Salafi Research Institute SRI
10 Books Ahlul Bidah Wished That Were Never Written!
[8] Tanwir ul-Aynain Fi Ithbat Raf ul-Yadain
Of
Allamah Shah Muhammad Isma’il (1246H)
Bigoted Staunch Taqlid and Blind Following of the Imams Over Authentic Texts
Compiled and Translated
Abu Hibban & Abu Khuzaimah Ansaari
Shaikh, the Imaam al-Allamah Muhammad Isma’il said,
Chapter Exaggeration in Taqlid and Ta’assub (bigotry).
People have exaggerated a lot in the taqlid of one particular individual and have made rigid bigotry obligatory upon themselves to the extent that they have prohibited an individual from performing ijtihad and from doing taqlid of other Imams. And this is that non-curable illness which destroyed the shi’ahs and these people (ie the muqallidin) have also reached the realms of destruction but the only difference is that the shi’ahs have reached a greater level of destruction.
They (the Shi’ahs) started to find texts to back up the statements of their Imams and these people (ie the muqallidin) have also adopted this way and begun to figurative explain well known narrations that opposed the statements of their Imams. However they should have weighed and presented the statements of their Imams to these narrations and texts and if they (the statements) coincided with the text they should have accepted them or otherwise rejected them. (Tanwir ul-Aynain Fi Ithbat Raf ul-Yadain (pg.44-45)
He further said, “And I am amazed when I see a person has the ability to return to a clear and conclusive hadith of the Messenger of Allaah (Saalalahu Alayhee Was-Sallam) which opposes the statement of his Imam and yet they still hold doing taqlid permissible and I wonder how is this permissible.
So if he does not leave the statement of his Imam in such a situation then he has with him Shirk Fir-Risalah (Association partners in the Messengership of the Prophet.).” then the Shaikh goes onto mention the hadith of Adiyy bin Hatim in Jame at-Tirmidhi in regards to the verse of Allaah,“They have taken their monks and rabbis Lords besides Allaah.” (Soorah at- Taubah).
He goes onto say further, “So we find from this hadeeth that if a person comes to know the evidences from the Book and the Sunnah and he still adheres to the statement of a specific Imam and begins to figurative explain these evidences, then such a person has traits of Christianity in him and there is the danger that he may have taken some aspects of Shirk in him.
And there is extreme amazement on such a nation, who instead of fearing such taqlid they declare those who abandon this taqlid to be great oppressors. Then how well does the following verse fit such people, “How shall I fear those whom you associate and yet you do not fear that you have associated partners with Allah for which Allah has not revealed any evidence, so which of the two are upon the truth, if only but you knew.”
So think and be just and do not be from those people who have doubts and we seek refuge in Allah from being amongst those who have bigotry.
(Tanwir ul-Aynain Fi Ithbat Raf ul-Yadain (pg.49-51).
