Necessity of Following The Prophet
Source: Unknown Shah Waliullah Dahlawee writes in "At-Tafhimat al-Ahliyah":
" In the present era people all over the world are associated with one or the other Mazahib, and turning away from their Imam's view on any issue or in any matter is considered to an act of disbelief, as if the Imam was a Prophet, whose obedience is obligatory. Until the fourth century after Hijra nobody was associated to any Mazhab "
Abu Talib Makkahi says in "Quwwatul Qulub":
" Sectarian books and collections were introduced in a later period. In the early period of Islam it was not familiar to act upon the sayings of people, or to follow any one religious leader or to go after an Imam. What the people at that time would do was to ask any scholar to explain an issue. If any Hadith of the Prophet was available concerning the issue, they followed it. If there were more than one Hadith concerning an issue and scholars differed in its interpretation, people followed the view which they liked best "
Shaikh Ibn Arabi considered all Mazahib alike, and disapproved following any one. Some of the scholars adhered to one Mazhab since people might not differ with them and go against them. This was a wrong attitude of scholars. Some great scholars like Abu Muhammad Juwaini did not follow any Mazhab in his practical life or in passing verdicts. In his book, "Al-Muheet", he writes,
" I never committed myself to any Mazhab "
Prejudice and bigotry prevailed all over the Muslim Ummah as soon as sectarian following took hold. The Prophet did not make it incumbent to follow a fixed sect or any particular Imam.
Following the Prophet is obligatory and anyone who knowingly rejects the Sunnah is like a renegade, but he who is unaware of the Hadith is pardonable. It is everyone's duty to get the correct information and act accordingly and leave the wrong way of disbelievers. It is sinful for a Muslim to say that he will act upon the words of his Imam and not according to the Hadith of the Prophet.
It is the duty of every Muslim man and woman to ponder over the Sahih Hadith and consider it with care and then to act according to it, and not to pay any attention to those who speak against it. This is the best and right way; adopt this way and do not go astray. Never deviate from the right path, otherwise it will lead you to destruction.
To consider Mut'a (temporary marriage) as legal, considering it lawful to drink wine (liquor) in small quantities as to avoid intoxication and believing it legal to eat the flesh of donkeys - all are examples of deviation from the right path because these are not proved from the Ahadith of the Prophet.
My brethren in Islam! Acquiring knowledge is the duty of every Muslim. If you have a desire for knowledge and are eager to get it, make an effort to understand the Qur'an and Sunnah, strive to find out the way of the righteous and guided people of early era of Islam. Try to eliminate differences and make a concurrence among issues and points having difference of opinion. Find out Sahih and Hasan Ahadith from the books of Hadith and follow them. In case of Ahadith having more than one narration, follow which is stronger with logical arguments and near to Qiyas (analogy).
This is not a very difficult job, for this purpose you need only Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, Muwatta Imam Malik, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami Tirhmidhi and Nasa'i. These are authentic and popular books of Hadith and are available very easily. You are supposed to study them carefully and with good intention. If you do not understand or you do not know their language you can consult their authoritative translations or you may seek the help of a learned person to make you understand the meaning and real sense of these Ahadith.
Shah Waliullah writes in At-Tafhimat,
" If some followers of an Imam find a Sahih Hadith with sure authority, and it is also proved that religious leaders, jurists and righteous people of the early era of Islam followed that Hadith, but the Hadith itself does not correspond to their Mazhab point of view, and for this reason they do not act in accordance with this Hadith, then it is clear from their behaviour that they are deviating from the right path of Islam. "
Truth itself is clear and open, there is no confusion, complexity or concealment in it. Allah is Great and His every creation is perfect. He revealed the Book to be followed until the Day of Resurrection. He also made it clear for people to understand and act according to its commands and to abstain from prohibitions. Indeed He clearly explained the right and the wrong and subsequently only an extremely arrogant and rebellious person could commit the sin of going away from the right way.
Allah revealed the Qur'an to explain the Truth, which is illustrious and completely different from human speech. Allah preserved and safeguarded the Noble Qur'an from all kinds of changes and alterations. Allah sent the Messenger to propagate truth, and created honest, truthful and reliable scholars to collect and preserve his Ahadith. They worked hard with a keen interest and concentration and separated Sahih Ahadith from forged and baseless ones. Now Sahih Ahadith are easily available and it is our duty to study and follow them.
He again writes in the above mentioned book (1/211)
" I make Allah a witness and say that He is the only Ruler and only His Commands are to be obeyed. On the 'Arsh' (Throne) He decided, what is obligatory, what is permitted and lawful, and what is abominable. He then proved this to the attendance of angles and then He revealed this to the Prophet. So anybody who without any proof or argument makes things legal and prohibited is a slanderer and guilty of imputation of Allah,
" And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely, 'This is lawful and this is forbidden', so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper " [16:116]
" I make Allah a witness and say that he who has faith in a person from Ummah and believes that Allah has made his following obligatory for him, and also believes that only those things are worth following which he makes obligatory, he is a disbeliever." The Shariah was revealed much before the birth of that person whom one follows. Narrators conveyed this Shariah to us, religious scholars and scholars of Hadith safeguarded and preserved it, and jurists gave verdicts in the light of this Shariah. Common people followed religious leaders merely because religious leaders are trustworthy narrators of Shariah. If any Sahih hadith reaches us with true and sure authority and scholars of Hadith bear witness to it, then we have to act upon this Hadith, but anybody who does not act upon this Hadith because the view of his Imam is contrary to this, this action of his is a deviation from the right path "
Further Shah Waliullah writes:
" I make Allah a witness and say that the Shariah has two degrees. The first degree includes acting upon obligatory duties and repairing from things forbidden, and fulfilling the religious rites. Nobody is excluded from these, high or low, rich or poor, free or slave, kings or chiefs, labourers or farmers, each and every Muslim must obey these commands. It is very easy to obey and to act upon them. The second stage is of perfection of the said commands. He who opts this stage is real worshipper and follower of the Qur'an and Sunnah. This degree comprises the good manners of the Prophet, his Companions and their followers. There is a great difference between these two stages. One should not ignore this difference. Most of the controversies among the religious scholars began only by ignoring and neglecting this difference between two stages.
