Hafiz ibn Rajab al Hanbali on the Taqleed of the 4 Madhhabs

[Abul Hasan]

:salam:

The following attachment is Imam ibn Rajab al Hanbali's refutation of those who do not adhere to one of the 4 Madhhabs. Ibn Rajab is a supposed favourite of those who attack the taqleed of the 4 Sunni Madhhabs these days!

Wassalam

Abul Hasan

[AbuTaymiyah]

salam aleykum

Insha Allah you will have some very nice words of Allamah ibn Abideen, favourite of muqalidoun who want to make the views of their Imam as a shar'i law for people, and his opinion about the layman having no madhab.

[ammoo]

As regards the four Fiqh schools, they are all great. Many scholars, may Allaah have mercy on them, through many centuries have successively revised their texts. So whoever wants to seek deeper religious knowledge has to study one of these four outstanding schools: the Hanafi, Maaliki, Shaafi'ee and Hanbali schools. Indeed, whoever studies one of these four schools gets two kinds of excellences:

A. To acquire and strengthen the faculty of deducing.

B. To have deeper knowledge in the field of the branches of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).

The above two qualities could not be achieved otherwise. Experience shows that seeking knowledge without these four schools makes the student of knowledge distracted and confused, and weakens his ability to acquire knowledge. It is not possible to say that one school is better than the other because each school excels more than the other in a given domain. So the student of knowledge should not follow a given school blindly but should take from each school what is founded on evidence. The well-known scholars, may Allaah have mercy on them, acted according to the evidence no matter in which school it was found [whether in their preferred school or in another school] like the Imaams Abu Yoosuf, Mohammad Ibn Al-Hasan, Ibn Wahab, Ibn Habeeb, Al-Muzani, An-Nawawi, Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Katheer, Ath-Thahabi and others.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: 'If a man follows the school of Abu Haneefah, or Maalik, or Ash-Shaafi'ee, or Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy on them, and noticed in some issues that the evidence of the other school is much stronger and followed it, he has indeed done well and did not defame his religion at all but rather this is much closer to the truth and more beloved to Allaah and His Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, than someone who follows blindly a particular man other than the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.'

Allaah knows best.

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=E&Id=8344&Option=FatwaId

The author of ‘Insaf’ said: 'Sticking to a particular school of thought and refraining from taking from other schools of thought in a particular issue, is of two kinds: according to Malik and Shafi’e (may Allah have Mercy on them) but not sticking to a particular school is the preferred opinion.' [End of the text]


Ibn Muflih in his book “the Principles” said: 'Not sticking to a particular school of thought is the opinion of the majority of scholars.' Ibn Burhan and Nawawi said that 'this is the predominant opinion.'


http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=E&Id=5811&Option=FatwaId

[AbuTaymiyah]

salam aleykum

Allamah ibn Abideen Shaami said in Radul Mukhtar explanation of Durul Mukhtar, also called Fatawa Shaami, edition dar Ihya Turathil Arabi

In vol 1 p 130 , Chapter : Taqleed of inferior is permissible in presence of superior.

“ Know that it is mentioned in Tahreer ( book of Usul fiqh written by Ibn Humam) and its explanation ( Taqreer of Ibn Humam’s student Ibnul Haaj) the permissibility of taqleed of inferior ( mafdool) with presence of superior ( fadil)….

Then they ( scholars) mentioned about iltizam to one Madhab particular ( Madhab Mu’in) as Abu Haneefah or Shafii, it has been said it is lazim ( compulsory) for him ( to make iltizam), and it has been said it is not lazim for him, and this is more Saheeh.

And it has been propagated that the ‘Aami ( layman) has no madhab

When you know this it becomes evident for you that what is mentioned by Nassafi from the obligation of believing that his madhab is right and has possibility of mistake, is based on the fact that taqleed of inferior is not permissible, and iltizam of his madhab is lazim for him and this is not for ‘Aami.

