Imam Shah Waliullah on madhabs

Brothers, I have read your understanding and that of many ulema who very strongly hold to taqleed of a specific madhab. Yet, the book by Imam Shah Waliullah (Insaaf Fi Bayan Sabab Al Ikhtiklaaf) states very clearly how a layman is not obliged or required to follow a specific madhab. It has quotations from ulmea of the likes of Imam Nawawi and Ibn Salah who clearly state when it is allowed to follow a different madhab, The book does not even mention the concept of talfeeq. Imam Shah Waliullah also (based partly on the saying of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal) states how wrong it is to say that the prayer of a follower is only valid if the prayer of the Imam is valid according to the madhab of the follower. With the numerous quotations from various ulema found in the book, why is this not accepted or even mentioned? I understand the danger in interpreting the quran by someone not knowledgable enough to do so, but at the same time, is it also not correct to accept the differences between the mujtahideen and for a lay man (like myself who has only learnt how difficult it is to critisize by far most understandings of the mujtahideen) to ask any of the knowledgable or mujtahideen? Are taking the easy way out and interpreting the Quran by people not qualified are the only issues that have caused the emergence of taqleed?

Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits. May Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.

It is important to understand a few concepts:

(1) We don''t follow individual scholars, but rather the scholarly methodology of Sunni scholarship.

(2) Shah Waliullah went through phases in life. His work al-Insaf is earlier than other writings (such as `Iqd al-Jeed) that are much closer to the mainstream majority understanding on matters of following qualified scholarship in certain critical issues.

(3) The position of the majority of Islamic scholarship is that the responsibility of one morally responsible is to follow a sound position of a true mujtahid imam for each of their actions. It is not specifically obligatory to stick to one madhhab for all one''s actions--as long as one doesn''t merely follow one''s whims or engage in mixing between the positions of mujtahids in a way not valid according to either (talfiq--because this entails non-fulfillment of the Divine Command to follow one of the scholars of understanding).

If you search the SunniPath QA (http://qa.sunnipath.com) for: following another madhhab, you''ll find a number of answers related to this, as well as an explanation of the Indian scholars'' stating otherwise.

(4) Taqlid--following qualified scholarship--is a duty according to the consensus (ijma`) of Islamic scholarship. Shah Waliullah didn''t argue against it in al-Insaf, by any means.

We have to distinguish between (a) the agreed-upon obligation of following qualified scholarship (taqlid), and (b) the position of many classical scholars and most Indian ulema that it is personally obligatory to follow one madhhab in all one''s affairs (taqlid shakhsi), except when there is genuine hardship.

[See: Related QA, top right]

And Allah alone gives success.

Faraz Rabbani