Baada ya zama ya wanafunzi wa mujtahidina kulikuja wafuasi na wanaofuata madhehebu. Hawakuendelea katika njia ambayo maimamu na wanachuoni wa madhehebu walifuata katika Ijtihādi na katika kutoa hukumu (istinbāṭ). Wala hawakuendelea katika njia iliyochukuliwa na wanafunzi wa mujtahidina katika kujifunza dalili, kufafanua mwelekeo wa kutoa hukumu, kueneza hukumu kwa matawi na kufafanua masuala. Wafuasi wa kila imamu au wanachuoni wa kila madhehebu walijali tu kuunga mkono madhehebu yao wenyewe, kuunga mkono matawi na misingi yake katika masuala yote. Hawakujali kuchunguza usahihi wa dalili na kupambanua dalili yenye nguvu zaidi juu ya dhaifu hata kama ingepingana na madhehebu yao.

After the era of the students of mujtahidin came the adherents and followers of the mazhabs. They did not continue on the path which the imams and scholars of mazahib followed in Ijtihād and in the inference (istinbat) of rules. Nor did they continue on the path taken by the students of the mujtahidin in terms of studying the evidence, clarifying the angle of eduction and the branching out of the rules and exposition of issues. The followers of each imam or the scholars of each mazhab were only concerned about supporting their own mazhab, supporting its furu’ and usul in all of the issues. They were not interested in studying the soundness of the dalīl and outweighing the preponderant evidence over the weaker evidence even if it went against their mazhab.

Wakati mwingine walikuwa na hamu ya kuthibitisha hoja za usahihi wa maoni waliyoyapitisha na kubatilisha hoja zilizopingana nayo, na wakati mwingine shauku yao ilielekezwa katika kuwasifu maimamu na wanazuoni wa madhehebu. Jambo hili liliwashughulisha wanazuoni wa madhehebu na kuwaondoa kwenye chanzo kikuu, ambacho ni Qur’ani na Sunnah. Mmoja wao hakurejea maandishi ya Qur’ani wala Sunnah isipokuwa kwa lengo la kutafuta chochote kitakachounga mkono madhehebu ya imamu wake. Kwa hiyo, masomo yao yalifungwa ndani ya madhehebu yao. Na bidii yao ya kufanya Ijtihadi kamili pamoja na kurejea vyanzo vikuu ili kupata hukumu kutoka kwake ilidhoofika. Hamu yao ya Ijtihadi ilizuiliwa ndani ya madhehebu yao, au ndani ya suala moja, au kwa kufanya tu Taqlidi bila kuchunguza. Utegemezi wao kwa Taqlidi ulifikia kiwango cha kusema: aya yoyote au hadithi yoyote inayopingana na yale yaliyosemwa na wanazuoni wetu, yaani madhehebu yetu, ni lazima ifasiriwe (ili ilingane na tunayosema) au imefutwa. Walifanya kufuata madhehebu kuwa wajibu juu ya Muislamu. Na wakaanza kusoma katika taasisi za Kiislamu kama al-Azhar, kauli ya mwandishi wa Jawhara al-Tawheed fi wujub al-Taqlīd:

Sometimes they were concerned with establishing the proofs for the correctness of the view they have adopted and invalidate the proofs against it and at other times their interest was devoted to extolling the imams and the scholars of the mazhabs. This preoccupied the scholars of the mazahib and distracted them from the primary source which is the Qur’ān and Sunnah. A person among them did not refer to the text of the Qur’ān or Sunnah except for the purposes of finding anything that will support the mazhab of his imam. Accordingly, their studies were confined to their mazhabs. And their zeal for absolute Ijtihād and reference to the primary sources in order to derive rules from them became weak. Their eagerness for Ijtihād was restricted to their mazhab or to one issue or simply to make Taqlīd without scrutiny. Their dependence on Taqlīd reached the point where they said: any ayah or hadīth which goes against what our scholars have said – i.e, our mazhab- it is to be interpreted (to accord with what we say) or it has been abrogated. They made the following of a mazhab an obligation on the Muslim. And they began to study in Islamic institutions such as al-Azhar, the saying of the author of Jawhara al-Tawheed fi wujub al-Taqlīd:

Badala yake, waliamini kwamba mlango wa Ijtihād ulipaswa kufungwa kwa Waislamu. Walishikilia kwamba Ijtihād haikuruhusiwa hadi wakati ambapo wengi wa 'Ulamā miongoni mwa wale waliostahili kufanya Ijtihād na waliokuwa na uwezo wa Ijtihād hawakuthubutu kufanya Ijtihād au kusema kwamba wao ni mujtahidi. Kupungua huku kulianza kuelekea mwisho wa karne ya 4 A.H, ingawa mwanzoni, hadi mwisho wa karne ya 6 na mwanzo wa karne ya 7, kulikuwepo na maendeleo fulani. Mujtahidin na wanazuoni walikuwepo wakati ambapo watu kama al-Qaffal walikuwa wakitetea kufungwa kwa mlango wa Ijtihād. Hata hivyo, kuanzia mwanzo wa karne ya 7 hadi mwisho wa karne ya 13 A.H, kupungua kulikamilika, lakini kulikuwa ndani ya mipaka ya Uislamu. Kupungua kulikuwa katika fikra, lakini maoni ya kisheria yalibaki ya Kiislamu. Kuhusu baada ya karne ya 13, yaani, kuanzia mwaka 1274 A.H. hadi sasa, kupungua kumefikia kiwango ambacho hukumu za Sharī'ah zimechanganyika na sheria zisizo za Kiislamu, na hali imefikia hali mbaya zaidi ya kupungua.

