Kipindi hiki kinahusu takriban karne sita, kuanzia kuporwa kwa Baghdad mwaka 1258 WK na kuuawa kwa khalifa wa mwisho wa Waabbasi, al-Musta'sim, na kumalizika karibu na katikati ya karne ya kumi na tisa ya enzi ya Kikristo. Kipindi hiki pia kinawakilisha kuinuka kwa Dola ya Kiothmani, iliyoanzishwa mwaka 1299 WK na kiongozi wa Kituruki 'Uthmaan I, hadi kudhoofika kwake chini ya mashambulizi ya ukoloni wa Ulaya.

This stage covers approximately six centuries starting with the sacking of Baghdad in 1258 CE and the execution of the last ‘Abbaasid caliph, al-Musta’sim, and ending around the middle of the nineteenth century of the Christian era. This period also represents the rise of the Ottoman Empire, founded in 1299 CE by the Turkish leader ‘Uthmaan I, until its decline under the attacks of European colonialism.

Sifa kuu iliyotawala katika kipindi hiki ilikuwa ya Taqleed (kufuata kwa upofu madhehebu fulani) na mgawanyiko wa makundi. Mwelekeo huu wa kuporomoka ulisababisha kuachwa kwa aina zote za Ijtihaad, na madhehebu kubadilika kuwa taasisi zilizojitenga kabisa, zikifanana sana na madhehebu ya kidini. Uandishi wa Fiqh katika kipindi hiki ulikuwa mdogo katika kutoa maoni juu ya kazi zilizotangulia, na ulielekezwa katika kukuza madhehebu binafsi. Hivyo, nguvu ya kuendelea na kubadilika kwa Fiqh ilipotea, na sheria nyingi zikazidi kupitwa na wakati na kutofaa katika hali zao zilizokuwepo. Ili kujaza pengo hilo la kisheria, kanuni za sheria za Ulaya zilianzishwa polepole mahali pa baadhi ya sheria za Kiislamu, ambazo zilikuwa zimeachwa kutumika.

The prevailing characteristic of this period was that of Taqleed (the blind following of a Madh-hab) and factionalism. This degenerative trend resulted in the dropping of all forms of Ijtihaad and the evolution of the Madh-habs into totally separate entities closely resembling sects. The compilation of Fiqh during this period was limited to commenting on previous works and was directed toward the promotion of individual Madh-habs. Thus, the dynamism of Fiqh was lost and many of the laws became increasingly outmoded and inapplicable in their existing forms. In order to fill this legislative gap, European law codes were gradually introduced in place of some of the Islamic laws, which had fallen into disuse.

Hatimaye, kwa kuendelea kwa ukoloni wa Ulaya na kugawanyika kwa Dola ya Kiislamu, sheria za Ulaya zilichukua nafasi ya sheria ya Kiislamu. Baadhi ya wanamageuzi walijaribu kuzuia wimbi la kudumaa na kuporomoka, wakitoa wito wa kurudi kwenye usafi wa awali wa Uislamu na sheria zake. Hata hivyo, mifarakano imeendelea hadi leo, licha ya kuongezeka kwa mafunzo ya taasisi ya elimu linganishi ya Fiqh.

Eventually with the advance of European colonialism and the breaking up of the Muslim Empire, European laws supplanted Islamic law. Certain reformers sought to stem the tide of stagnation and decline, calling for a return to the original purity of Islaam and its laws. However, factionalism has continued to the present day, in spite of an increase in institutional teaching of comparative Fiqh.

