Ma'anar taqlīd a harshe da kuma a fagen shari'a ita ce duk wanda ya bi wani a cikin wani al'amari to shi muqallidi ne, don haka abin da ake magana a kansa shi ne 'bin wasu'. Saboda haka, dangane da ilimin hukunce-hukuncen Shari'ah, akwai mutane iri biyu: na farko shi ne mujtahidi, na biyu kuma shi ne muqallidi, babu na uku. Domin hakikanin al'amarin mutum shi ne ko dai ya karɓi abin da ya kai ga cimma da kansa ta hanyar Ijtihādinsa, ko kuma abin da wani ya kai ga cimma ta hanyar Ijtihādi. Lamarin yana iyaka ne ga waɗannan hanyoyi guda biyu. Saboda haka, duk wanda ba mujtahidi ba ne to muqallidi ne, ko da wane irin nau'i ne. Matsalar taqlīd ita ce karɓar hukunci daga wasu, ko wanda ya karɓa mujtahidi ne ko ba mujtahidi ba. Ana halatta wa mujtahidi ya yi koyi da sauran mujtahidai a wani al'amari guda ɗaya, koda kuwa shi da kansa yana da cancantar yin Ijtihādi. A irin wannan yanayi, zai zama muqallidi a wannan al'amari. Don haka, a hukunci guda ɗaya mai yin koyi (muqallidi) zai iya zama mujtahidi ko kuma ba zai zama ba. Mutum ɗaya zai iya zama mujtahidi da kuma muqallidi a lokaci guda. Mujtahidi idan ya kai ga samun cikakkiyar cancantar yin Ijtihādi a ɗaya daga cikin al'amura, idan ya yi Ijtihādi a kansa kuma Ijtihādinsa ya kai shi ga hukunci, to ba a halatta masa ya yi koyi da sauran mujtahidai a al'amarin da ya saɓa wa abin da Ijtihādinsa ya kai shi gare shi ba. Ba a halatta masa ya bar ra'ayinsa a cikin wannan al'amari ba sai a cikin hanyoyi huɗu:

The definition of Taqlīd, linguistically and legally, indicates that anyone who follows others in a matter will be a muqallid, so the subject matter is ‘following others’. Therefore, there are two types of people with respect to the knowledge of the Sharī’ah rules: The first is the mujtahid and the second is the muqallid and there is no third. Since, the reality of the man is that he either adopts what he has arrived at himself by his Ijtihād or what someone else has arrived at by Ijtihād. The issue is limited to these two cases. Therefore, anyone who is not a mujtahid is a muqallid of whatever category. The issue in Taqlīd is the adoption of the rule from others irrespective of whether the one who adopted is a mujtahid or not a mujtahid. It is allowed for the mujtahid to imitate other Mujtahiddin in a single matter even if he himself was qualified to do Ijtihād. Then, he will be considered a muqallid in this issue. Thus, in a single hukm the imitator (muqallid) may or may not be a mujtahid. The same person may be a mujtahid and he may be a muqallid at the same time.The mujtahid when he comes to obtain a complete competence for Ijtihād in one of the issues, if he performs Ijtihād on it and his Ijtihād leads him to the hukm, he is not allowed to imitate other mujtahiddin in a matter contrary to what his Ijtihād has led him to. It is not allowed for him to leave his opinion in this matter except in four cases:

