كِتَابٌ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُنْ فِي صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِنْهُ لِتُنْذِرَ بِهِ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
[Surah A’raf 2:3]
[This is] a Book revealed to you, [O Muhammad] – so let there not be in your breast distress therefrom – that you may warn thereby and as a reminder to the believers. Follow, [O mankind], what has been revealed to you from your Lord and do not follow other than Him any allies. Little do you remember. [Surah A’raf 2:3]
This Ayah mentions both Taqleed and Ittiba
i.e. اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ
“Follow, [O mankind], what has been revealed to you”
This is an evidence and proof for Ittiba and the definition of Taqlid has preceded this which means to accept the statement of someone that does not constitute evidence. This may be understood from the following Ayah,
وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ
“and do not follow other than Him any allies”
Khawaiz Mandad Maliki said
“Whoever’s statement you follow whose statement is not obligatory to follow without evidence, you make Taqleed of them and Taqleed is not correct in the Deen of Allah. What is obligatory upon us is Ittiba with evidence and we follow based on evidence which permissible in the Deen whereas Taqleed is impermissible” [al-Tahrir Fi Ilm al-Usul al-Taqrir wa’l Tahbir [3:353].
Ibn Qayyum also cites something similar in A’laam al-Muwaqieen [2:197], as does Suyuti in ar-Radd Alal Akhlad Ilal Ard [Page 123]
Abu Dawud said that he heard Imam Ahmad stating that Ittiba is that of a person who follows and obeys the rulings and commands transmitted through authentic narrations of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions – may Allah be pleased with them all. It should be noted that the people have the option with regards to the statements of the Tabi’een. He further said do not make Taqleed of me or Malik, al-Thawri or Awzai,’ rather take from where they took from (ie the Quran and Sunnah). He further stated
“From a man having little Fiqh, is evident in him making Taqleed of other individuals in the Din” [Masail Abu Dawud [pp.113], A’lam al-Muwaqqi’een [3:489].
The Legal Status of Taqleed [Page 22-24]
Definition of al It’ibaa’a’:
Al-It’ibaa’a in the Arabic Language is a verbal noun, meaning one who follows something. It is said in Arabic ‘I followed his path’. It is also said: ‘A man who goes ahead and you go behind him or follow him. ‘It’ibaa’ul Quran’ means: Follow the Quran, in other words: imitate, emulate, follow its example and act upon what is in it.’[1]
The technical and religious meaning of Al-It’ibaa’a is similar to the linguistic meaning: following, walking behind, emulating what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came with and imitating it and acting upon it.
Al-It’ibaa’a is the opposite of Taqleed, which means: Acting upon a saying or action from someone whose sayings and actions are not authoritative sources or evidence in the religion.
What we mean by Al It’ibaa’a is: Imitation, adherence, following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ and the obligation of following them are upon whoever the Quran and Sunnah reach .
Al-It’ibaa’a’ also means: imitating and following the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs, based upon the Prophets ﷺ saying:
‘Upon all of you is to adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs.’[2]
It also means following the consensus of the companions and those who preceded them from amongst the scholars of Islam if their sayings are authentic. All of this is considered Al ‘It’ibaa’a because these are legislative evidences which are obligatory to follow.
Also ‘It’ibaa’a’ of the correct ‘Qiyas’ (analogical reasoning) which is authentic from the Quran and Sunnah is considered ‘It’ibaa’a’ and not ‘Taqleed’.
Taqleed is following he whose saying is not a proof.
Daleel, Hujjah, Bayeenah, Burhan means evidence and proof which is Quran and Hadith.
Important Clarification on Terminological use of the word Taqleed to refer to Ittiba
Imam Abu Jafar Tahawi said
فذهب قوم إلى هذا الحديث فقلدوه
And some people went to this Hadeeth, and they did Taqleed (of this Hadeeth) [Sharah Ma`ani Al Athaar 4/3 Kitab al Buyu]
Referring to following Hadith as Taqleed
Imam Shafiee said
( قال الشافعي ) رحمه الله : فأما أن يقلده فلم يجعل الله ذلك لأحد بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
Regarding Taqleed (blind following someone without evidence), Allah تبارك وتعالى hasn’t made it (Taqleed) permissible to anyone after Prophet ﷺ
[Mukhtasar Al-Muzni Kitab Adab Al-Qada]
Referring to following Prophet ﷺ as Taqleed.
Ordinary person asking questions from a Mufti is not Taqleed, but Ibn Abdul Barr, Khateeb Al-Baghdadi, Ibn Taiymiyyah etc are of the opinion that if a lay person has some problem he must ask a question from a scholar and this is Taqleed. This is only the difference in terminology; some call it Ittiba, some call it Taqleed.
As can be seen from the above quotes scholars of the past used the word Taqleed to refer to Ittiba but the meaning was not the disparaged type of Fanatical Taqleed (Blind Following) that people are involved in today.
Shaykh Wasi Ullah Abbas said regarding asking scholars
“Actually this is Ittiba because Aaami is practicing “Ask the people of knowledge If you don’t know”. But if it is named as Taqleed according to Istilah (Terminology) then there should be no harm in it (Taqleed ka hukm page 54)
Scholars from the Indian Subcontinent are especially harsh against using the terminological word Taqleed to refer to Ittiba due to the confusion it causes, Shaykh Badi-udeen Shah Rashidi has written extensively in the matter of Taqleed and Ittiba exposing and clarifying the matter in great detail. Putting Ittiba as a subcategory of Taqleed causes confusion and many people fall into the clearly impermissible Taqleed under the claim that ‘Scholars allow Taqleed or even obligate it’
[1] ‘Lisanul Arab’ 8/27-28
[2] {TN} Taken from the long hadeeth in Sunan at Tirmidhi 5/44, Book of Knowledge, Chapter: What came regarding implementing the Sunnah #2676, and at Tirmidhi said ‘Hasan Saheeh’. Sunan Abu Dawud pg.691, Book of the Sunnah, Chapter: Adhering to the Sunnah, #4607. Sunan ibn Majah pg.20, Introduction, Chapter: Following the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs #42. Mustadrak al Haakim 1/95, and al Haakim said: ‘Saheeh and there is no defect in the narration, and Adh Dhahabi agreed with him’. And the narration is as they said-authentic.
Source: http://researchcenterforhadith.wordpres … ah-abbaas/
The beginning of Youtube video has a singing melody which is very unfortunate, this should be avoided.
Ahlul-Hadith 