Question:
What is taqleed or ittiba`? Is it it wajib (compulsory) upon Muslims.
Answer:
Yet there are many Muslims in the present age who have hardly heard of the words taqleed or ittiba`. Others who may have heard about it, do not fully comprehend its meaning. This has led to people even rejecting taqleed – thereby rejecting a wajib, (a compulsory aspect of the religion). As a general rule, man is suspicious and afraid of that which he does not know. Therefore a proper understanding of the issue of taqleed or ittib`a would dispel the ignorance surrounding it, Insha-Allah.
Taqleed is a part of everyday life
Taqleed or ittib`a in essence, simply refers to the practice of an unqualified, lay person (in a specific field of specialization) submitting to and accepting the authority of an expert in that field, without demanding proof and justification for every view, opinion or verdict expressed by such an expert authority. This is a natural state of human existence, practiced by millions of people worldwide in every facet of life.
The simplest and most tangible example of taqleed or ittib`a is that of a child learning his basic alphabets at school. Every child learning his alphabet is unconsciously practicing taqleed. A learner driver taking instructions from a driving instructor is practicing taqleed. People going to a specialist doctor for medical treatment and following his instructions is another glaring example of taqleed or ittib`a. A lay person soliciting a legal opinion from an advocate or following the advice of a tax consultant is another common case of taqleed. A client at an engineering firm, asking for the engineer`s advice on complex engineering calculations is yet another instance of taqleed or ittib`a in action. The millions of ‘facts’ in the myriad of sciences such as astronomy, archaeology, etc. are all distinct examples of taqleed or ittib`a. Whoever questions the ‘fact’ or asks for proof that the sun is really 93 million miles away from the earth! It is taken for granted that this is the findings of the ‘experts’ in these fields and everyone simply accepts it as such. Schoolteachers teach these to their pupils as ‘gospel truth’ and children learn and memorize these ‘facts’ with the hope of succeeding in their exams. There are countless such examples of taqleed or ittib`a in everyday existence. It is quite clear from the above, that taqleed or ittib`a is a natural way of life, and is not specific to Islam or Islamic fiqh alone.
Taqleed is the easy option for ordinary people
In the context of Islamic fiqh or Law, taqleed or ittib`a simply refers to accepting and following the verdicts of expert scholars of Islamic fiqh in their exposition and interpretation of Islamic Law, without demanding from them an in-depth explanation of the intricate processes required in arriving at such a verdict, called ijtihad. It simply means that ordinary folk do not have to do ijtihad, i.e. the intricate and complicated procedures involved in deriving Islamic rulings that scholars exercise when issuing a fatwa (legal verdict). The duty of ordinary people is to trustingly accept the authority of the learned scholars in this matter and act upon their verdicts.
In this sense, taqleed is a great blessing for common people, for it is beyond their capacity to understand the extremely complex and complicated mechanics of ijtihad. The ability to do ijtihad requires many long years of study and erudition and a great deal of exertion (ijtihad means to exert oneself) in acquiring a mastery of various Islamic sciences, among other varying requirements.
Misunderstandings regarding taqleed
Recently, misunderstandings have arisen regarding the issue of taqleed. It has become a theme of major debate in many parts of the world among Muslims. This debate has naturally resulted in arguments being promulgated by both the protagonists and the antagonists of taqleed.
The best way of removing such misunderstanding is to view the original sources of Islam – the Quran and Hadith and the teachings of the learned elders of Islam (`ulama) on this subject. After a study of this subject, the correct interpretation and understanding of taqleed and ittib`a would emerge. This would lead to a better understanding and analysis of the arguments and counter-arguments of protagonists and antagonists.
Mufti Zubair Bayat
Council of Muslim Theologians, Bishopsgate, South Africa