Na farko: Idan ya bayyana cewa hujjar da ya dogara da ita a cikin ijtihadinsa tana da rauni (da'if), kuma hujjar wani mujtahidi ta fi karfi fiye da hujjar da ya yi amfani da ita, to wajibi ne a gare shi ya bar hukuncin da ijtihadinsa ya kai shi gare shi, ya karbi hukuncin da hujjarsa ta fi karfi. Haramun ne a gare shi ya ci gaba da hukuncin farko da ijtihadinsa ya kai shi. Kuma ba a hana shi karbar sabon hukuncin ba saboda sabon mujtahidin shi kadai ne ya rike wannan ra'ayi, ko kuma saboda babu wani da ya riga ya rike wannan hukunci. Hakan yana sabawa taqwa (tsoron Allah), domin abin da ake dubawa shi ne karfin hujja, ba adadin mutanen da suka rike ta ba ko tsufan zamaninsu. Sau nawa aka samu ijtihadin Sahabbai wanda kuskurensa ya bayyana daga baya ga Tabi'ai ko Tabi'u-tabi'ai! Idan raunin hujjar mujtahidi da karfin hujjar wani ya bayyana ta hanyar tarjihi (tarjih), ba tare da duba dukkan hujjoji da yadda ake fitar da hukunci daga gare su ba, to a irin wannan hali zai zama muqallidi, domin ya karbi ra'ayin wani ta hanyar tarjihi. Misalinsa kamar muqallidin da ya fuskanci hukunce-hukunce biyu, sai ya ba daya daga cikinsu fifiko bisa wani dalili na shari'a (murajjih shar'i). Amma idan raunin hujjarsa da karfin hujjar wani ya bayyana ta hanyar bincike (muhakama) da bin hujjoji da fitar da hukunci (istinbat), kuma ta haka ya kai ga ra'ayin wani mutum, to a wannan yanayi ba muqallidi ba ne, mujtahidi ne wanda kuskuren ijtihadinsa na farko ya bayyana masa. Saboda haka yakan janye daga gare shi zuwa wani ra'ayi da kansa ya fitar, kamar yadda ya faru da al-Shafi'i a wasu masa'loli.

First: When it appears that the evidence on which he relied in his Ijtihād is weak (da’if) and the evidence of another mujtahid is stronger than the evidence he used. In such a case he is obliged to leave the rule to which his Ijtihād had led to and adopt the rule which is evidentially stronger. It is forbidden for him to continue on the first rule which he had reached by his Ijtihād. He should not be prevented from adopting the new rule simply because the new mujtahid was the only one to hold such an opinion or because this rule has not been espoused by anyone before. That goes against taqwa (the fear of Allah ), because what matters is the strength of the evidence and not the number of people that have held it or how ancient they are. How many an Ijtihād of the Sahabah  there were whose error later became apparent to the Tabi’een or Tabi’-Tabi’een. When the weakness of the mujtahid’s evidence, and the strength of someone else’s evidence becomes apparent through outweighing (tarjeeh), without considering all of the evidences and the inference from them, then in such a situation, he will be considered a muqallid, because he has adopted the opinion of someone else by outweighing (tarjeeh). His example is that of the muqallid who is confronted with two rules, so he gave preponderance to one of them according to a Sharī’ah qualification (murajjih Shar’i). If the weakness of his evidence and the strength of someone else’s evidence becomes apparent through judgement (muhakama) and pursuance of evidences and inference (istinbat) and through this he arrives at an opinion which is the opinion of another person. In that case he is not a muqallid but a mujtahid to whom the incorrectness of the initial Ijtihād became apparent. So he retracts from it to another opinion which he has deduced himself as happened with al-Shafi’i in a number of cases.

Na biyu: Idan ya bayyana ga mujtahidi cewa wani mujtahidi yana da ƙarfin fahimta da hasashe mafi girma, ko yana da masaniya mafi kyau game da hakikanin lamarin, ko kuma fahimtarsa ga dalilan shari'a ta fi ƙarfi, ko kuma ya fi sanin hujjojin nassi (adilla sam'iyya) da sauransu. Kuma ya zama a bayyane gare shi cewa wannan mujtahidin ya fi kusa da gaskiya wajen fahimtar wata matsala ko wasu matsaloli kamar yadda suke, to a wannan hali yana halatta gare shi ya bar hukuncin da ya kai ga ta hanyar ijtihadinsa, ya bi ijtihadin wannan mujtahidin wanda ya fi yarda da shi fiye da nasa. An ruwaito da ingantaccen isnadi daga al-Sha'abi cewa Abu Musa yana barin ra'ayinsa saboda ra'ayin Ali. Haka kuma Zaid yana barin ra'ayinsa saboda ra'ayin Ubayy ibn Ka'b, kuma Abdullah ibn Mas'ud yana barin ra'ayinsa saboda ra'ayin Umar. An kuma ruwaito labarai game da Abu Bakr da Umar cewa suna barin ra'ayinsu saboda ra'ayin Ali. Wannan yana nuna cewa mujtahidi yana iya janyewa daga ra'ayinsa zuwa ra'ayin wani saboda amincewarsa ga ijtihadin wancan mujtahidin. Sai dai wannan izini ne ga mujtahidi, ba wajibi ba ne.

