Allah the exalted says: They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only one Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)!

(Surah Taubah, ayah 31)

In this ayah Allah declares that the Jews and Christians had taken the following people as their lords (Rab) besides Allah:

1.    Their rabbis and monks.

2.    Messiah son of Maryam (Alaihi salaam)

Their worship of Messiah is well known, but how did they take their rabbis and monks as their lords? This is explained in the following hadith:

Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said: They didn’t worship them but (the worship was in the sense) whatever they made halaal for them, they considered it halaal, whatever they made haraam for them, they considered it haraam.

(Tirmidhi Book of Tafseer-Surah Taubah, declared Hasan by Imam Tirmidhi, Tauheed ul Muslimeen pg. 272)

Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) explained that they have taken them as your lords by following their religious rulings blindly and disregarded the true shariah.

From the above it is evident that to accept anyone’s religious verdicts blindly is a form of shirk.

After reading this hadith, it is obligatory for us to ask proof from Quran and Sunnah for any religious verdict and take the time to examine it in order to save ourselves from the position described in the previously quoted hadith, we simply can’t take any scholars or Imam’s words as evidence in matters of shariah.

From the above ayah and hadith it is evident that there is no room for taqleed Shaksi in Islam. As taqleed shaksi invites towards following any particular Imam blindly without inquiring about the proof.

Further more the most dangerous aspect of taqleed shaksi is:

Abul Hassan Obaid Kharkhi writes that: All those hadiths which go against our Ashaab (fuqaha Hanafiya) will be considered abrogated or it will be considered that any such hadith is against another hadith, then other evidence or recommendation on the basis on which our ashaab cited as evidence will be brought forward or will try to remove the contradiction.

(Asool-e-Kharkhi Asal, pg 29)

The above mentioned fabricated principal is not for ahadith only but for Quran as well.

Abul Hassan Obaid Kharkhi also writes that: Any ayah which goes against our fuqaha will be considered abrogated or will be considered recommended, first of all meaning of the ayah will be changed so the contradiction is removed.

(Asool-e-Kharkhi Asal, pg 28)

We are not saying that a person can’t use any scholar or his books for understanding Islam, we are merely trying to point out that don’t follow any scholar or Imam blindly.

We encourage people to read the translation of Quran, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, as these books are the easiest source of Islam for a person in this time of trials, tribulations and sectarianism.

We are not against the famous four Imams, as the Imams themselves instructed the people to follow Quran and Sunnah only.

For example:

Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is not permitted for anyone to accept our views if they do not know from where we got them.

(Ibn Abideen in his Footnotes on Al-Bahr ar-Raa’iq 6/293, Talaash-e-Haq pg. 90 & Sifatu Salat-n-Nabi)

Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Do not follow my opinion; neither follow the opinion of Malik, nor Shafi, nor Awzaa’i, nor Sawri, but take from where they took.                                                                                    

(Fulaani pg. 113, Ibn al-Qayyim in I’laam 2/302, Talaash-e-Haq pg. 38 & Sifatu Salat-n-Nabi)

Imam Shafi (may Allah have mercy on him): The Muslims are unanimously agreed that if a sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) is made clear to someone, it is not permitted for him to leave it for the saying of anyone else.      

(Fulaani pg. 68, Ibn al-Qayyim 2/361 & Sifatu Salat-n-Nabi)

Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him): Truly I am only a mortal: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: all that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it.

(Fulaani pg. 72 & Sifatu Salat-n-Nabi)

We request everyone to ignore those rulings which have no evidence from Quran and Sunnah or that are contrary to them.