❖ Harms of Blind Personal Following in Religion
Excerpted from the book "Dīn Mein Taqleed Ka Mas’alah" by Shaykh Zubair ʿAlī Zai رحمه الله
❖ Introduction
In this concluding section of Shaykh Zubair ʿAlī Zai’s detailed research on Taqleed Shakhsi (Blind Personal Following), he highlights its major theological and practical harms with documented references from classical and contemporary Hanafi sources.
❖ ① Neglecting the Qur'an
Due to personal Taqlid, verses of the Qur'an are set aside. For instance, the Hanafi scholar al-Karkhi says:
"Any verse that contradicts the statements of our scholars is considered abrogated or weak; it is better to reinterpret it accordingly."
Uṣūl al-Karkhī, p. 29❖ ② Dismissing Authentic Hadith
Karkhi also writes:
"Any narration opposing our scholars is to be treated as abrogated or opposed by another like it, then a new proof is sought."
Uṣūl al-Karkhī, p. 29–30Another extreme statement:
"Whoever reads Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī is a heretic."
Shadhārāt al-Dhahab 2/40❖ ③ Rejection of Scholarly Consensus
There is consensus in the best generations (Salaf) that personal Taqlid is impermissible, yet blind followers ignore this.
Al-Nubdhah al-Kāfiyah, p. 8❖ ④ Insulting the Noble Companions
For example, the Hanafi manual Uṣūl al-Shāshī openly rejects narrations from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه in legal matters:
"Our scholars have abandoned the narrations of Abū Hurayrah."
Uṣūl al-Shāshī, p. 75 Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 2/619 also documents insulting remarks.❖ ⑤ Claiming Contradiction Between Qur'anic Verses
Hanafi scholar Mullā Jīwan writes:
"If two verses contradict, both fall."
Nūr al-Anwār maʿ Qamar al-Aqmār, p. 193This is a false claim, as no contradiction exists in the Qur'an or between Qur'an and authentic Sunnah.
❖ ⑥ Declaring Other Madhahib as Disbelievers
Examples include:
"Had I the power, I would levy jizyah on Shafiʿis."
Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl 2/52"A Hanafi should not marry his daughter to a Shafiʿi."
Fatāwā Bazzāziyyah, margin of Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīriyyah 2/112❖ ⑦ Sectarian Bloodshed
Historical record shows bloody clashes between Hanafis and Shafiʿis, including killings, arson, and destruction.
Maʿjam al-Buldān 1/209, 3/117 Tārīkh Ibn al-Athīr (al-Kāmil) 9/92❖ ⑧ Denial of Truth Despite Clear Proof
Mawlānā Mahmūd al-Ḥasan Deobandi wrote:
"Though the truth lies with Imam Shāfiʿī, we are bound to follow Imam Abū Ḥanīfah."
Taqrīr Tirmidhī, p. 36Aḥmad Yār Nāʿīmī wrote:
"Ḥanafī evidence is not narrations, but only the statement of the Imām."
Jāʾ al-Ḥaqq 2/9❖ ⑨ Innovation of Four Prayer Spaces in Ḥaram
Blind Taqlid led to the establishment of four separate prayer spaces in Masjid al-Ḥaram. Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī noted:
"Establishing four separate prayer areas in Makkah is a condemned act."
Tālīfāt Rashīdiyyah, p. 517❖ ⑩ Bold Fabrication Against Qur'an and Sunnah
Some even tamper with Qur'anic verses and falsely accuse Ahl al-Ḥadīth, e.g., attributing false interpretations or wrongly accusing them of insulting ʿUmar رضي الله عنه, which is categorically denied by them.
Imdād al-Fatāwā 2/562 Eyḍāḥ al-Adillah, p. 97❖ Conclusion:
❖ Blind personal Taqlid leads to:
✔ Disregard for Qur'an and Sunnah
✔ Sectarianism and fanaticism
✔ Hatred, bias, and intellectual stagnation
✔ Historical violence and scholarly defamation
The only solution is to return to Qur'an and authentic Sunnah with the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn.وَاللهُ هُوَ الْمُوَفِّقُ
And Allāh alone grants success.
Written by: 13 Rabīʿ al-Awwal 1427 AH✍ Ḥāfiẓ Zubair ʿAlī Zai رحمه الله