Second: When it appears to a mujtahid that another mujtahid has a greater capacity to link or has better awareness of the reality, or stronger comprehension of the evidences or is more acquainted with the textual evidences (adilla sam’iyya) etc. And it becomes preponderate to him that the other mujtahid is closer to the truth in understanding a specific issue or issues as they are. It is allowed for him in this case to leave the rule he has reached through his Ijtihād and follow the other mujtahid in whose Ijtihād he has more confidence than his own. It has been correctly reported on the authority of al-Sha’bi that Abu Musa used to leave his opinion for the opinion of ‘Ali. And that Zayd used to leave his opinion for Ubay ibn Ka’b’s opinion, and that Abdullah Ibn Masud used to leave his opinion for the opinion of ‘Umar. Incidents have been reported about Abu Bakr and ‘Umar that they used to leave their opinion for the opinion of ‘Ali. This indicates the retraction of a mujtahid from his opinion for the opinion of someone else based on his trust in the Ijtihād of the other mujtahid. However, this is a permission for the mujtahid and not obligatory.

Na uku: Idan Khalifah ya karɓi wata hukunci wadda ta saɓa wa hukuncin da ya isa gare shi ta hanyar Ijtihādinsa, to a wannan yanayi yana wajaba ya bar hukuncin da ya kai ta hanyar Ijtihādinsa, ya karɓi hukuncin da shugaba (imam) ya karɓa, kuma wannan saboda Ijma'in Sahabbai ya tabbata cewa

Third: If the Khalifah adopts a rule which conflicts with the rule arrived through his Ijtihād. In such an event he is obliged to leave the rule arrived at by his Ijtihād and take the rule which the imam (leader) has adopted and this is because the Ijma’ of the Sahabah has been concluded that

kuma cewa hukuncinsa dole ne a aiwatar da shi a kan dukkan Musulmai.

and that his decree is to be implemented on all Muslims.

Na huɗu: Idan akwai wata magana da ake nufin ta haɗa kan Musulmi, domin amfanin Musulmi, to a irin wannan hali an halatta wa mujtahidi ya bar abin da ya kai ga ta hanyar ijtihadinsa, kamar yadda ya faru da Uthman lokacin da aka ba shi bai'a. An ruwaito cewa Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf, bayan ya tuntubi mutane daban-daban da kuma a rukuni, tare da juna da kuma daban, a asirce da kuma a fili, sai ya tara mutane a Masallaci, ya hau mimbari ya yi addu'a mai tsawo. Sannan ya kira 'Ali ya kama hannunsa ya ce: Shin kana yi mini alkawari cewa za ka yi mulki bisa Littafin Allah da Sunnar Manzonsa ﷺ da ra'ayoyin da aka yi bayansa ta wurin Abu Bakr da 'Umar? 'Ali ya ce: Na yi maka alkawari bisa Littafin Allah da Sunnar Manzonsa ﷺ, amma zan yi ijtihadina. Sai ya saki hannunsa ya kira Uthman ya ce masa: Shin kana yi mini alkawari cewa za ka yi mulki bisa Littafin Allah da Sunnar Manzonsa ﷺ da ra'ayoyin da aka yi bayansa ta wurin Abu Bakr da 'Umar? Uthman ya ce: Na rantse da Allah, eh! Sai Abdur-Rahman ya ɗaga kansa zuwa rufin Masallaci, hannunsa na cikin hannun Uthman, ya ce sau uku: Ya Allah, ka ji kuma ka shaida! Sannan ya yi masa bai'a, mutane kuwa suka yi ta cunkoso a masallaci suna yi masa bai'a, har ya kai ga 'Ali ya yi ta tura kansa ta cikin mutane har ya yi wa Uthman bai'a. Don haka, Abdur-Rahman ya bukaci mujtahidi, wato 'Ali da Uthman, su bar ijtihadinsu su bi ijtihadin Abu Bakr da 'Umar a dukkan al'amura, ko sun yi ijtihadinsu a kansu suna da ra'ayin da ya saba da ra'ayin dukkansu ko ɗayansu, ko kuma ba su yi ijtihadi ba tukuna. Sahabbai sun amince da wannan, suka yi wa Uthman bai'a bisa wannan sharadi. Har 'Ali wanda ya ki barin ijtihadinsa, shi ma ya yi wa Uthman bai'a bisa wannan sharadi. Duk da haka, wannan halatta ce ga mujtahidi, ba wajibi ba, kamar yadda shaidar ita ce ƙin da Ali ya yi na barin ijtihadinsa saboda ijtihadin Abu Bakr da Umar. Babu wanda ya tsawatar masa a kan haka, wanda ke nuna cewa halatta ce, ba wajibi ba.

