Understanding Taqlid by Mufti Muhammad Sajaad

understanding taqlīd
variant recitals. Soon after the death of the Messenger (peace and
blessings be upon him) Islam had spread across to Persia, Asia
and Africa. With the spread of Islam also meant the new Muslims
of these non-Arab lands would be learning and reciting the Book
of Allah. It was at this time, during the Khilafah of the Khalif
Uthman, that the existence of several variant recitals became a
cause for confusion among these new coverts. What had initially
been for the purpose of facilitation and ease was becoming, in this
new context, a means of difficulty and confusion. Thus, Uthman
g declared the documentation, recitation and instruction of six
recitals of the Holy Qur’an as unlawful and this was done in the
presence of companions who concurred with him. Hence what
was once permitted was made unlawful.
Similarly, when the jurists saw the sheer number of opinions
prevalent in the community coupled with the threat of following
desires and irreligion, they declared taqlīd of only the four schools
obligatory. Then as moral uprightness amongst the masses
diminished and the tendency to follow one’s desires in legal opinions
increased, the ruling was given that taqlīd of only one school is
permitted for the layman. This ruling was further consolidated by
the agreement of the scholars we mentioned earlier on this.
Some may bring a criticism here that, other jurists do not accept
the juristic principle of blocking the means. The truth however is
that all jurists have acknowledged this principle, even if they have
done so using other names for it. Imam Shatibi in his Muwafaqat,
vol. 4 p.66 quotes Imam Qarafi as saying that there is Ijma (Mujma‘
alayh) of the scholars on its acceptance. Imam Abu Zahra, in his
Usul al-Fiqh, p.253, has confirmed it to be the view of all four
schools. The reason for its general acceptance is that it is in reality
a law based on common sense of looking to the end result of an
action. If something is evil or unlawful then it is nonsensical to
think there is nothing wrong with the presence of those things
that directly lead to that evil. In fact, we see this principle in action
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