Taqlid from the Perspective of Reason
In the previous chapter, the transmitted proofs for taqlid were reviewed, and it was shown that not only is there no valid recommendation for taqlid in the Qur'an and hadith, but it is severely and repeatedly prohibited and denounced. On the contrary, numerous verses and hadiths with very general and explicit expressions have declared tafaqquh and the acquisition of beneficial knowledge to be obligatory upon all Muslims (and what knowledge is more beneficial than that which determines people's fate in the hereafter)[1]. In this chapter, the rational arguments presented for taqlid will be examined. In this regard, the well-known claim is that the practice of rational people (sīrat al-'uqalā') permits taqlid, and this practice is based on several preliminary propositions: one is the necessity of referring to specialists, and another is the difficulty of knowing religious rulings. In what follows, these arguments will be answered.
Religion Differs from Other Specialized Sciences
Not Every Referral to a Specialist is Rational
Religion Cannot Be Divided Into Fundamentals and Derivations
Choosing the Most Learned is Impossible
God's Religion Is Not Difficult
Human Excellence Depends on Thinking
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As an example confirming that none of the transmitted proofs are valid, Mr. Shahidipur, in his advanced seminar on usul al-fiqh, states: "The conclusion of the discussions mentioned regarding the narrations is that there is not even a single narration with complete chain and indication that has absoluteness regarding the permissibility of taqlid. Rather, the very basis of the permissibility of taqlid cannot be derived from these narrations. Our only proof for the permissibility of taqlid is the practice of the religious community (sīrat al-mutasharri'a) and the prerequisites of the argument of blockage (muqaddimāt al-insidād)." View source ↩︎