بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The meaning of taqlīd
Imām al-Qurtubī said: “Al-Taqlīd (blind following), according to the scholars, its reality is accepting a statement without evidence.
And it is linguistically derived from qilādat al-ba’īr (the camel’s collar/halter), for the Arabs say: “I put a qilādah on the camel” when they put a rope around its neck by which it is led. So it is as if the muqallid (blind follower) places his entire affair (subject) to whoever leads him wherever he wishes.
Al-Taqlīd is not a path to knowledge nor does it lead to it, neither in usūl (fundamental matters) nor in furūʿ (subsidiary matters).” (Tafsīr al-Qurtubī 1/553)
The prohibition of taqlīd
Allāh says:
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَآبَاءَنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ
“And when it is said to them: “Follow what Allāh has sent down.” They say: “Nay! Rather we shall follow what we found our fathers upon.” (Would they do that!) even though their fathers did not understand anything nor were they guided?” [2:170]
Imām al-Shawkānī said: “And in this verse is censure of the muqallidīn (blind followers), and a denunciation of their excessive ignorance and their corrupt belief – in a manner that cannot be measured.
And similar to this verse is His saying, the Exalted:
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِلَى الرَّسُولِ قَالُوا حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَاءَنَا
“And when it is said to them, ‘Come to what Allāh has revealed and to the Messenger,’ they say, ‘Sufficient for us is what we found our fathers upon‘” [5:104].
And in that is evidence for the ugliness of taqlīd (blind following) and the prohibition from it.” (Fath al-Qadīr 1/508)
Imām ibn al-‘Uthaymīn said: “(From the benefits of this verse is) that whoever shows fanaticism for a madhhab (school of thought) while contradicting the evidence has in him a resemblance to these [people]. The obligation is that when a person is told “Follow what Allāh has revealed,” he should say: “We hear and we obey.” (Tafsīr al-Thamin 1/385)
Imām Abū Hayyān said: “And in this (verse) is evidence that the dīn (religion) of Allāh is following what Allāh has revealed, because they were not commanded [to do] anything except that.” (al-Bahr Muhīt 1/683)
Imām al-Qurtubī said: “Ibn Dirbās said: “And the people of innovation have frequently spoken against those who hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah that they are muqallidūn (blind followers), and this is an error from them.
Rather, it is more fitting for them and more appropriate to their schools of thought, since they accepted the statements of their leaders and elders in what they opposed of the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Messenger and the consensus of the Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them), so they became included among those whom Allāh censured by His saying:
وَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّآ أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَآءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠, رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِهِمْ ضِعْفَيْنِ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَٱلْعَنْهُمْ لَعْنًۭا كَبِيرًۭا
And they will say: “Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our leaders and our elders, and they misled us from the (Right) Way. Our Lord! Give them double torment and curse them with a mighty curse!” [33:67-68].” (Tafsīr al-Qurtubī 1/553)
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