The Ruling on Taqlīd in Light of Hadith
Taken from Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
What is the ruling on taqlīd (blind following)?
Answer:
There is no justification for taqlīd in Islam. Allah revealed His Books for the guidance of mankind, and He sent Prophets and Messengers to explain those Books. The Companions followed the Prophet ﷺ, and their followers learned from them. Thus, the chain of truth continues and will remain until the Day of Judgment. Since the early generations of the Ummah did not consider taqlīd permissible, it cannot be permissible for us either.
Hadith Evidence
Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
أما المنافق والكافر فيقال له: ما كنت تقول فى هذا الرجل؟ فيقول: لا أدري كنت أقول ما يقول الناس، فيقال: لا دريت ولا تليت، ويضرب بمطارق من حديد ضربة، فيصيح صيحة يسمعها من يليه غير الثقلين
“The hypocrite and the disbeliever will be asked: ‘What did you used to say about this man?’ He will reply: ‘I do not know; I used to say what the people said.’ It will be said: ‘You did not understand, nor did you recite.’ Then he will be struck with an iron hammer between his ears, and he will scream — a scream heard by everything around him except jinn and humans.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1374]Scholarly Statement
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī (رحمه الله, d. 597 AH) said:
فيه دليل على تحريم التقليد فى أصول الدين، وأنه ينبغي للعاقل أن يكون عارفا بما يعتقده، على يقين من ذلك لا يقلد فيه أحدا؛ فإن المقلد كالأعمى يتبع القائد
“This ḥadīth is evidence that taqlīd in the fundamentals of religion (ʿaqīdah) is ḥarām. Every intelligent person should know his belief with certainty and not imitate anyone in it. The muqallid (blind follower) is like a blind man following his guide.”
[Kashf al-Mushkil: 3/243]
Conclusion:- In ʿaqīdah (beliefs): Taqlīd is strictly forbidden. One must have certainty based on Qur’an and Sunnah.
- In Sharīʿah rulings: Guidance must be sought from qualified scholars, but not as blind imitation — rather as following evidence.