Fourth: If there is an opinion by which it is intended to unify the Muslims, for the good of the Muslims, in such a situation it is allowed for the mujtahid to leave what he reached by his Ijtihād, as happened with Uthman when he was given the bay’a. It has been reported that Abdur-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, after he had consulted the people individually and in groups, together and separately, secretly and openly, he gathered the people in the Mosque, ascended the pulpit and made a long supplication. He then called ‘Ali and took hold of his hand and said: Do you pledge to me that you will rule according to the Book of Allah  and the Sunnah of His Messenger  and the opinions held after him  by Abu Bakr And ‘Umar? Ali said: I pledge to you on the basis of the Book of Allah  and the Sunnah of His Messenger , but I will exercise my own Ijtihād. So he let go of his hand and called for ‘Uthman and said to him: Do you pledge to me that you will rule according to the Book of Allah  and the Sunnah of His Messenger  and the opinions held after him  by Abu Bakr And ‘Umar? ‘Uthman said: By Allah, Yes! So Abdur-Rahman raised his head towards the roof of the Mosque, his hand in Uthman’s hand, and said three times: O Allah , hear and bear witness! Then he gave him the pledge and the people thronged to the mosque to give bay’a to him making Ali having to push his way through the people until he gave his pledge to ‘Uthman. Thus, Abdur-Rahman demanded from a mujtahid, ‘Ali and ‘Uthman, to leave his Ijtihād and follow the Ijtihād of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar in all issues, whether he has exercised his own Ijtihād regarding them and has an opinion which contradicts the opinion of both or one of them, or he has not exercised Ijtihād yet. The Sahabah  concurred with this and they gave bay’a to ‘Uthman on that basis. Even ‘Ali who refused to leave his Ijtihād, gave bay’a to ‘Uthman on that basis. However, this is permitted for the mujtahid and not obligatory, as evidenced by ‘Ali’s refusal to leave his Ijtihād for the Ijtihād of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. No one rebuked him for that, which indicates that it is permitted and not obligatory.

An kuma ingantacciyar riwaya ta zo game da ‘Umar cewa, a duk lokacin da ya tsinci kansa cikin rashin sanin abin da ya dace a hukunta lokacin da wasu mutane biyu masu jayayya suka zo gare shi, yana duba ko Abu Bakr yana da hukunci game da al’amarin. Idan ya tabbatar da cewa Abu Bakr ya yanke hukunci a kan wannan al’amari, sai ya yanke hukunci iri ɗaya. Haka kuma an ruwaito da inganci daga Ibn Mas’ud cewa yana karɓar ra’ayin ‘Umar. Wannan abu yana faruwa a gaban idanu da kunnuwan Sahabbai a lokuta da dama, kuma babu wanda ya ki amincewa. Saboda haka ya zama ijma’i na shiru (ijma’ sukuti).

It has also been correctly reported about ‘Umar that when he found himself completely at a loss to find in the Qur’ān and Sunnah what was needed when two disputing parties come to him, that he would see if Abu Bakr had a decision in the matter. If he found that Abu Bakr had passed a certain judgement on the issue he would pass the same judgement. It has been authentically reported about Ibn Mas’ud  that he used to adopt the opinion of ‘Umar . That used to take place before the eyes and ears of the Sahabah  in numerous incidents and no one objected. Thus, it became a tacit ijma’ (ijma’ sukuti).