I saw in the end of Fatawa fiqhyah of Ibn Hajar ( Haytami) affirming some of that : he was asked about the saying of Nassafi mentioned and he claimed that Imam of Shafiyah said the same. Then he said this is for the weak, the one for who there is taqleed of more knowledgeful without other. And what is more saheeh is that he has choice of taqleed of whoever he wants even inferior if he thinks so, then he cannot know definitively ( yaqta’u) or with thann, that he is right. Rather for the muqalid, he should believe that what his Imam said, it is possible to be right.

Ibn Hajar said : Then I saw the Muhaqiq ibn Humam affirming what supports this where he said in his sharh Hidayah that is the Aami takes what comes in his heart as what is right, that is better, and based on this, if he asks two mujtahid and ikhtilaf comes to him, the best is to take what his heart leans to from them. And for me even if he does not take from the saying his hearts leans to, it is permissible, because his leaning and not leaning are same. And what is wajib for him is taqleed of a Mujtahid and he did that.”

In chapter : Hukm of Taqleed and returning from it ( ruju’s ‘anhu), p 163, about the Muqalid who follows a particular madhab and changes sometimes. This is not for Ami as the ‘Aami has no madhab.

“ If one prays one day on one madhab and he wants to pray another day on other, then he is not prevented from that… there is observation of this agreement, there is ikhtilaf in this…the conclusion is what we mentioned that there is no iltizam for Insan to a particular madhab and that it is permissible to act on what opposes what he acted on his madhab, making taqleed of other than his Imam taking his ( other Imam) conditions…”

Ibn Abideen then mentioned from Bazaziyah a story that one ay Abu Yussuf made ghusl and people found a dead mouse in it and he said today we follow our feloow from Medinah about water more than two Qullah not being impure unless taste, smell or color changes.

Also in chapter “ when the Hadeeth is saheeh this is my madhab”, ibn Abideen clearly said that one is still Hanafee when he follows saheeh hadeeth from other than his Imam and madhab, and he said this is for people of nadhar knowing abrogated hadeeth.

So there is no condition of being a Mujtahid Mutlaq for a Muhadith who has knowledge of nasikh and mansookh to act on hadeeth opposing his Imam.

So for Ibn Abideen there is no problem for Luknawee, Shah Waliullah or Abul Hassan AL Kabeer, ibn Humam to choose other madhab when the hadeeth of other is saheeh.

As for the layman, according to Ibn Abideen, what is incumbent on him is to follow any Mujtahid.

As for the muqalid having a madhab, then nothing prevents him to change, his action on others fatwa will be right.

And one can see all ikhtilaf in this matter. Ibn Humam and ibn Abideen say layman can follow any mujtahid he wants, Deobandi Hananfee say one layman should only have one Madhab, while they are all Hanafee.

This is when you make rules without daleel from Quran and Sunnah, you find a lot of contradictions.

So you see a lot of people saying a lot of things, but what counts is daleel from Kitrab, Sunnah, Ijma or qias

And Allah mentionned asking to Ahle zikr, anmd how can people restrict this with their ray ?

Sahabah did not restrict on asking to only some Sahabbi, so if later people do they are opposing best generations.

People should avoid in making man made laws about muqalid and others.

The Quran and Hadeeth are for all people, what is the meaning then for Allah to send the QUran and Hadeeth if people are to follow only four scholars without asking daleel from Nusus.

Allah should have sent four laws to four Imams, and said one who is born Hanafee should follow this law, one who is born Shafii this law.

So at the end the Wahee prevails over people's ray

Kitab wa Sunnah will prevail insha Allah as understood by Salaf

There is no other way

[Usman]

Cool bro, this has been answered in the thread of Allamah Ibnul Qayyim (Rahimahullah), Im waiting for you there Mr.Abbu.

[AbuTaymiyah]

salam aleykum

This is not a satisafctory answer.

Allamah Shamee clearly called all laymen as having no madhab, so being ghayr Muqalid, they can follow what their hearts lean to.

And generaly deobandi oppose to this.

