The Status of Taqlid in the Sacred Law

Question

What is the status of taqlid in the Sacred Law? Further, if taqlid is necessary, why is personal taqlid (the taqlid of one imam) considered necessary? If in one issue one imam is followed and in another some other imam — that is, an unspecified imam is followed — what harm is there in that? Why do the ulama forbid it, when the way of all four imams is accepted as correct?

Answer

[ar]أَمَّا بَعْدُ[/ar] To proceed. In its essence, the wellspring of guidance is the Holy Qur’an: [ar]هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ[/ar] “…a guidance for mankind” (Surah al-Baqara, 2:185). However, in it the basic principles and issues are, as a rule, laid down as general rules, while the exposition of the details and the branches (furu‘)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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