Wanachuoni wa kipindi hiki waliacha aina zote za Ijtihaad, na kwa pamoja wakatoa hukumu ya kisheria iliyokusudiwa kufunga kabisa mlango wa Ijtihaad. Walitoa hoja kwamba masuala yote yanayowezekana tayari yalikuwa yameshaibuliwa na kujibiwa, hivyo hakukuwa na haja tena ya Ijtihaad.184 Kwa hatua hiyo, dhana mpya ya Madh-hab ikaibuka, yaani kwamba ilimpasa mtu kufuata mojawapo ya Madh-hab nne ili Uislamu wake uwe sahihi. Baada ya muda, dhana hii ikakita mizizi kwa nguvu miongoni mwa watu wa kawaida pamoja na wanachuoni wa Fiqh. Hivyo, dini ya Uislamu yenyewe ikawekewa mipaka ndani ya Madh-hab nne zilizokuwepo: Hanafee, Maalikee, Shaafi'ee na Hamblee. Madhehebu hayo ya kisheria yakaja kuchukuliwa kuwa ni udhihirisho wa Uislamu uliowekwa na Mwenyezi Mungu. Yote yalidhaniwa kuwa sahihi kikamilifu, sawa, na kuwakilisha Uislamu halisi, ingawa kulikuwa na tofauti nyingi zisizohesabika baina yake. Kwa hakika, katika kipindi hiki kulikuwa na wanachuoni waliotafsiri baadhi ya Hadithi kwa namna ya kujaribu kuthibitisha kwamba Mtume (s.a.w.) mwenyewe alitabiri kuja kwa Maimamu na Madh-hab zao. Kwa sababu hiyo, jaribio lolote la kuvuka Madh-hab hizi zilizokubalika lilihesabiwa kuwa ni uzushi, na mtu yeyote aliyekataa kufuata mojawapo ya Madh-hab hizi alitiwa katika kundi la waasi. Wanachuoni wenye msimamo mkali sana wa kipindi hiki walikwenda mbali zaidi hadi kutoa hukumu kwamba yeyote atakayekamatwa akihamia kutoka Madh-hab moja kwenda nyingine atastahili kuadhibiwa kwa uamuzi wa hakimu wa eneo hilo. Pia kulitolewa hukumu ndani ya Madh-hab ya Hanafee ikikataza Mhanafee kuoa Mshaafi'ee.185 Hata nguzo ya pili muhimu zaidi ya Uislamu, Swalah, haikusalimika na athari za fanaka ya Madh-hab. Wafuasi wa Madh-hab mbalimbali wakaanza kukataa kusali nyuma ya Maimamu wa Madh-hab nyingine. Hili likasababisha kujengwa kwa mihrabu tofauti za Swalah katika misikiti186 ya jamii ambazo kulikuwa na zaidi ya Madh-hab moja. Misikiti ya aina hii bado inaweza kuonekana katika nchi kama Syria, ambako Waislamu wa Sunni hufuata either madhhab ya Hanafi au Shafi'i. Hata msikiti mtukufu kuliko yote, al-Masjid al-Haraam wa Makkah, ambao unawakilisha umoja wa Waislamu na dini ya Uislamu, uliathiriwa. Mihrabu tofauti za kuswalia iliwekwa kuzunguka Al-Ka'bah: moja kwa kila Imamu kutoka kila madhehebu. Na wakati wa Swalah ulipofika, Imamu kutoka mmoja wa madhehebu angeongoza jamaa ya wafuasi wa madhehebu yake katika swala; kisha Imamu mwingine kutoka mojawapo ya madhehebu mengine angeongoza jamaa yake ya wafuasi, na kadhalika. Inavutia kutambua kwamba sehemu tofauti za kuswalia kwa kila madhehebu zilibaki kuzunguka Al-Ka'bah hadi robo ya kwanza ya karne ya ishirini, ambapo 'Abdul-'Aziz ibn Sa'ud na jeshi lake waliiteka Makkah (Oktoba 1924) na kuwaunganisha waabudu wote nyuma ya Imamu mmoja bila kujali madhehebu yake au ya wao.

