excerpt from the book "Aaina-e-Tawheed-o-Sunnat: In Response to ‘What is Shirk?’ Along with the Reality of Bid‘ah" by Shaykh Abu Hudaifah Muhammad Javed Salafi:
Hafeez ur Rahman Qadri states:
“Is Taqlid (following) Shirk? In matters of Sharī‘ah, we follow Imām A‘ẓam (Abu Hanifah). Similarly, some people follow Imām Shāfiʿī, some Mālikī, and others Ḥanbalī. The followers of these four Imāms are called Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah. However, some individuals label this Taqlid as Shirk.”
(Shirk Kya Hai, p. 44)
Dear Qadri Sahib, had you asked your spiritual leader, Sultan al-ʿĀrifīn, Hazrat Sultan Bahu رحمه الله, you wouldn't have needed to trouble the people of Tawḥīd.
Sultan Bahu distinguished between the people of Tawḥīd and the people of Taqlid as follows:
“People of Tawḥīd are granted Divine grace and are seekers of truth, while the people of Taqlid are worldly, complainant, and mushrik (associators).”
(Tawfiq al-Hidayah, p. 167)
Further, he said:
“There’s a difference between ‘Kalīd’ (key) and ‘Taqlid.’ Kalīd brings unity and Taqlid brings confusion. People of Taqlid are more ignorant and inferior than animals.”
(Tawfiq al-Hidayah, p. 20)
Before analyzing Taqlid further, let us define it:
التقليد: العمل بقول الغير من غير حجة
“Taqlid is acting upon someone’s statement without knowing the evidence.”
(Musallam al-Thubūt, p. 35)
التقليد: اتباع الغير على ظن أنه محق بلا نظر فى الدليل
“Taqlid is following someone based on the assumption that they are right, without examining the evidence.”
(Sharh Ḥusāmī, p. 190)
This definition is presented from Hanafi sources so that readers belonging to that school are not uncomfortable.
The Qur'an repeatedly condemns blind following:
﴿وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ﴾
“Do not follow what you have no knowledge of.”
[Surah al-Isrāʾ: 17:36]
﴿قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾
“Say: Bring your proof, if you are truthful.”
[Surah al-Baqarah: 2:111]
The Qur’an only enjoins the obedience of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ — not of Imams or jurists without proof.
﴿إِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا﴾
“If you obey him (the Prophet), you will be rightly guided.”
[Surah an-Nūr: 24:54]
﴿قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي﴾
“Say: If you love Allah, then follow me (the Prophet), Allah will love you.”
[Surah Āl-ʿImrān: 3:31]
No one can claim to be rightly guided without obeying the Prophet ﷺ directly.
﴿اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ﴾
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord.”
[Surah al-Aʿrāf: 7:3]
﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ...﴾
“By your Lord! They do not truly believe until they make you (O Prophet) judge in all their disputes.”
[Surah an-Nisāʾ: 4:65]
﴿يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ...﴾
“They believe in what was revealed to you and to those before you… they are rightly guided.”
[Surah al-Baqarah: 2:4–5]
﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ...﴾
“Today I have completed your religion for you.”
[Surah al-Māʾidah: 5:3]
The Prophet ﷺ left behind only two sources:
“I am leaving among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold on to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”
[al-Ḥākim; Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb: 31]
Some claim that one must follow a Madhhab (Ḥanafī, Mālikī, etc.). But the Prophet ﷺ drew a single straight path, and said:
“This is the path of Allah — follow it and do not follow other paths, lest you be separated from His path.”
[Ibn Mājah, ḥadīth 11]
[Surah al-Anʿām: 6:153]
The Companions رضي الله عنهم were neither Ḥanafī nor Mālikī nor Shāfiʿī nor Ḥanbalī — yet Allah was pleased with them.
All four Imāms were not born until long after the era of the Companions:
Before these dates, no "Hanafi" Muslims existed.
✔ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله:
“It is ḥarām for anyone to give fatwa using my statement unless he knows the evidence.”
[Mīzān Shaʿrānī, 1/48]
✔ Imām Mālik رحمه الله:
“Everyone’s statements are taken or rejected — except those of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
[Mīzān Shaʿrānī, 1/48]
✔ Imām ash-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله:
“If my statement contradicts a ḥadīth, act on the ḥadīth and throw my statement against the wall.”
[ʿAqd al-Jīd, p. 45]
✔ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله:
“Do not blindly follow me, Mālik, Awzāʿī, or anyone. Take from where we took — the Qur’an and Sunnah.”
[ʿAqd al-Jīd, p. 52]
﴿إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ...﴾
“We found our forefathers on a way and we follow their footsteps.”
[Surah az-Zukhruf: 43:23]
Such justifications are condemned in multiple places in the Qur’an. Following one’s ancestors without evidence is the essence of Taqlid.
Taqlid, as defined by scholars, is following someone’s opinion without evidence.
The Qur’an and Sunnah repeatedly command obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ only.
All four Imams discouraged blind following and emphasized following evidence.
The Companions رضي الله عنهم were not Muqallidīn but followers of the Prophet ﷺ alone.
True Islam is found in the Book and Sunnah, and not in affiliation to any school.
Blind Taqlid has no basis in revelation — it resembles the path of past misguided nations.
❖ What is Taqlid? Is it Shirk? An Analysis in Light of Qur’an and Hadith
❖ Claim from Hafeez ur Rahman Qadri
Hafeez ur Rahman Qadri states:
“Is Taqlid (following) Shirk? In matters of Sharī‘ah, we follow Imām A‘ẓam (Abu Hanifah). Similarly, some people follow Imām Shāfiʿī, some Mālikī, and others Ḥanbalī. The followers of these four Imāms are called Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah. However, some individuals label this Taqlid as Shirk.”
