Following the Four Imams and the Ruling of Bidʿah in Light of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil in the Light of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth, Vol. 1, p. 574
❖ Question
Is it permissible to follow the four Imams (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad) instead of the Prophet ﷺ? Can such following be considered bidʿah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
- Taqleed means accepting or acting upon a saying or action while it contradicts the Qurʾān and Sunnah.
- Such taqleed is impermissible.
Hādhā mā ʿindī wa-Allāhu aʿlam biṣ-ṣawāb.