Most people are busy earning their livelihood. They consider the first stage sufficient for themselves. Religious, pious and devoted persons who are free from earning their subsistence embrace the second stage, the degree of perfection and excellence. There are still some who select the way in-between first and second degrees. Anyhow it is not wise to ask the common man to go beyond the first degree. Going further may create many problems for him and there is a possibility of developing an aversion to Islam and at last giving it up. All Muslims are advised to accept what is in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah and to reject what is not in conformity to these. Muslims should follow only the Prophet and not anyone else "
Shah Waliullah again writes in the same book (1/214),
" There are many ignorant and stupid people among us who, on account of having a knowledge of Greek philosophy, syntax, grammar, rhetoric, consider themselves a scholars. They are bewildered with analogies, approvals and lenient interpretations of jurists. They are familiar only with the words of the Qur'an and Hadith. When a Hadith of the Prophet is brought to them, they do not act upon it but say, we belong to that Mazhab, and our Imam abstained from acting upon this. He was more learned than us. He must have rejected this on some solid ground. This Hadith may be Abrogated.
No religious person can utter such words. If you believe the Prophet, follow him without any hesitation and do not think about the view of your Imam. It is the first and the foremost the duty of every Muslim to look into the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is the best way. If you can understand it, If you do not, consult the scholars and their views. Whichever is correct and in accordance with the Sunnah, adopt it. The sciences which are used as tools for understanding should be used for the purpose of understanding only. Understanding is our aim, not the tools "
Again he writes (2/134)
" If anybody who follows an Imam finds a Hadith on some issue and the saying of his Imam is against the Hadith, then in such circumstances there is no reason to follow the Imam, and no faithful person should go after the Imam, because in doing so there is a possibility of converting oneself into a hypocrite. I have seen many people with a very infirm belief and faith and also know many people who appear to be virtuous and pious and at the same time prostrate themselves to the graves of the righteous. (They do this of their own, religious leaders never asked them to do so.) They leave Allah and make them their sustainer, as Jews and Christians used to do. Some of them openly distort the meaning of Ahadith and others tamper with the text.
Today this practice is very common and every sect is tainted with this sin. Sufis present such amazing, strange and anomalous ideas which have no relation with the Qur'an and Sunnah. Similarly jurists have fabricated strange commands, and it is impossible to trace their origin. Common people are led to sinful actions of worshipping other than Allah. They adore the graves of pious and righteous people and make their tombs sacred temples. Anniversaries of saints are celebrated at their tombs and people give in to absurdities and senseless activities. Even today such confused practices are very common and the masses unknowingly are ensnared "
Ibn Al-Qayyim writes in I'lam Al-Muaqqi'in (2/476) about the issue of whether it is unavoidable or not for an untrained person to follow some Mazhab. The definite and precise answer to this question is no, it is not necessary for him to follow anyone. The only thing which is obligatory for him is to follow Allah and his Messenger's way. Allah and His Messenger have not commanded anybody to follow anyone from Ummah and to obey him and disregard others. The period of the Companions of the Prophet and their followers passed but none of them followed anyone from the Companions.
An untrained person, in fact, can never be a follower of anybody even he claims to be, because the base of his 'Following' is not correct. Nobody can be Hanafi, Shaf'I, Maliki or Hanbali only by announcing it. He needs to understand and apprehend the logic and reason behind the way of the Imam. If he is unaware of the philosophy of the Imam and is ignorant of the basic reasons behind his philosophy, and in addition he does not follow the footsteps of the Imam in every day life, how can he claim to be a follower? On the basis of a hollow and insubstantial pretension, his claim of being a follower cannot be correct and true.
The above given argument proves and makes it clear that an untrained person can never be a follower. It is wrong to accept the views regarding religion of one person and leave the views of other. It is essential to take whatever is according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, and should be taken from wheresoever is available. Following a particular Mazhab is a dangerous innovation which has crept into religion. Imams never recommended to follow a leader or an Imam, they are too noble and righteous and their status is too high to advise such absurdity. Those who say that following a religious leader or an Imam is essential, are far from reality.
It is very strange and distressing too that the Muslims forgot the way of noble Companions of the Prophet and their noble followers and the followers of followers, but kept alive and activated the faiths of four Imams. Has any Imam ever asked people to follow him or gave any justification in favour of blind following? Is there, in their entire work, any indication in favour of blind following? No one can find a single word in favour of "Following" in their sayings and works. Whatever Allah and His Prophet made obligatory for the noble Companions and their followers and still their followers, is also obligatory for the people to come until the Day of Resurrection. Whatever is made obligatory is applicable for all times to come, and no change is possible in it.
The illiterate and ignorant may seek help from religious scholars without giving preference to the views of any Mazhab or a person, and should act according to Sahih Hadith. It is prohibited to look for the easy way from all Mazahib. One should try to reach for the truth.
