Research Regarding Blind Following
by Sheikh Muhammad Sultan Al-Ma'soomi Al-Khajnadee Shah Waliullah Dahlawee has written in " Insaf fi Bayan Asbab Al-Ikhtilaf ",
" For the first two centuries of the Hijra era people were not aware of any Mazhab, as a matter of fact, no Mazhab existed at all during that time. For that reason nobody knew any Mazhab and did not follow anyone except Allah's Messenger. Venerable Companions of Allah's Messenger the Tabe'in (those who immediately followed the Companions) and the succeeding generation of the Tabe'in followed their consensus and did not follow any individual. So anybody who ignores this consensus and opts all the sayings, verdicts and views of any one Imam and does not try to search and confirm it from the two basic sources i.e. The Qur'an and Sunnah, is acting against the tenets of faith. Such a person has gone astray from the right path of Islam "
Imam 'Izzuddin bin Abdus Salam in his book "Qawa'id al-Ahkam Fi Masaleh al-Anam" and Shaikh Salah Fulani also in his book "Iqaz Humam Ulul-Absar" have mentioned the same view.
It is amazing that blind followers of various Mazahib and supporters of this viewpoint stick to one opinion, even though the opinion may be far from logical argument and reason. They consider their Imam as if he is the Prophet. Such thinking is totally against honesty. It has been observed many a time that despite obvious proof, these followers believe in the infallibility of their Imam. They think that their Imam can never commit a mistake, and whatever he says is always true and right. They are careful not to leave the views of their Imam even in the presence of explicit evidence that Imam's view is incorrect. They never accept any argument or clear proof which is against their belief. In situations like this the verse of The Quran comes true.
" They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and
their monks to be their lords besides Allah " [9:31]
Dear Muslim brothers! If we follow a specific Mazhab or person, leaving aside a Hadith of the Prophet whose following is obligatory, who will be more misguided and unwise than us? Surely this is a doltish attitude. On the Day of Resurrection when every single human being will appear before Allah for reward or punishment on account of his good or bad deeds in this world, what excuse can we put up in our favor and what alibi will serve us from the Wrath of Allah? Whosoever follows anyone except the Prophet is bound to loose. Whosoever is prejudiced and regards his Imam exclusively right among all others and thinks only his Imam's following and obedience is mistaken.
For an individual who loves all Imams equally and benefits from all of them in various religious matters, and acts upon the view which is more near to the Qur'an and Sunnah, is acting in a way which is appreciable and is in accordance with the way of the faithful. He who deviates from the right way of Tabe'in and sticks to one specific Imam and is prejudiced in his favor, is similar to one who leaves aside all Companions of the Prophet and follows one only, as the Shi'as and Khiwarij do. Qur'an, Hadith and Ijma denounce them.
Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiya Writes in "Fatawa Misriyah",
" If an individual follows only one from the four Imams - Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Shafi'i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal - and in connection with certain issue he finds a more positive and stronger argument than that of his own Shaikh or Imam, and leaves the weaker argument and embraces the strong one, this act of his is estimable. All religious scholars thought that it made no difference to the faith of the follower. On the other hand, it is said that he is dearer to the Prophet and nearer to the truth than a person who follows only one Imam eagerly and blindly and pays less heed to the Sunnah of the Prophet. He who follows Imam Abu Hanifah and thinks his Imam is always correct in every religious matter and everyone should follow him, and all other Imams who differ with him are not reliable, is certainly ignorant; such thinking may lead him to blasphemy and infidelity. We seek refuge with Allah from this evil "
Al-Iqna' and its commentary, explain and emphasise the point that following a Mazhab is not necessary, nor is it forbidden to change from one Mazhab to another. Most religious leaders do not consider it essential to follow any specific Mazhab. Every point of view is liable to be judged in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah and anything which contradicts these two must be given up. Allah has made it an obligation for everyone to obey the Prophet in all circumstances.
