, for the general people, it is sufficient for them to be given the answer, which is the responsibility of the scholar. And the scholar, as you know, we do not mean the traditional scholar, because he is a muqallid (one who follows) in himself. And as some said, not in this context: the one who seeks aid from a created being is like a prisoner seeking aid from a prisoner. The muqallid asks a muqallid; he gains nothing. The scholar is, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, *** The Companions said; it is not deception.
What knowledge has placed you in the foolishness of disagreement *** Between the Messenger and the opinion of a jurist.
Neither denial of the attributes and their negation, *** out of fear of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) and tashbih (likening Allah to creation).