Source: Excerpt from the book "Āīnah Tawḥīd wa Sunnat bijawāb Shirk kyā hai maʿa Bidʿat kī Ḥaqīqat" by Shaykh Abū Ḥudhayfah Muḥammad Jāwīd Salafī
Qur’ān:
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
"So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know."
(Sūrah al-Naḥl 16:43)
Claim by Ḥafīẓ al-Raḥmān Qādrī:
He cited this verse on page 45 of his book to establish the obligatory following of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله.
Response:
① This verse was revealed concerning the People of the Book, i.e., the Jews, as per Tafsīr Ibn Jarīr and others. The context of the verse clearly supports this.
② Even if we consider the verse as general, it still does not prove the concept of blind following (taqlīd), as the verse includes the condition: “if you do not know.” If a muqallid is a scholar, then why does he feel the need to imitate? If he is ignorant, then how can he derive taqlīd from this verse?
③ The term Ahl al-Dhikr (People of Reminder) refers to the scholars who inform the laypeople about the rulings from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, making the scholars a means, not the source of legislation.
The verse does not say: “Follow the opinions of scholars or act upon their statements without evidence.”
Comparison Example:
In the first case, the person becomes a muqallid of Abū Ḥanīfah.
In the second, he remains a follower of the Prophet ﷺ, not of the scholar.
Key Point:
If mere questioning equaled taqlīd, then Imām Abū Ḥanīfah himself would have been a muqallid of his teachers. But scholars, including him, are not considered muqallidīn in that sense.
Conclusion:
This verse is unrelated to taqlīd. The insistence of muqallidīn to use this verse for proving taqlīd is a misuse of divine revelation.
Qur’ān:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ
"O you who believe! Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you."
(Sūrah al-Nisā’ 4:59)
Claim by Qādrī:
This verse proves the obligation of following the Four Imāms.
Response:
Hadith Reference:
"There is no obedience in sin. Obedience is only in righteousness."
Rebuttal of the Claim:
فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
"And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and His Messenger..."
(Sūrah al-Nisā’ 4:59)
Even in the presence of scholars, the final reference is Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, not the scholars themselves.
Challenging Questions to the Muqallidīn:
① Was taqlīd shakhṣī (personal adherence to one Imām) practiced during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Ṣaḥābah, or the Tābiʿīn?
② What did the four Imāms themselves say about taqlīd?
③ Is there ijmāʿ (consensus) on taqlīd shakhṣī? If so, when and by whom?
④ Are the only four mujtahids in 1400 years these four Imāms?
⑤ Why follow the Imāms and not their teachers, if the teachers were superior?
⑥ Why not follow the Rightly Guided Caliphs who were greater in rank than the Imāms?
⑦ If all four madhāhib are correct, does one not leave three-fourths of truth by following one?
⑧ Was there taqlīd before the four Imāms?
⑨ Who appointed these four Imāms to be followed exclusively?
⑩ Were Muslims for the first century without a complete religion due to lack of taqlīd?
Claim: A muḥaddith is not a mujtahid; he merely reports narrations.
Response:
This is false. Many muḥaddithīn were also major mujtahid scholars, like Imām al-Bukhārī, evident from the fiqh-based chapter headings in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
Thousands of muḥaddithīn made istimbāṭ (deduction) of rulings from aḥādīth, contrary to the claim that only jurists derive rulings.
Claim: All four Imāms and their followers are upon the truth, even if they differ.
Response:
Hadith:
لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ
“There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 756)
Claim: Since the majority of Muslims follow the Ḥanafī madhhab, it must be correct.
Response:
Truth is not determined by majority.
❝ The real success lies in following the way of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions, not in blindly following any scholar. ❞
May Allah guide the Ummah back to the Book of Allah and the authentic Sunnah, and grant us the courage to abandon all innovations and baseless imitation. آمين۔
❖ Scholarly Refutation of the Taqlīd-Based Arguments of the Muqallidīn
① First Argument
Qur’ān:
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
"So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know."
(Sūrah al-Naḥl 16:43)
Claim by Ḥafīẓ al-Raḥmān Qādrī:
He cited this verse on page 45 of his book to establish the obligatory following of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله.
Response:
① This verse was revealed concerning the People of the Book, i.e., the Jews, as per Tafsīr Ibn Jarīr and others. The context of the verse clearly supports this.
② Even if we consider the verse as general, it still does not prove the concept of blind following (taqlīd), as the verse includes the condition: “if you do not know.” If a muqallid is a scholar, then why does he feel the need to imitate? If he is ignorant, then how can he derive taqlīd from this verse?
③ The term Ahl al-Dhikr (People of Reminder) refers to the scholars who inform the laypeople about the rulings from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, making the scholars a means, not the source of legislation.
