Wakati mwingine hutokea kwa mtu kwamba anaweza kuchagua kati ya kanuni mbili zinazotokana na Ijtihad ya Mujtahidi wawili. Kwa mfano, je, kumgusa mke wa mtu huvunja Wudhu? Imam Shafi‘i anasema ndiyo. Imam Abu Hanifah anasema hapana.

Sometimes it occurs to a person that he can choose between two rules derived from the Ijtihad of two Mujtahideen. For example, does touching one‟s wife break the Wudhu? Imam Shafi‟i says yes. Imam Abu Hanifah says no.

Baadhi ya watu husema kwamba dini ya Kiislamu ni rahisi, kwa hiyo mtu achague maoni yaliyo rahisi zaidi. Baada ya yote, maoni yote mawili ni maoni ya Kiislamu. Kufuata mojawapo ya maoni hayo kwa sababu ya matamanio ya nafsi ni haramu kabisa. Kwa kuwa kufuata maoni ya Kiislamu ni kufuata Hukm Shar‟i. Utiifu kwa Hukm Shar‟i hauzingatii ugumu, wepesi wala manufaa. Basi, Muqallid huchaguaje kati ya maoni mawili ya Kiislamu?

Both opinions are based on the Daleel. Some say that Islam is easy therefore choose the easiest. After all both are Islamic opinions. To follow one of the opinions because of one‟s desires is totally Haram (forbidden). As following an Islamic opinion means following the Hukm Shar‟i. The obedience to Hukm Shar‟i is not based on hardship, easiness or benefit. How then does a Muqallid choose between two Islamic opinions?

Allah (SWT) anasema:

Allah (swt) says:

"Ikiwa mtazozana kuhusu jambo lolote, lirudisheni kwa Mwenyezi Mungu na Mtume" (TMQ An-Nisa: 59)

“If you dispute in a thing return it to Allah and the Prophet” (TMQ An-Nisa: 59)

Muqallid anapaswa kurejea kwa Allah (SWT) na kwa Mtume ﷺ. Kiutendaji, hii ina maana ya kuchagua Mujtahid ambaye ana uhakika naye kuwa ndiye mwenye hukumu sahihi kuhusu suala husika. Kumchagua Mujtahid sahihi kunaweza kufikiwa kupitia:

The Muqallid should return to Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw). In practice, it means choosing the Mujtahid whom he is convinced with as having the correct ruling for the issue. Choosing the correct Mujtahid can be achieved through:

Kusoma maoni ya Mujtahidina na kufuata lile linalovutia zaidi. Ikiwa Muqallid hajui dalili wala hawezi kuthibitisha nguvu ya dalili hizo, sifa bora ya kutafuta kwa Mujtahid ni kiwango cha juu cha elimu na Taqwa.

Studying the opinion of the Mujtahideen and following the one that is most convincing. If a Muqallid does not know the evidence or is unable to verify the strength of the evidence, the best qualification to look for in a Mujtahid is a high degree of knowledge and Taqwa.

Kama tahadhari, inapaswa kueleweka kwamba mtu hafanyi taqlid kwa haiba ya Mujtahid mwenyewe. Mtu akifuata madhehebu, hafuati mwanzilishi kwa sababu ya haiba yake, bali kwa sababu anaamini kwamba yeye alikuwa na ufahamu sahihi wa Hukm Shar‟i katika suala husika. Ni lazima mtu atambue kwamba anatii Hukm Shar‟i, si Imam Abu Hanifah wala Imam Shafi‟i.

As a note of caution, it should be understood that one is not making Taqleed to the personality of the Mujtahid himself. If one follows a Madhab, one is not following a founder because of his personality, but because one believes that he had the correct understanding of Hukm Shar‟i on the issue. One must realise that he is obeying the Hukm Shar‟i not Imam Abu Hanifah or Imam Shafi‟i.

Kufuata ijtihadi ya mujtahid kunaruhusiwa katika Uislamu. Qur'ani, Sunnah na Ijma' ya Maswahaba zinaunga mkono hilo. Katika historia yetu yote, Waislamu wamekuwa wakifanya Taqlid, kiasi kwamba katika hatua fulani mlango wa Ijtihad ulifungwa na kila mtu alikuwa akifanya Taqlid. Hatua hii ilikuwa ni kosa, kwa sababu kuwepo kwa Mujtahidina katika Ummah ni Fardh (wajibu).