In the " Kitab-al-Qada of Al-Insaf " it has been quoted from Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiya,
" Anyone who makes it obligatory to blindly follow a specific Imam should be asked to repent and give up fixated following and if he is not prepared for it, he should be executed, since this is associating partners with Allah in setting down Sharee'ah, which is one of the unique rights of the Lord "
Kamal bin Hamam Hanafi in his book on principles of " Fiqh-At-Tahrir Wat Taqrir " writes,
" Only those things that Allah and His Messenger have made obligatory are worth following. It is obvious that Allah and His Messenger have not made it obligatory to follow any person in religious matters. The golden era of the Prophet, his Companions and their followers passed, but no one made it compulsory to follow a specific Mazhab or person. Many blind followers have been heard saying ' I am Hanfi, or I am Shafi'i ' and the fact is quite different from their verbal utterances. They just claim to be Hanafi or Shafi'i, and are quite ignorant about the teachings of their Imams. If any one claims to be a jurist or a writer, he has to prove it, otherwise his claim of being a jurist or writer is false. The same is the case of being a Hanafi or Shafi'i. If they do not understand the teachings of their Imam and have no regard for their sayings, how can they be what they claim to be? "
Shaikh Salih Al-Fulani in his book " Iqaz Hamam Ulul Absar " writes,
" There is a difference between a blind follower and a follower of evidence. A blind follower never enquires about the orders of Allah and His Prophet, he is always interested to discern the views of his Imam. Even if he finds that the views of his Imam are contrary to the Qur'an and Sunnah, he sticks to them. However, a follower of evidence is not primarily interested to know the point of view of a particular Imam, but his query is more towards the understanding of the orders of Allah and the Prophet. A follower of evidence reaps benefit from all fields, whereas a blind follower sticks to one. This is the principal difference between the blind followers of later period and former righteous believers. One goes after an Imam and his views, whereas the other picks up a right thing from wheresoever he finds "
In Shari'ah the meaning of Taqleed (blind following) is to follow and refer to a saying or a point of view which the convinced (follower) has no argument to prove correct. Such following is absolutely forbidden by the Shari'ah. To follow an issue which is proved by Shari'ah and lawful arguments is called Ittiba (compliance). In Islam following in the former sense is not allowed, and in the latter sense to which we call compliance is obligatory.
If the accuracy and authority of the Hadith is proved, then it is obligatory to act upon it and it is not correct to make lame excuses and to put conditions that if such and such a person acts upon it then the Hadith will be accepted. Accepting the Hadith of the Prophet conditionally is also totally wrong. Allah has made the Sunnah of the Prophet the criterion for Muslims to lead their lives. He who understands the meaning and sense of Hadith should act upon it and may pass a verdict. And for those who cannot understand the meaning of The Qur'an and Hadith, it is their duty to ask about it from those who know it. Allah the Almighty says,
" So ask the people of the Reminder (Scriptures -
The Torah and The Gospel) if you do not know " [21:7]
If someone asks about an issue from a Mufti or from his Shaikh and relies on it, then he should also believe and have trust in Hadith of the Prophet which have been collected by reliable authorities. Pretending not to grasp the meaning of a Hadith is just the same as not comprehending the meaning of the verdict of the jurist, and asking for its explanation from a person who understands it. The same is the case with Hadith, if there is any difficulty in understanding the meaning, any scholar may be asked to explain it. It is obvious that Hadith is a stronger and better proof than Qiyas (analogy) and Ijtihad (authoritative interpretation of Islamic Law).
Ibn Najeem in his book " Al-bahar ar-Ra'iq " writes,
" Acting upon plain and categorical text of a Hadith is far better than acting upon Qiyas. Acting upon a Hadith is obligatory and it is not obligatory to act according to Qiyas. All Imams agree upon and advise every learned person to act upon the plain meaning of Hadith "
Sha'rani has quoted from Imam Abu Hanifah in " Tanbih al-Mughtarrin ", that the Imam used to say:
" This is the best of mine. If anyone finds anything more clear and understandable than this, it would be better for him to act upon that "
Mullah Ali Qari Hanafi also holds up the same idea and say that any individual of the Muslim Ummah need not be a Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki or Hanbali. And every individual, if he himself is not a learned person, should ask for an explanation and have the interpretation of an issue concerned from a scholar. He can also seek verdicts of the Imams about the issue and the views of one who is more clearly in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah.
A well known scholar of Hadith, Abudl Haq Dahlawee, wrote a commentary of "As-Siratul Mustaqim" and said that following the Prophet is an obligation for every Muslim and no one is supposed to follow anyone except the Prophet. Following anybody other than Muhammad (s.a.w) is improper and sinful. All the former righteous and guided Muslims followed the Prophet.
