Taqlid (Arabic:تَقْليد,romanized: taqlīd, "imitation") is anIslamic term denoting the conformity of one person to the teaching of another. The person who performstaqlid is termedmuqallid.[1] The definite meaning of the term varies depending on context and age. Classical usage of the term differs betweenSunni Islam andShia Islam. Sunni Islamic usage designates the unjustified conformity of one person to the teaching of another, rather than the justified conformity of a layperson to the teaching of amujtahid (a person who is qualified for independent reasoning). Shia Islamic usage designates general conformity to the teaching of amujtahid, and there is no negative connotation. The discrepancy corresponds to differing views on theShia Imamate andSunni imams.
In contemporary usage, especially in the context ofSalafism,taqlid is often portrayed in a negative light and translated as "blind imitation". This refers to the perceived stagnation of independent intellectual effort (ijtihad) and uncritical imitation of traditional religious interpretation by the religious establishment in general.[2]
TheArabic wordtaqlīd is derived from thethree-letter Arabic verbal root ofق-ل-دQ-L-D, which means to imitate.[3] The term is believed to have originated from the idea of allowing oneself to be led "by the collar". One who performstaqlid is called amuqallid,[4] whereas one who rejectstaqlid is called aghair-muqallid. Sheikh Shaamee Hanafi said it is "to take the statement of someone without knowing the evidence."[5]
Traditionally,taqlid is lawful and obligatory when one is not qualified as amujtahid.[6] According toRudolph Peters, this is by theconsensus of all Sunni Muslims.[6]
Traditional Sunni scholars rely on two verses of the Qur'an that order one to ask the people of knowledge or remembrance if they do not know and to obey Allah, the messenger and those in authority among them.[6] They also rely on severalhadiths, including one where Muhammad tells his companions, "If one does not know what to do, the only remedy is to inquire." Muhammad did this after acompanion who had fractured his skull asked other companions with him whether he could performdry purification. They said no. So this injured companion washed his head with water and died. Muhammad admonished his companions by saying, "They killed him. May Allah kill them. If one does not know what to do, the only remedy is to inquire."[6][7]
Salafi andWahhabis rejecttaqlid and instead encourageijtihad.[8][9]
In Shia Islam,taqlid "denotes the following or "imitating" of the dictates of amujtahid".[10] Following thegreater occultation (al-ghaybatu 'l-kubra) in 941 CE (329 AH), theTwelver Shia are obliged to observetaqlid in their religious jurisprudential affairs by following the teachings of a thinker (mujtahid) or jurist (faqih).[11] As of the 19th century the Shiaulama taught believers to turn to "a source oftaqlid" (marja' at-taqlid) "for advice and guidance and as a model to be imitated."[12] Thus Shia who are not experts in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) are "legally required to follow the instructions of the expert, i.e., themujtahid" in matters ofsharia, but are forbidden to do so in "matters of belief" (usul al-din).[13]
