taqlid

Taqlid or taqleed (Arabic تَقْليد taqlīd) is a doctrine in Islamic theology referring to the acceptance of a religious ruling in matters of worship and personal affairs from someone regarded as a higher religious authority (e.g. an 'ālim) without necessarily asking for the technical proof. Most often, this refers to the adherence to one of the four classical Sunni schools of fiqh, or jurisprudence (see madhhab).

In Arabic, taqlīd is a verbal noun based on the verb qallada, which literally means 'to place something (e.g. a necklace or medal) around the neck'. The person who performs the action is called a muqallid. By extension, it means 'to award or confer an honor or authority' to someone.

Overview

Sheikh Shaamee Hanafi said: “Taqleed is to take the statement of someone without knowing the evidence.”^[1]

Sheikh ibn Humaam Hanafi said: “Taqleed is to act upon the statement of someone whose statement does not contain any evidence, rather it is without evidence.”^[2]

Taqlid is considered by some to be an easy option in the context of Islamic fiqh, or law. Taqlid in Islam refers to accepting and following the verdicts of scholars of fiqh in their exposition and interpretation of Islamic law, without demanding from them an in-depth explanation of the processes (ijtihad) required to arrive at such a verdict. It implies that the duty of ordinary Muslims is to trustingly accept the authority of scholars in this matter and act upon their verdicts.

References

Prose contains specific citations in source text which may be viewed in edit mode.

See also

• Marja al-taqlid
• Salafism

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