The verse does not say: “Follow the opinions of scholars or act upon their statements without evidence.”
Comparison Example:
- A Ḥanafī layperson asks a Ḥanafī scholar about issues because he assumes the scholar will tell him the opinion of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah.
- A non-muqallid (Ahl al-Ḥadīth) Muslim asks an Ahl al-Ḥadīth scholar expecting him to convey the teachings of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, not his own views.
In the first case, the person becomes a muqallid of Abū Ḥanīfah.
In the second, he remains a follower of the Prophet ﷺ, not of the scholar.
Key Point:
If mere questioning equaled taqlīd, then Imām Abū Ḥanīfah himself would have been a muqallid of his teachers. But scholars, including him, are not considered muqallidīn in that sense.
Conclusion:
This verse is unrelated to taqlīd. The insistence of muqallidīn to use this verse for proving taqlīd is a misuse of divine revelation.
② Second Argument
Qur’ān:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ
"O you who believe! Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you."
(Sūrah al-Nisā’ 4:59)
Claim by Qādrī:
This verse proves the obligation of following the Four Imāms.
Response:
- The context (asbāb al-nuzūl) shows this verse refers to leaders of the Muslim army like ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥudhāfah رضي الله عنه.
- The Prophet ﷺ appointed him as a leader over a battalion and commanded his companions to obey him, but only in righteous matters.
Hadith Reference:
"There is no obedience in sin. Obedience is only in righteousness."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4340
Rebuttal of the Claim:
- The word ulī al-amr linguistically relates to amīr (ruler), not ʿālim (scholar).
- If you claim ulī al-amr means scholars, prove it from the text.
- Furthermore, the continuation of the verse refutes your claim:
فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
"And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and His Messenger..."
(Sūrah al-Nisā’ 4:59)
Even in the presence of scholars, the final reference is Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, not the scholars themselves.
Challenging Questions to the Muqallidīn:
① Was taqlīd shakhṣī (personal adherence to one Imām) practiced during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Ṣaḥābah, or the Tābiʿīn?
② What did the four Imāms themselves say about taqlīd?
③ Is there ijmāʿ (consensus) on taqlīd shakhṣī? If so, when and by whom?
④ Are the only four mujtahids in 1400 years these four Imāms?
⑤ Why follow the Imāms and not their teachers, if the teachers were superior?
⑥ Why not follow the Rightly Guided Caliphs who were greater in rank than the Imāms?
⑦ If all four madhāhib are correct, does one not leave three-fourths of truth by following one?
⑧ Was there taqlīd before the four Imāms?
⑨ Who appointed these four Imāms to be followed exclusively?
⑩ Were Muslims for the first century without a complete religion due to lack of taqlīd?
③ Third Argument:
Claim: A muḥaddith is not a mujtahid; he merely reports narrations.
Response:
This is false. Many muḥaddithīn were also major mujtahid scholars, like Imām al-Bukhārī, evident from the fiqh-based chapter headings in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
Thousands of muḥaddithīn made istimbāṭ (deduction) of rulings from aḥādīth, contrary to the claim that only jurists derive rulings.
④ Fourth Argument:
Claim: All four Imāms and their followers are upon the truth, even if they differ.
Response:
- This claim contradicts the hadiths where the recitation of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah is required behind the imām.
- To claim mutually contradictory opinions are both rewarded is not sustainable when clear evidence from the Prophet ﷺ exists.
Hadith:
لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ
“There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 756)
⑤ Fifth Argument:
Claim: Since the majority of Muslims follow the Ḥanafī madhhab, it must be correct.
Response:
Truth is not determined by majority.
- The Ḥanafī madhhab has numerous rulings contrary to clear aḥādīth, e.g., wiping over ¼ of the head in wuḍū’, prohibition of reciting behind imām, etc.
- Prophet ﷺ always wiped entire head, not a quarter.
- He recited Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and instructed companions to do so.
- Many issues in Ḥanafī fiqh contradict authentic aḥādīth, as documented with references.
❖ Summary and Conclusion:
- Taqlīd shakhṣī has no basis in Qur’ān and Sunnah.
- None of the Ṣaḥābah, Tābiʿīn, or even the Imāms themselves commanded blind following.
- The true path is following Allah and His Messenger ﷺ directly via authentic knowledge.
- Taqlīd leads to division, blind loyalty, and often abandonment of Sunnah.
Let Us Reflect:
❝ The real success lies in following the way of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions, not in blindly following any scholar. ❞
May Allah guide the Ummah back to the Book of Allah and the authentic Sunnah, and grant us the courage to abandon all innovations and baseless imitation. آمين۔