Imam Shafi'i said,
" He who finds a Hadith of the Prophet, it is not legal for him to ignore it and follow the words of others. If he does so, it is wrong and sinful "
It is beyond doubt that the righteous are those who follow the Prophet. His life is an ideal for them in each and every way. By chance, if the Prophet acts differently in some cases, they would also do the same. They would follow him fully and adopt all his ways at different times. Likewise they would take benefit from the lives of his venerable rightly-guided Caliphs and other Companions.
Allah says,
" Say: (O Muhammad s.a.w to mankind) ' If you (really)
love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you ...' " [3:31]
At another place Allah says,
"... And whatsoever the Messenger (Mohammad s.a.w) gives you,
take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it) ..." [59:7]
There are many other verses of the Qur'an having the same meaning which tell us to obey the Prophet and take guidance from him.
If there are more than one Hadith of the Prophet concerning a certain issue but giving differing responses, and the chronological order of Hadith is obscure, then it is necessary to act upon all of them, sometimes upon one and sometimes the other. So we could embrace all that has been conveyed to us. Nothing should escape our practice. If we choose one only and discard others, it may be quite harmful for us, in doing so we are liable to expose ourselves to transgression unintentionally. How can a Muslim deny a Sahih Hadith of the Prophet? The Qur'an testifies:
" Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation that is revealed " [53:3,5]
When people started the vice of choosing of some Hadith and giving up some, misfortune too started with it, and different sects came into existence. Chaos, disorder and confusion prevailed all over the Muslim World, and loathsome cry of "what is ours is ours, and what is yours is yours, interference shall not be tolerated" came from all sides. Love, sincerity, and fraternity disappeared from society and instead malice, jealousy and irrational hostility took place. At last the Muslim Ummah lost all its prestige, dignity splendor and grandeur. Europeans and other nations took advantage of Muslim disunity and overpowered them.
When we call ourselves followers of the Sunnah or followers of Hadith, what is the difference between us? All four Imams belong to us, they are surely ours. If we go deep into the matter and search, we come to know that different sects were given air and encouraged by the enemies of Islam. They did it with a definite purpose to end the unity of Islam and divide it into various sects and groups. Some cunning and crafty minds created various faiths analogous to Judaism and Christianity. Throughout the history of Islam we see a variety of stooges and puppets, who play in the hands of others and degrade the Ummah for very trifling ends. They cannot differentiate, or they do not want to, between right and wrong. They deliberately go against the demands of justice and fulfill the intentions of non-Muslims who wish to sow discord and hatred among the Muslim Ummah.
Ibn Al-Barr and Ibn Taymiya say,
" When a Hadith of the Prophet is proved true and correct then there is no place left for the saying of others. It is necessary to act according to the Hadith of the Prophet. Followers of Mazahib must not give preference to the words of their Imams, instead Hadith should be given priority. The Qur'anic text and Ahadith are above all. Carnal and rational suppositions are insignificant and baseless when brought against the Qur'an and Hadith. Bigots try to defend their religious leaders with flimsy arguments. For example, they say 'there must be some very strong arguments, that is why their Imam left the Hadith and did not act according to it' or 'he might have discovered fault, and for this reason he left this Hadith.' These arguments cannot be called arguments at all. Bigots talk such absurdities and blind followers play yes men "
Umar bin Khattab says,
" The Sunnah is that which Allah approved of and Allah's Messenger practised. Do not make your false comprehension a Sunnah for Ummah "
May Allah bless Umar - he anticipated future events and warned the scholars of tomorrow. Today we notice that a great deal of views and opinions are contradictory to The Qur'an and Sunnah, but people think of them as genuine sunnah and consider them the true religion. In case of disputed and controversial issues, people go after these deviated views instead of the Qur'anic text and the actual Sunnah, and still consider themselves on the right path. Today this is the greatest evil and the biggest catastrophe which Islam and Muslim Ummah are facing.
Bilal bin 'Abdullah says, that his father 'Abduallh bin 'Umar narrated that the Prophet said,
" 'Do not forbid your women from their regular visit to masjid.' I replied, 'I shall not allow my wife, and he who wishes may permit his wife.' On hearing my words my father turned to me and said, 'Curse of Allah be upon you! I am telling you, this is the order of the Prophet, and you dare to refuse it.' While saying these words he stood up in rage "