The scholars of this period left all forms of Ijtihaad and unanimously issued a legal ruling, which was intended to close the door of Ijtihaad permanently. They reasoned that all possible issues had already been raised and addressed, and there was therefore no need for further Ijtihaad.184 With that step, a new concept of Madhhab arose, namely that one of the four Madh-habs had to be followed for one’s Islaam to be valid. In time this concept became firmly embedded among the masses as well as the scholars of Fiqh. Thus, the religion of Islaam itself became restricted within the confines of the four existing Madh-habs; Hanafee, Maalikee, Shaafi’ee and Hamblee. These schools of law came to be considered divinely ordained manifestations of Islaam. All of them were supposed to be completely correct, equal and representative of true Islaam, yet there were innumerable differences among them. In fact there were scholars in this period who interpreted some Hadeeths in such a way as to prove that the Prophet (s.w.) him-self had predicted the appearance of the Imaams and their Madh-habs. Consequently, any attempt to go beyond these canonical Madh-habs was considered heretical and anyone who refused to follow one of these Madh-hab was classified an apostle. The hyper conservative scholars of this stage even went so far as to rule that whoever was caught transferring from one Madh-hab to another was liable to punishment at he discretion of the local judge. A ruling was also made in the Hanafee Madh-hab prohibiting the marriage of a Hanafee to a Shaafi’ee.185 And even the second most important pillar of Islaam, Salaah, was not spared the effects of Madh-hab fanaticism. The followers of the various Madh-habs began to refuse to pray behind the Imaams from other Madh-habs. This resulted in the building of separate prayer niches in the masjid186 communities where more than one Madh-hab existed. Masjids of this type can still be seen in places like Syria, where Sunni Muslims follow either the Hanafee or Shaafi’ee Madh-hab. Even the most holy masjid, al-Masjid alHaraam of Makkah, which represents the unity of Muslims and the religion of Islaam, was affected. Separate prayer niches were set up around the Ka’bah: one for an Imaam from each of the schools. And when the time for Salaah came, an Imaam from one of the Madhhabs would lead a congregation of followers from his Madh-hab in prayer; then another Imaam from one of the other Madh-habs would lead his congregation of followers and so on. It is interesting to note that separate places of prayer for each of the Madh-habs remained around the Ka’bah until the first quarter of the twentieth century when ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Sa’oud and his army conquered Makkah (October of 1924) and united all worshippers behind a single Imaam regardless of his or their Madh-habs.

Taqlidi (kufuata kipofu) lazima itofautishwe na Ittibaa’ (kufuata kwa hoja). Kanuni ya kufuata hukumu za watangulizi wetu ni ya kawaida na ya kiasili. Kwa kweli, ni kwa kufuata kwa karibu tafsiri za awali za Uislamu ndipo ujumbe wa Uislamu unavyobaki bila kupotoshwa kupitia nyakati, kwa sababu tafsiri hizo za awali zilijengwa juu ya ufunuo wa kiungu wa Mtume (s.a.w.) na mtindo wake wa maisha ulioongozwa na Mungu. Mtume (s.a.w.) mwenyewe alisema kuwa kizazi bora zaidi ni kizazi chake, kisha kizazi kilichofuata chake, kisha kile kilichofuata hicho.187 Hata hivyo, kwa kuwa Waislamu wa vizazi vya awali, isipokuwa Mtume (s.a.w.) mwenyewe, hawakuwa wasio na makosa, hata tafsiri hizo za awali hazipaswi kufuatwa kipofu bila kuzingatia kanuni fulani za msingi za akili zinazotuwezesha kutofautisha kati ya haki na batili. Katika kitabu hiki, neno Taqlidi (kufuata kipofu) linatumika kurejelea vitendo vya wale wanaofuata kwa utumwa Madhhab moja pekee bila kujali makosa wanayoyaona. Kwa upande wa watu wa kawaida ambao hawana maarifa ya kufanya maamuzi huru katika hali zenye shaka, ni kwao kufuata maarifa yoyote yaliyopo kwao, kuweka akili zao wazi na kuwategemea wanazuoni wenye fikra huru kadiri iwezekanavyo.

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.

Taqlīd ulitokana na sababu kadhaa, za ndani na za nje ya Madhhabs, ambazo ziliathiri maendeleo ya Fiqh na mtazamo wa wanazuoni. Hakuna sababu moja inayoweza kutajwa kuwa sababu kuu, wala haiwezekani kubainisha sababu zote. Yafuatayo ni baadhi tu ya sababu zilizo wazi zaidi zilizopelekea hatua hii ya kudumaa.

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.