Taqleed (mengikut secara membuta tuli) perlu dibezakan daripada Ittibaa' (mengikut dengan berasaskan akal). Prinsip mengikut hukum-hakam generasi terdahulu adalah perkara yang biasa dan semula jadi. Malah, dengan mengikut dengan teliti tafsiran-tafsiran awal terhadap Islam, mesej Islam kekal tidak tercemar merentasi zaman. Ini kerana tafsiran-tafsiran awal itu berasaskan ilham ilahi Nabi ﷺ dan cara hidup baginda yang dipandu oleh ilahi. Nabi ﷺ sendiri bersabda bahawa generasi yang terbaik ialah generasi baginda, kemudian generasi selepas baginda, dan kemudian generasi selepas itu.187 Namun, oleh kerana Muslim generasi terdahulu, kecuali Nabi ﷺ, tidak maksum, tafsiran-tafsiran awal itu sekalipun tidak boleh diikuti secara membuta tuli tanpa mengambil kira prinsip-prinsip asas akal yang membolehkan kita membezakan antara yang benar dan yang salah. Dalam buku ini, istilah Taqleed (mengikut secara membuta tuli) digunakan merujuk kepada tindakan mereka yang mengikut secara hamba sahaya satu Madh-hab sahaja tanpa mengira kesilapan yang mereka lihat. Adapun orang awam yang tidak mempunyai ilmu untuk membuat keputusan secara bebas dalam keadaan yang samar, mereka hendaklah mengikut apa jua ilmu yang ada pada mereka, sentiasa berfikiran terbuka dan bergantung kepada ulama yang berfikiran terbuka sebanyak mungkin.
Taqleed (blind following) has to be distinguished from Ittibaa’ (reasoned following). The principle of following the rulings of our predecessors is normal and natural. In fact, it is by closely following earlier interpretations of Islaam that the message of Islaam remains uncorrupted through time. For, those early interpretations were founded on the Prophet’s (s.w.) divine inspiration and his divinely guided life style. The Prophet (s.w.) himself said that the best generation was his generation, then the generation following his, and then the generation following that.187 However, since Muslims of earlier generation, with the exeption of the Prophet (s.w.), were not infallible, even those earlier interpretations should not be followed blindly without without regard to certain basic principles of reason which enable us to distinguish between right and wrong. In this book the term Taqleed (blind following) is used to refer to the actions to those who slavishly follow a single Madh-hab regardless of errors that they see. As for the common people who do not have the knowledge to make independent decisions in doubtful situations, it is for them to follow whatever knowledge is available to them, keep their minds open and rely on open-minded scholars as much as possible.
Taqlid adalah hasil daripada sejumlah faktor, dalaman dan luaran kepada mazhab-mazhab, yang mempengaruhi perkembangan fiqh dan sikap para ulama. Tiada satu sebab pun boleh dipilih sebagai sebab utama, dan tidak semua faktor itu dapat dikenal pasti. Yang berikut hanyalah beberapa faktor yang lebih jelas yang membawa kepada peringkat kejumudan ini.
Taqleed was the result of a number of factors, internal and external to the Madh-habs, which affected the development of Fiqh and the attitude of scholars. No one cause can be singled out as the main cause nor can all of the factors be identified. The following only a few of the more obvious factors which led to this stage of stagnation.
1. Mazhab-mazhab fiqh telah terbentuk sepenuhnya dan perincian yang paling halus telah dirumuskan. Hukum bagi perkara yang telah berlaku, serta perkara yang mungkin berlaku, telah pun diistinbatkan dan dicatatkan kerana perkembangan fiqh spekulatif (fiqh taqdiri) yang meluas. Keadaan ini meninggalkan sedikit ruang untuk ijtihad dan keaslian. Akibatnya, pergantungan yang berlebihan kepada karya-karya ulama terdahulu bagi mazhab-mazhab pun berkembang.
1. The schools of Fiqh were completely formed and the minutest of details worked out. The laws for what had occurred, as well as what might occur, were already deduced and recorded due to the extensive development of speculative Fiqh. This left little room for Ijtihaad and originality. As a result, they’re developed and over dependence on the works of earlier scholars of the Madhhabs.
2. Khilafah 'Abbasiyah, yang berkuasa di bawah panji untuk mengembalikan syariat Islam ke kedudukannya yang dahulu, kehilangan kuasanya kepada menteri-menteri raja (wazir), kebanyakan daripada mereka adalah Syi'ah, dan empayar itu akhirnya berpecah kepada negeri-negeri kecil.
2. The ‘Abbaasid caliphate, which had come to power under the banner of restoring Islamic law to its former place , lost its power to the King’s ministers (wazeers), many of whom were shi’ites, and the empire eventually broke up into mini-stages.
Peraturan-peraturan yang diwakili secara tidak langsung itu lebih berminat kepada perebutan kuasa peribadi berbanding dengan ilmu keagamaan mahupun pemerintahan menurut hukum-hukum Islam.
The new rules-by-proxy were more interested in private power struggles than in either religious scholarship or government according to Islamic laws.
3. Keruntuhan empayar ‘Abbasiyyah kepada negara-negara kecil disertai dengan setiap negara mengikuti Madhhab, Sepanyol mengikuti Madhhab Maliki, dan Turki serta India mengikuti Hanafi. Setiap negara mula mengamalkan pemilihan gabenor, pentadbir dan hakim hanya dari kalangan mereka yang mengikuti Madhhab rasmi negara tersebut.
3. The crumbling of the ‘Abbaasid empire into mini-states was accompanied by each state following the Madh-hab, Spain the Maalikee Madh-hab, and Turkey and India the Hanafee. Each state began the practice of choosing its governors, administrators and judges only from those who followed its official Madh-hab.
Oleh itu, para ulama yang ingin menjadi Qaadi (hakim)
Consequently, scholars who wanted to become Qaadees (judges)
di mahkamah-mahkamah negeri-negeri ini perlu mengikuti mazhab rasmi negeri tersebut.
in the courts of these states had to follow the official Madh-hab of the state.
4. Sebahagian individu yang tidak layak mula mendakwa berhak berijtihad untuk memutarbelitkan agama bagi memenuhi kehendak nafsu mereka.
4. Some unqualified individuals began to claim the right to make ijtihaad in order to twist the religion to suit their wishes.
Akibatnya, ramai ulama yang tidak berkelayakan mula mengeluarkan hukum, lalu menyesatkan orang ramai dalam beberapa perkara. Dalam kekeliruan yang timbul itu, para ulama yang disegani pada zaman tersebut berusaha menutup pintu ijtihad bagi melindungi Syari'ah daripada dipesongkan.188
Consequently, many incompetent scholars began making rulings, which misguided the masses on a number of issues. In the ensuring confusion, the reputable scholars of the day tried to close the door of Ijtihaad in order to protect the Sharee’ah from being tampered with.188