Wannan shi ne hakikanin aikin mujtahid na Taqlidi. Amma game da Taqlidin wanda ba mujtahid ba, ko malami ne ko kuma mutum na gari (‘aammi), idan ya fuskanci wata matsala, ba a yarda ya yi wani abu ba face ya tambaya game da ita, domin Allah bai bautar da halitta ta hanyar jahilci ba, a maimakon haka, ya bautar da su ta hanyar ilimi. Ya ce:

This is the reality of the mujtahid’s practise of Taqlīd. As for the Taqlīd of the non-mujtahid whether he is a learned person or a layman (‘aammi), when he faces an issue, he is not permitted to do anything other than ask about it because Allah  did not enslave (make them to worship him) the creation through ignorance, rather, He  enslaved them (made them worship him) through knowledge. He  said:

Watau, Allah yana koya muku abin da ya dace, don haka ku ji tsoronsa. Saboda haka ilimi yana zuwa kafin taqwa (tsoron Allah), tunda umarnin ji tsoron Allah yana biyo bayan samun ilimi cikin tsari na dabi'a. Wannan yana nufin cewa ana samun ilimi kafin shiga aiki. Kamar yadda Ya ce:

i.e, Allah  teaches you whatever the case may be, so fear Him . So the knowledge comes before the taqwa (fear of Allah), since the order to fear Allah  follows from the acquisition of knowledge in a natural order. This means that knowledge is acquired before involvement in the action. Just as when He  said:

Yana zuwa a zuciya tambaya: menene taqwa? Allah ya ce: {Kuma Allah yana koya muku, kuma Allah ya masani da kowane abu} (Al-Baqara: 282)? Saboda haka, ilimi yana gabanin aiki. Don haka, wajibi ne ga Musulmi ya koyi hukunce-hukuncen Allah wadanda suke da muhimmanci ga aiki kafin ya yi aiki, tun da ba zai yiwu ya yi aiki da su ba tare da ilimi. Kuma wannan ilimin hukunce-hukunce yana bukatar mutane su tambaya game da su domin su karbi hukunce-hukuncen su yi aiki da su. Kuma ta hanyar wannan ilimi, zai bi wannan hukunci. Ya ce:

it comes to the mind the question, what is taqwa? Thus, He  said: And Allah  teaches you so fear Him . Therefore, knowledge must come before action. Thus, it is fard on the Muslim to learn the rules of Allah  which are necessary for action before he acts, since it is not possible for him to act upon it without knowledge. And this knowledge of the rules requires people to ask about them in order to adopt the rules and act upon them. And through this knowledge, he will follow that rule. He  said:

Wannan umarni ne gaba ɗaya ga dukkan mukhatabai. Kuma Ya ce a cikin hadīth game da mutumin da aka fasa wa kwanya:

It is a general instruction to all the addressees (mukhatabin). And He  said in the hadīth about the person whose skull was fractured:

Wannan umarni ya ci gaba da kasancewa a zamanin Sahabbai gabaki ɗaya, inda ake tambayar mujtahidai don neman hukunce-hukuncen shari'a, kuma ana bin su a dokokin Shari'ah. Suna amsa tambayoyi ba tare da ambaton dalili ba, kuma babu wanda ya hana su yin hakan. Duk wannan ya faru ba tare da wata adawa daga kowa ba. Saboda haka ya zama ijma'i. Musulmi sun saba yin haka sosai a zamanin Tabi'ai da Tabi'ut-tabi'ina, kuma an ruwaito dubban abubuwan da suka faru a kan hakan.

This instruction continued to be general during the time of the Sahabah, where the mujtahidun used to be asked for legal opinions and be followed in the Sharī’ah rules. They would undertake the answering of questions without mentioning the evidence, and no one forbade them from doing that. All of this took place without any objection from anyone. Thus it was an ijma’. It was commonly practised by the Muslims also in the time of the Tabi’een and tabi-Tabi’een, and thousands of incidents have been reported to that effect.

Kamar yadda yake halatta ga malami ko talaka su bi wasu a hukuncin Shari'a, haka nan yana halatta a tambayi wasu, haka kuma yana halatta a gare shi ya koyar da wannan hukuncin Shari'a ga wasu kamar yadda ya fahimce shi, idan ya tabbata cewa ya fahimce shi daidai, kuma ya karɓi wannan hukuncin Shari'a domin ya yi aiki da shi da kansa, watau ya tabbata cewa hukunci ne na Shari'a. Amma idan bai amince da wannan hukunci ba saboda rashin tabbaci game da ingancin dalili, ko rashin amincewa da addinin wanda ya koyar da shi, to ba halal ba ne ya koyar da shi ga wasu domin ya yi aiki da shi. Idan kuma dole ne ya faɗa, to ya faɗi abin da ya sani game da shi (hukuncin). Halatta ne ga wanda ya koyi hukunci ya koyar da shi ga wasu, domin duk wanda yake da ilimi ko da na mas'ala guda ɗaya, ana ɗaukarsa mai ilimi a kan wannan mas'ala, idan yana da amincewa da iliminsa game da hukuncin da kuma gaskiyar abin da ya faɗa game da mas'alar. Ɓoye ilimi haramun ne. Ya ce:

Just as it is allowed for the learned person or layman to follow others in the Sharī’ah rule i.e, it is permitted to ask others, In a similar way, it is permitted for him to teach this Sharī’ah rule to others as he understands it, when he is sure that he has understood it correctly, and he has adopted this Sharī’ah rule to act upon it himself i.e, he is sure that it is a Sharī’ah rule. As for if he does not trust this rule due to his lack of confidence in the authenticity of the evidence or lack of trust in the character (deen) of the one who has taught it to him then it is not allowed for him to teach it to others in order to act upon it. If he has to say it, he should say what he knows about it (rule). It is permitted for the one who learns a rule to teach it to others because anyone who has knowledge even of a single issue he is considered to be knowledgeable about that issue, when he has trust in his knowledge of the rule and in the truthfulness of what he has said about the issue. The concealment of knowledge is forbidden. He  said:

Wannan yana da amfani gaba ɗaya, kuma yana shafar ilimin mas'ala ɗaya ko mas'aloli da yawa.

This is general and applicable to knowledge of a single or many issues.

Amma mai koyo (muta’allim) ba a ɗaukar shi a matsayin mai bin mazhaba (muqallid) na wanda ya koya masa hukuncin. Maimakon haka, shi muqallid ne na mujtahid wanda ya fitar da hukuncin Shari'a. Koyon wannan hukunci ana ɗaukarsa koyo kawai. Domin ana iya yin Taqlīd ne ga mujtahid kawai, ba ga wanda yake da sanin hukunci kawai ba. Duk yawan ilimin da wanda ba mujtahid ba ya samu, ba a halatta a yi masa Taqlīd a matsayinsa na malami ba, domin ana halatta koyo daga gare shi ne kawai, ba yin Taqlīd a gare shi ba.

However, the learned person (muta’allim) is not considered to be a follower (muqallid) of the one who has taught him the rule. Rather he is the muqallid of the mujtahid who has deduced the Sharī’ah rule. And the learning of this rule is considered only as learning. Since Taqlīd can only be made to a mujtahid and not to someone who only has the knowledge of a rule. However much a non-mujtahid attains in terms of knowledge, it is not permitted to make Taqlīd to him in his capacity as learned person, because it is only permitted to learn from him, not make Taqlīd to him.

Muqallid ba shi da zaɓi idan an samu sabani a ra'ayi, misali idan mujtahidai suka sabawa juna a ra'ayoyi biyu. Don haka ra'ayoyin biyu sun isa ga muqallid, watau hukuncin Allah ya isa ga muqallid a matsayin ra'ayoyi biyu. Wasu mutane suna ganin cewa ra'ayoyi biyu dangane da muqallid kamar ra'ayi ɗaya ne. Suna ganin yana da 'yancin zaɓa tsakanin su, sai ya bi son zuciyarsa da muradinsa da duk abin da ya dace da manufarsa, ba ra'ayin da ya saɓa mata ba. Amma al'amarin ba haka yake ba, domin an umurci Musulmi ya karɓi hukmu Shar'i. Hukmu Shar'i maganar Mai Shari'a ce, kuma maganar guda ɗaya ce, ba zai yiwu ta zama fiye da ɗaya ba. Idan an samu fahimtar maganar fiye da ɗaya, to kowace fahimta tana zama hukuncin Shari'a ga wanda ya fahimce ta da wanda yake yin taqlidi gare shi. Duk abin da ya wuce haka, ba a ɗaukarsa a matsayin hukmu Shar'i a gare shi. To ta yaya zai yiwu a gare shi ya karɓi ra'ayoyi biyu mabanbanta? Idan muqallid ya sami ra'ayoyi biyu daga mujtahidai waɗanda suka saɓa wa juna, to kowane mujtahid yana bin dalili wanda yake buƙatar akasin abin da dalilin ɗayan mujtahid yake buƙata. Suna da dalilai biyu masu karo da juna. Bin ɗaya daga cikinsu bisa ga son zuciya ba komai ba ne face bin son zuciya da muradi, kuma wannan haramun ne. Ya ce:

The muqallid is not given a choice when a difference of opinion arises, when for instance the mujtahiddin differ on two opinions. So the different opinions reached the muqallid, i.e, the divine rule reached the muqallid as two opinions. Some people think that the two opinions with respect to a muqallid is tantamount to one opinion. They think he has the right to choose between them, so he follows his whims and desires and whatever serves his purpose and not the opinion that goes against it. However, the situation is not like that, since the Muslim is ordered to adopt the hukm Shari’. The hukm Shar’i is the speech of the Legislator and there is only one speech, there cannot be more than one. When there is more than one understanding of the speech then each understanding constitutes a Sharī’ah rule with respect to the one who understands it and the one who makes Taqlīd to him. Anything other than that is not considered a hukm Shar’i with respect to him. So how is it possible then for him to adopt two different opinions? When a muqallid finds two opinions from the mujtahiddin which conflict with each other, then each mujtahid is a follower of an evidence which demands the opposite of what the evidence of the other mujtahid demands. They possess two conflicting evidences. Following one of them according to one’s whims is nothing short of following one’s whims and desires and this is forbidden. He  said:

Saboda haka, mai taqlidi ba shi da wani zaɓi face ya yi taqlidi. Mujtahidai biyu dangane da talaka (’ammi) suna kama da dalilai biyu dangane da mujtahid. Kamar yadda wajibi ne ga mujtahid ya fifita dalilai biyu masu karo da juna, haka ma wajibi ne ga mai taqlidi ya fifita hukunce-hukunce biyu masu karo da juna. Idan sha’awa da son rai za su yi hukunci a cikin irin wannan al’amari, to da an halatta hakan ga alkali, kuma wannan haramun ne bisa ijma’in Sahabbai. Haka kuma, a cikin al’amuran Alkur’ani akwai ƙa’ida gabaɗaya da ta haramta bin sha’awa da son rai gaba ɗaya, kamar faɗinSa:

Thus, the muqallid has no option but to make Taqlīd. Two mujtahids with respect to the layman (‘ammi) are like two evidences with respect to the mujtahid. Just as it is obliged on the Mujtahid to outweigh two conflicting evidences, likewise it is incumbent on the muqallid to outweigh two contradictory rules. If whims and motives were allowed to arbitrate in something like this then it would have been allowed for the judge and this is invalid according to the ijma’ of the Sahabah. Also, in the issues of the Qur’ān there is a general rule which altogether disallows the following of the whims and desires, as in His  saying:

Lokacin da mujtahidai biyu suka sabawa juna, dole ne muqallid ya mayar da al'amarin zuwa ga Allah da Manzonsa, wanda ake yi ta hanyar mayar da shi zuwa ga wani mafi rinjaye wanda, ga muqallid, Allah da Manzonsa sun yarda da shi, kamar yadda mujtahid yake komawa ga Littafin Allah da Sunnar Manzonsa. Kuma komawa ga abin da Allah da Manzonsa suka yarda da shi yana nesa da bin son rai da sha'awa. Dole ne muqallid ya zaɓi ɗaya daga cikin ra'ayoyin biyu, kuma wannan zaɓi dole ne ya dogara ne akan mafi rinjaye wanda Allah da Manzonsa suka yarda da shi. Ba zai yiwu muqallid ya aiki da ra'ayoyin biyu ba, tun da sun saɓa wa juna. Zaɓensa na ɗaya daga cikin mazhabobin biyu ko ɗaya daga cikin hukunce-hukunce biyu daban-daban ba tare da mafi rinjaye ba, zabi ne da ke bisa son rai da sha'awa. Hakan ya saɓa wa komawa zuwa ga Allah da Manzon ﷺ. Mafi rinjaye (murajjahat) da muqallid ke fifita mujtahid ɗaya a kan wani, ko hukunci ɗaya a kan hukunce-hukunce da yawa, mafi farko kuma mafi muhimmanci daga cikinsu shi ne batun mafi kyawun ilimi da fahimta. An ruwaito a cikin hadisin Ibn Mas'ud cewa shi ﷺ ya ce:

When two mujtahids differ, the muqallid must refer it (the issue) to Allah  and the Messenger  which is done by referring it to a preponderant which, for the muqallid, Allah  and the Messenger  are pleased with, in a similar way as the mujtahid returns to the Book of Allah  and the Sunnah of His Messenger . And returning to what Allah  and His Messenger  are pleased with is far from following one’s whims and desires. The muqallid must choose one of the two opinions and this choice must be based on the preponderant which Allah  and His Messenger  are pleased with. It is not possible for the muqallid to act upon both opinions since they conflict. And his choice of one of the two mazhabs or one of the two different rules without a preponderant is a choice based on whims and desires. It is contrary to returning to Allah  and the Messenger . The preponderants (murajjahat) by which the muqallid prefers a mujtahid over another, or one rule over many other rules, the first and foremost of them are: the question of best knowledge and understanding. It is narrated in the hadīth of Ibn Mas’ud that he  said:

Saboda haka, muqallid yana da bukatar fifiko ga abin da ya sani game da ilimin mujtahid da amincinsa, domin amincin mai shaida sharadi ne a karɓar shaidarsa. Isar da hukuncin Shar'i ta hanyar koyarwa shaida ce cewa wannan hukuncin Shar'i ne, saboda haka, domin karɓar hukuncin, amincin malamin da ya koyar da shi yana da muhimmanci. Don haka amincin wanda ya fitar da hukuncin ya fi kasancewa wajibi bisa dalili mafi girma. Adalci (amana) sharadi ne wanda dole ne mutumin da ake ɗaukar hukuncin Shar'i daga gare shi ya cika shi, ko shi mujtahid ne ko malamin koyarwa. Wannan abu ne tabbatacce. Amma ilimi shi ne abin da ake fifitawa. Duk wanda ya yi imani cewa Shafi'i ya fi sani kuma mazhabarsa ta fi kusa da gaskiya, to ba shi da hakkin ya karɓi mazhaba bisa son ransa da sha'awarsa wanda ya saɓa mata. Kuma duk wanda ya yi imani cewa Ja'far al-Sadiq ya fi sani kuma mazhabarsa ta fi kusa da gaskiya, to ba shi da hakkin ya saɓa mata bisa son zuciyarsa. Maimakon haka, wajibi ne a kansa ya karɓi abin da ya saɓa wa mazhabarsa idan ra'ayin da ya fi karfi ya bayyana bayan an auna dalili. Fifita (tarjeeh) wajibi ne, kuma wannan fifiko bai kamata ya dogara da son zuciya da sha'awa ba, wannan ma wajibi ne. Muqallid ba shi da hakkin ya zaɓi daga cikin masaloli na mazhabobi wadanda suka fi masa dadi. Maimakon haka, irin wannan fifiko kamar fifita dalilai biyu masu karo da juna ne ga mujtahid. Domin yin tarjeeh yana dogara ne ga sahihancin bayanin da ke zuwa tare da qara'in (alamu). Wannan shi ne idan fifiko ya kasance domin karɓar mazhaba gaba ɗaya, ba ga kowane hukunci guda ɗaya ba.

Therefore, the muqallid outweighs what he knows of the mujtahid’s knowledge and trustworthiness because trustworthiness is a condition in accepting the testimony of a witness. Conveying a hukm Shar’i through teaching is a testification that this is a hukm Shar’i therefore, for accepting the rule, the integrity of the teacher who teaches it is essential. So the integrity of the one who deduces it is by greater reason. So the a‘adala (integrity) is a condition which the person from whom we take the hukm Shar’i must qualify, whether he is a mujtahid or a teacher. It is definite. As for knowledge it is the preponderant. Whoever believes that Shafi’i was more knowledgeable and his mazhab is more likely to be correct, then he does not have the right to adopt a mazhab according to his whims and desires which contradicts it. And whoever believes that Ja’far al-sadiq is more knowledgeable and his mazhab is more likely to be correct, then he does not have the right to go against it based on his whims. Rather it is obligatory upon him to adopt what conflicts with his mazhab when the preponderant opinion becomes apparent after outweighing the evidence. Tarjeeh (outweighing) is necessary and this outweighing should not be based on whims and desires is also necessary. The muqallid does not have the right to pick and choose from the mazhabs issues which are more agreeable to him. Rather this type of outweighing is like the outweighing of two conflicting evidences for the mujtahid. To perform tarjeeh (outweighing) he relies on the veracity of the information which comes with the qara’in (indications). This is the case when outweighing for adopting in total (i.e a mazhab), not for every single rule.