(Shirk Kya Hai, p. 44)❖ Response
Dear Qadri Sahib, had you asked your spiritual leader, Sultan al-ʿĀrifīn, Hazrat Sultan Bahu رحمه الله, you wouldn't have needed to trouble the people of Tawḥīd.
Sultan Bahu distinguished between the people of Tawḥīd and the people of Taqlid as follows:
“People of Tawḥīd are granted Divine grace and are seekers of truth, while the people of Taqlid are worldly, complainant, and mushrik (associators).”
(Tawfiq al-Hidayah, p. 167)Further, he said:
“There’s a difference between ‘Kalīd’ (key) and ‘Taqlid.’ Kalīd brings unity and Taqlid brings confusion. People of Taqlid are more ignorant and inferior than animals.”
(Tawfiq al-Hidayah, p. 20)❖ What is Taqlid? Definitions from Hanafi Sources
Before analyzing Taqlid further, let us define it:
التقليد: العمل بقول الغير من غير حجة
“Taqlid is acting upon someone’s statement without knowing the evidence.”
(Musallam al-Thubūt, p. 35)التقليد: اتباع الغير على ظن أنه محق بلا نظر فى الدليل
“Taqlid is following someone based on the assumption that they are right, without examining the evidence.”
(Sharh Ḥusāmī, p. 190)This definition is presented from Hanafi sources so that readers belonging to that school are not uncomfortable.
❖ The Qur’an Rejects Blind Following
The Qur'an repeatedly condemns blind following:
﴿وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ﴾
“Do not follow what you have no knowledge of.”
[Surah al-Isrāʾ: 17:36]﴿قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾
“Say: Bring your proof, if you are truthful.”
[Surah al-Baqarah: 2:111]The Qur’an only enjoins the obedience of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ — not of Imams or jurists without proof.
❖ Real Guidance Lies in Following the Messenger ﷺ
﴿إِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا﴾
“If you obey him (the Prophet), you will be rightly guided.”
[Surah an-Nūr: 24:54]﴿قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي﴾
“Say: If you love Allah, then follow me (the Prophet), Allah will love you.”
[Surah Āl-ʿImrān: 3:31]No one can claim to be rightly guided without obeying the Prophet ﷺ directly.
❖ The Qur’an Condemns Following Others Besides Allah and His Messenger
﴿اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ﴾
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord.”
[Surah al-Aʿrāf: 7:3]﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ...﴾
“By your Lord! They do not truly believe until they make you (O Prophet) judge in all their disputes.”
[Surah an-Nisāʾ: 4:65]❖ True Success Lies in Revelation — Not in Taqlid
﴿يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ...﴾
“They believe in what was revealed to you and to those before you… they are rightly guided.”
[Surah al-Baqarah: 2:4–5]﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ...﴾
“Today I have completed your religion for you.”
[Surah al-Māʾidah: 5:3]The Prophet ﷺ left behind only two sources:
“I am leaving among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold on to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”
[al-Ḥākim; Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb: 31]❖ Is Adhering to a Madhhab Necessary?
Some claim that one must follow a Madhhab (Ḥanafī, Mālikī, etc.). But the Prophet ﷺ drew a single straight path, and said:
“This is the path of Allah — follow it and do not follow other paths, lest you be separated from His path.”
[Ibn Mājah, ḥadīth 11] [Surah al-Anʿām: 6:153]❖ Were the Companions Muwahhid or Muqallid?
The Companions رضي الله عنهم were neither Ḥanafī nor Mālikī nor Shāfiʿī nor Ḥanbalī — yet Allah was pleased with them.
All four Imāms were not born until long after the era of the Companions:
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah: born 80 AH
- Imām Mālik: born 93 AH
- Imām ash-Shāfiʿī: born 150 AH
- Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal: born 164 AH
Before these dates, no "Hanafi" Muslims existed.
❖ Even the Four Imams Prohibited Taqlid
✔ Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله:
“It is ḥarām for anyone to give fatwa using my statement unless he knows the evidence.”
[Mīzān Shaʿrānī, 1/48]✔ Imām Mālik رحمه الله:
“Everyone’s statements are taken or rejected — except those of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
[Mīzān Shaʿrānī, 1/48]✔ Imām ash-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله:
“If my statement contradicts a ḥadīth, act on the ḥadīth and throw my statement against the wall.”
[ʿAqd al-Jīd, p. 45]✔ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله:
“Do not blindly follow me, Mālik, Awzāʿī, or anyone. Take from where we took — the Qur’an and Sunnah.”
[ʿAqd al-Jīd, p. 52]❖ The Qur’an Warns Against Following Ancestors Blindly
﴿إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ...﴾
“We found our forefathers on a way and we follow their footsteps.”
[Surah az-Zukhruf: 43:23]Such justifications are condemned in multiple places in the Qur’an. Following one’s ancestors without evidence is the essence of Taqlid.
❖ Conclusion
Taqlid, as defined by scholars, is following someone’s opinion without evidence. The Qur’an and Sunnah repeatedly command obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ only. All four Imams discouraged blind following and emphasized following evidence. The Companions رضي الله عنهم were not Muqallidīn but followers of the Prophet ﷺ alone. True Islam is found in the Book and Sunnah, and not in affiliation to any school. Blind Taqlid has no basis in revelation — it resembles the path of past misguided nations.