Some Thoughts About : Taqlid, Shirk and The Islamic Nation

August 9, 2012
Ramadan 22,1433- after ten thirty at night.
written by: Sheila Quinn
Source: A New Era

Bismillah, Ir Rahman, Ir Raheem.(In the name of The God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful)

This blog is my online column. I usually write about political things on this blog. But today, I feel I need to make an exception. Although, what I am writing about isn't political- it is very much current events.
Well... These are some thoughts about: The Islamic Nation, The Islamic Faith and Muslims. We have just started the last third of the month of Ramadan. I am very mentally active. During this month of Ramadan I have spent some time on the internet... sharing information about Islam with others and acting as an advocate of my Muslim brothers and sisters. At one point I came across a clip in which a Muslim brother claimed that taqlid is an essential part of The Islamic Faith. I listened to everything he said- and found many things that he said to be nonsensical. One of the things that he said was that every Muslim was involved in taqlid. I told him that this is wrong. I am a Muslim, but I am not involved in taqlid. I also said that Allah says in some of the ayat(verses)in The Qur'an that anyone who was involved in taqlid was involved in shirk (a.k.a. blasphemy/giving partners to the One God.)

Today I got a response from him. I mentioned in my comment that there are ayat(verses) in the Qur'an that says that taqlid is shirk. Did this individual ask me for reference as to what ayat I was talking about? No, he didn't. What he did do was to be confrontational and argumentative with me. He basically said that taqlid wasn't shirk because every Muslim, including the Sahaba (Companions of Prophet Muhammad) were involved in it. Is he a "scholar"? perhaps... I wouldn't be surprised if many so called "Muslim scholars" who have a university degree in Islamic Shariah did agree with him.

Now, why am I being outspoken on an issue that many "scholars" would find to be unacceptable? There are two reasons. The first reason is that I am a seeker of truth. I came to The Islamic Faith as a seeker of truth and I understand The Islamic Faith as a seeker of truth. What is the truth? The Qur'an is the truth! As a Muslim I take everything that Allah says in The Qur'an with tremendous respect and acceptance. If the Qur'an says one thing and the scholars say another thing who should I believe? As Allah's slave I should believe The Qur'an - not the scholars! As a seeker of truth I am very skeptical about things that I read and are told to me. I perceive all human beings to be fallible creatures who are limited in both knowledge and wisdom. Although scholars are supposed to be experts who have more knowledge in a subject than most people do-that doesn't mean that they are infallible beings who don't make mistakes. I am outspoken about this issue because I must speak the truth...no ands, ifs or buts about it.

The second reason is that I am a slave of Allah's (of The Creator's). As His slave I am obligated to obey Him and His Messenger- Prophet Muhammad. In order to obey my creator I must speak out against that which I know -without a doubt- to be wrong. There are a couple of hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad where he orders us to speak out about what is wrong. Also in The Qur'an Allah orders us to speak the truth. One place is in Sura (chapter) "Asr" ("Time Through the Ages")# 103. An english translation of what is said in Asr is: "By the time, verily man is in loss, except such as have faith, and do righteous deeds, and in the mutual enjoining of truth, and of patience and of constancy."

Taqlid is not only wrong- but it is shirk. Allah says so in The Qur'an. What is some of the evidence of this? Well...part of the evidence is in Sura (chapter) "Ar-Rum" (The Romans). In Ayain (verses) 31-32 there is evidence. An english translation is; "Turn ye in repentance to Him, and fear Him: establish regular prayers, and be not ye among those who join gods with Allah; those who split up the religion and become sects. Each party rejoicing in that which is with itself!" These ayain is just part of the evidence that taqlid is shirk. Any Muslim who is involved in taqlid is not following Prophet Muhammad; and anyone who is following Prophet Muhammad is not involved in taqlid!

Those who are involved in taqlid remind me of Christians who believe in the trinity. Christians who believe in the trinity insist that they are monotheists when - in fact- they are polytheists. Same thing with those who are involved in taqlid. They insist they are following Prophet Muhammad -when in fact, they are ignoring his words and the words of the one who sent him.

What does this have to do with The Islamic Nation? The Islamic Nation is a ship that is sinking. What is causing it to sink? What is causing it to sink is: taqlid, mathahab (madthabs), fatwa and ijtihad.