So it shows that whenm you build a house like spider, it does not need other people's refutation, your own scholars differ in these topics

Of course one can say the saying of Ibn abideen, ibn Humam and others is Shadh

One can also say the saying of deobandi is shadh.

Brother Usman, insha Allah I will reply to your post in some time, but ask yourself is saying of Sahabi Hujjah when there is ikhtilaf ?

If you find some Sahabi opposing taking saying of Umar and Abu Bakr in presence of hadeeth and feraing stones descending on them, and other accepting saying of a sahabi without daleel, then it would mean ikhtilaf of Sahabah, so their saying would not be hujjah in this case for all usuli

Also your cases did not show that people who were follwing ibn Umar, a saheeh hadeeth opposing it came to them and some sahabah acted on it, then they still say only ibn Umar is hujjah for us.

If you sau Quran and Hadeeth have no more valur for Awam un Nass, even if other fuqahas acted on them, Awam should only follow thjeir Imam's saying, then is it not an making the Nusus useless, except for somme little Mujtahid or other scholars

Laymen only read Quran and hadeeth for barakah, they should not read saying of scholars in tafseer or hadeeth, only restrict to their madhab.

Nowdays, even some Ahnaaf do not like to put themselves as Hanafee, rather call to Kitab wa Sunnah, because they know every muslim in his heart has love of Kitab and Sunnah

You will see deobandi making groups under name Isha'at Tawheed wa Sunnah, other calling their magazines Sharee'ah, in which they do not put strengh on Hanafiyat, although they are stanch Hanafee

They know that Awamu Nass are aware of ikhtilaf of scholars, it is not like hundreds year ago, where contact in this wolrd were little, so know no Hanafee in pakistan openly say what they said hundreds year ago,

They know that laymen also listen to ghayr muqalideen, and are aware of some daleel of other fuqahahs, and we cannot just convince them without daleel.

Laymen know about three divorce in one stance the position of gayr Muqalideen, they also know about forbnidcane of Musaharah

So when they have harsh fatwa making their women divorce, they look at daleel, and want to be sure that it is the shareeha, not fiqh of one Imam

[faqir]

Ibn Abidin (one of the foremost classical Hanafi scholars of the past) points out something important in his Sharh Uqud Rasm al-Mufti:

"Understanding evidences (dalil) is only (truly) possible for someone at the level of ijtihad (mujtahid), for it depends on knowing that the evidence is free of that which opposes it, which depends on having complete awareness of the primary sources, which is not possible for other than a mujtahid. As for merely knowing that a given mujtahid took a given ruling from a given set of evidences, it is of little consequence..."

(Sharh Uqud Rasm al-Mufti, in Rasa'il Ibn Abidin, 1: 30)

[Sad ibn Abu Waqqas]

:salam:

The following attachment is Imam ibn Rajab al Hanbali's refutation of those who do not adhere to one of the 4 Madhhabs. Ibn Rajab is a supposed favourite of those who attack the taqleed of the 4 Sunni Madhhabs these days!

Wassalam

Abul Hasan

An English translation of the above work is being prepared by a well known English speaking Muslim scholar.

When it gets published, it will probably cause more anxiety to English-speaking Salafis than anything since Nuh Keller first started speaking about this topic. (The scholar doing the translation is not Sh. Nuh, BTW).

[Abul Hasan]

An English translation of the above work is being prepared by a well known English speaking Muslim scholar.

When it gets published, it will probably cause more anxiety to English-speaking Salafis than anything since Nuh Keller first started speaking about this topic. (The scholar doing the translation is not Sh. Nuh, BTW).

:salam:

Akhi, I think I know what you mean ;) Why is it taking so long to put out? Insha'allah, there should be a whole book on Usul al fiqh which deals with Taqleed in its sections (with radd on ibn Qayyim/ibn Hazm et al).. It is by Shaykh Habib Kayranwi, and is available as part of I'la al-Sunan of Allama Zafar Ahmed al-Uthmani (ra)

Wassalam