Following the Ijtihad of a Mujtahid is permitted in Islam. Qur‟an, Sunnah, and Ijma as-Sahabah support this. Throughout our history the Muslims have been practicing Taqleed, to the extent that at one stage the door of Ijtihad was closed and everyone was making Taqleed. This step was wrong because the existence of Mujtahideen in the Ummah is Fard (obligatory).

Tatizo tunalokabiliana nalo leo si tatizo la taqlidi, bali ni tatizo la ujinga. Hata kama kila mtu atafikia kiwango cha juu sana cha elimu ya Kiislamu, bado kutakuwepo watu watakaoendelea kufanya taqlidi, kama ilivyotokea wakati wa Maswahaba (ra) na Tabi'in.

The problem we face today is not the problem of Taqleed, but the problem of ignorance. Even if everyone reaches a very high level of Islamic knowledge, some people will still be practicing Taqleed as happened during the time of the Sahabah (ra) and Tabi‟een.

Tunakubali kwamba uaminifu kwa Madhhab umesababisha matatizo mengi, lakini hili ni kosa la ujinga wa watu na si kuwepo kwa Madhhab. Kama Madhahib yangefutwa na kila mtu alazimishwe kufanya Ijtihad mwenyewe, Waislamu wangepotea. Kama ilivyo kwamba si watu wote wenye uwezo wa kuwa madaktari wa upasuaji au mawakili, hatuwezi kutarajia kila mtu kufikia kiwango cha Mujtahid.

We acknowledge that the loyalty to the Madhab has resulted in many problems, but this is a fault of the people‟s ignorance and not the existence of the Madhab. If the Madhahib were abolished and everyone was forced to make Ijtihad by himself or herself, the Muslims would be lost. In the same way that not all people are capable of becoming surgeons or lawyers, we cannot expect everyone to reach the level of a Mujtahid.

Taqlid ni jambo la lazima kwa wale ambao hawawezi kutoa hukmu moja kwa moja kutoka katika maandiko. Jambo hili linawahusu Waislamu wote ambao hawajui lugha ya Kiarabu, Fiqh, na mengineyo.

Taqleed is a necessity for those who are not capable of extracting the Hukm (ruling) directly from the text. This matter applies on all Muslims who do not know the Arabic language, Fiqh, etc.

Hata hivyo, mambo matatu muhimu yanapaswa kusisitizwa kuhusu suala la Taqlid:

Nevertheless, three crucial points need to be made on the subject of Taqleed:

A. Taqlidi haipaswi kufanywa kwa msimamo wa upendeleo kwa madhehebu fulani. Ni kitu kisichozidi kupitisha mkondo fulani wa mawazo. Hakuna anayeweza, wala hapaswi, kudai kwamba madhehebu fulani ndiyo madhehebu pekee ya Kiislamu au kwamba yana ubora juu ya mengine.

A. Taqleed should not be practiced with any sense of partisanship to a particular Madhab. It is nothing more than the adoption of a particular school of thought. No one can or should claim that a particular Madhab is the only Islamic Madhab or that it has supremacy over others.

B. Utii unaelekezwa kwa Hukm Shar‟i, si kwa Mujtahid.

B. The obedience is to the Hukm Shar‟i and not to a Mujtahid.

C. Waislamu wanapaswa kuhimizwa kupata ujuzi unaohitajika kufanya Ijtihad, na hivyo wanapaswa kuhimizwa kujifunza Daleel za hukumu wanazozifuata. Hii itawapa Waislamu maarifa katika Fiqh pamoja na tendo lenyewe. Kuruhusu Taqleed hakupaswi kuchukuliwa kama leseni ya kuunga mkono ujinga au kuwakatisha tamaa Waislamu kujiboresha katika kupata zana zinazohitajika kwa kufanya Ijtihad.

C. Muslims should be encouraged to acquire the skills necessary to perform Ijtihad and thus should be encouraged to learn the Daleel for the rulings they are following. This will provide Muslims with knowledge in Fiqh as well as the action itself. Allowing Taqleed should not be taken as a license for endorsing ignorance or discouraging Muslims from enriching themselves in acquiring the tools necessary for making Ijtihad.