Rather, they believed that the door of Ijtihād should be closed for the Muslims. They held that Ijtihād was not permitted until many of the ‘Ulamā from amongst those who were qualified for Ijtihād and who had the aptitude for Ijtihād did not dare to perform Ijtihād or say that they were mujtahids. This decline started towards the end of the 4th century A.H, although in the beginning until the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th there was some progress. Mujtahidin and scholars were present at a time when the likes of al-Qaffal were advocating the closing of the door of Ijtihād. However, from the beginning of the 7th century until the end of the 13th century A.H the decline was complete but it was within the limits of Islam. The decline was in thought but the jurisprudential opinions remained Islamic. As for after the 13th century i.e, from 1274 A.H. till now, the decline has reached the point where the Sharī’ah rules have become mixed with unIslamic laws and the situation reached the worst possible state of decline.

Ilikuwa kutokana na kuporomoka huku kwa fiqhi ndipo watu walipata ugumu wa kutekeleza hukumu za Sharī’ah. Hivyo, baada ya Sharī’ah ya Kiislamu kuwatosha ulimwengu mzima, walifanya iwe ngumu hata kwa wafuasi wake, mpaka walilazimika kukubali sheria nyingine ambazo hazilingani nayo. Waislamu wengi wacha Mungu walianza kutaja Sharī’ah ambayo haikuwa Sharī’ah ya Kiislamu. Mwishoni mwa dola ya ‘Uthmaniyyah, ujinga wa Uislamu na mafaqihi majahili ndio sababu kuu ya kurudi nyuma kwa Waislamu na mwisho wa dola yao. Kulikuwa na mafaqihi wakali, waliokuwa tayari wakati wote kutoa fatwa za kukataza kila jambo jipya, na kukataza mawazo ya kila mwanafikra. Miongoni mwa mambo ya ajabu na ya kusikitisha sana yaliyotokea ni kwamba kahawa ilipoonekana, baadhi ya wanazuoni walitoa fatwa ya kuikataza; uvutaji sigara ulipoonekana, walitoa fatwa ya kuharamisha; watu walipovaa tarbush, mafaqihi walitoa fatwa kwamba kuivaa ni haramu; mashine ya kuchapisha ilipoingia na dola ikaamua kuchapisha nakala za Qur’ān, baadhi ya mafaqihi walikataza kuchapishwa kwake. Simu ilipovumbuliwa, baadhi ya mafaqihi walikataza watu kuzungumza kupitia nayo, na mambo mengine mengi yakafuata. Matokeo yake katika fiqhi ya Kiislamu yalikuwa kwamba Waislamu walikuwa wajinga kabisa kuihusu. Suala likabadilika kutoka kusoma hukumu za Sharī’ah na kuwa kusoma sheria za Magharibi. Zikaanzishwa shule za sheria; shule ambazo kuwepo kwake katika nchi za Waislamu kulikuwa doa la aibu kwao. Mwishoni mwa dola ya ‘Uthmaniyyah, dola ya Kiislamu na kiongozi wake Khalifah wa Waislamu, waliamua kuiga fiqhi ya Magharibi katika kuandika sheria. Hivyo wakaanzisha Majallah mwaka 1282 A.H kama sheria ya kiraia, na amri kubwa ilitolewa mwaka 1293 A.H ili ianze kutumika. Kabla ya hapo walikuwa wameandaa kanuni ya adhabu ya Ottoman mwaka 1274 A.H. Wakaianzisha badala ya hudud, adhabu za jinai (jinayat) na adhabu za kiuamuzi (ta’zeer). Na mwaka 1276 A. H. walianzisha Sheria ya Haki na Biashara. Kisha walianzisha katiba ili kukomesha kabisa mfumo wa Khilafah mwaka 1294 A.H. Hata hivyo, ulikomeshwa kisha ukarejeshwa mwaka 1326 A.H. (1908 C.E.). Hata hivyo, walijaribu kuufanya ulingane na Uislamu na wakaendelea kuhifadhi mfumo wa Khilafah. Kwa njia hii, fiqh (ufahamu) ilidhoofika na kuwa kanuni za kisheria zisizobadilika, kanuni za Sharī‘ah zikaachwa, na kanuni zisizotokana na Uislamu zikapitishwa kwa kisingizio kwamba zinalingana na Uislamu. Ikaenea dhana potofu kwamba kila kitu kinachokubaliana na Uislamu kinaweza kuchukuliwa kutoka kwa binadamu yeyote, na bidii ya ‘Ulamā ikapungua, nao wote wakawa muqallidīn (wafuasi wa kuiga). Hata hivyo, hali hiyo ilionekana kuwa iko chini ya kivuli cha Uislamu. Lakini baada ya kumalizika kwa Khilafah na kukaliwa kwa nchi za Kiislamu na makafiri, Waingereza na Wafaransa. Kisha nchi za Kiislamu zikawa mataifa yaliyoanzishwa kwa msingi wa utaifa, iwe Waarabu, Waturuki au Waajemi n.k. Fiqh ya Kiislamu ilifutwa kabisa katika mahusiano ya watu, na katika elimu na mafunzo. Haikufundishwa isipokuwa katika baadhi ya nchi, kama al-Azhar nchini Misri, Najaf nchini Iraq, Zaytuna nchini Tunisia, lakini ilifundishwa kwa namna ile ile ambayo falsafa ya Kigiriki ilifundishwa. Kudorora kulifikia viwango vya kushtua kwani fiqh ya Kiislamu ilitoweka katika mahusiano ya watu.