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Following the Most Learned (Arabic: تقلید الأعلم, Taqlīd al-Aʿlam) refers to the practice of emulating the most knowledgeable jurist regarding the practical rulings of Shari'a. This ruling is widely upheld by Shi'a jurists and a faction of Sunni muftis. According to this fatwa, in instances of jurisprudential divergence among jurists, the general body of Shi'as must imitate (perform taqlid of) the most learned (A'lam) jurist. The "A'lam" designates the individual possessing superior proficiency in deriving legal rulings from religious sources compared to their peers. Scholars have posited that a requisite for being deemed the most learned is possessing adequate cognizance of the changes that occur over time in jurisprudential subjects.

Discourse regarding the emulation of the most learned jurist dates back to the early Islamic era and the initial years of the Major Occultation; however, the concept gained greater prominence during the 7th/13th century within the Jurisprudential School of Hillah. The majority of Shi'a jurists deem following the most learned to be obligatory, whereas a minority views it as optional. The expansion of this theory following the 13th/19th century facilitated the centralization of Shi'a religious authority within major seminaries.

Several methods have been delineated for identifying the most learned mujtahid. As stipulated in the Manual of Practical Rulings, the testimony of two experts capable of distinguishing the most learned is sufficient. Throughout the history of Shi'a jurisprudence, various Marja's have designated the most learned jurist to succeed them, and in certain instances, groups of Shi'a mujtahids have introduced the most learned jurists to the public.

Obligatory Status of Following the Most Learned

The doctrine mandating emulation of the most knowledgeable mujtahid is an established theory in Shi'a jurisprudence, tracing its origins to the beginning of the Major Occultation.[1] According to Jannati Shahrudi, the topic was debated among jurists even prior to that era, during the time of the Shi'a Imams.[2] The vast majority of Shi'a jurists adhere to this view.[3] The strategic significance of this theory is regarded as the foundation for the formation of the centralized institution of religious authority (Marja'iyya) in Shi'ism.[4] Alongside the theory of General Vicegerency (al-niyāba al-ʿāmma), this doctrine paved the way for elevating the status of jurists from "Muftis" (issuers of fatwas) to "Judges of Sharia" (Ḥākim al-Sharʿ).[5]

In the Manual of Practical Rulings, it is maintained that should Shi'a mujtahids differ on a ruling, laypeople are obligated to act in accordance with the opinion of the most learned mujtahid.[6] Most jurists consider this condition obligatory when selecting a Marja'.[7] Some jurists emphasize that even if an individual merely suspects a specific scholar to be the most learned, they are required to follow them.[8]

In the treatise al-Urwat al-wuthqa and subsequent manuals, the obligation to follow the most learned is often qualified by its possibility and is typically categorized as an Obligatory Caution.[9] Many jurists further limit the necessity of following the most learned to instances where the fatwas of mujtahids conflict; if there is no disagreement on a specific issue, emulation of the most learned is not deemed essential.[10]

Regarding the issue of remaining on the taqlid of a deceased mujtahid, a group of jurists posits that if a living jurist is more learned, the follower is not permitted to remain on the taqlid of the deceased scholar.[11]

Criteria for Being the Most Learned

While early Shi'a scholarship did not explicitly codify criteria for the "A'lam," later jurists have proffered various perspectives.[12]

Al-Shaykh al-Ansari (13th/19th century) defines the A'lam as the individual in whom the faculty of inference (malaka al-istinbāṭ) is stronger than in others.[13] In his work Sirat al-najat, he states that being A'lam entails possessing superior expertise in extracting divine rulings and comprehending them from Shari'a evidence.[14] This implies that the A'lam must demonstrate superior capability in interpreting hadiths and Quranic verses, substantiating principles, and applying general rules to specific instances.[15]

Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Tabataba'i Yazdi, author of al-Urwat al-wuthqa, defines the A'lam as the person most conversant with the rules and documentation of jurisprudential issues, possessing greater knowledge of hadiths and related disciplines.[16]

Sayyid Ali Khamenei considers a requisite of being the most learned to be a heightened awareness of contemporary conditions when identifying the subjects of rulings.[17] This perspective is derived from Imam Khomeini's concepts regarding the Role of time and place in ijtihad.[18]

Historical Overview

Although some scholars trace the discussion to the era of Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita' or al-Shaykh al-Ansari,[19] research indicates that the topic was addressed earlier. For instance, Al-Sharif al-Murtada (d. 436/1044) examined it in his book al-Dhari'a.[20]

The subject gained significant traction within the Jurisprudential School of Hillah. Al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli (d. 676/1277) mandated seeking the most virtuous mujtahid within a specific locale (balad).[21] Al-'Allama al-Hilli considered following the most learned obligatory without geographical limitation and prioritized the most learned over the most pious (Awra').[22]

During the Safavid era, the view prioritizing emulation of the A'lam became dominant,[23] and by the 13th/19th century, some scholars claimed consensus (ijmāʿ) regarding its obligation.[24]

Identifying the Most Learned

According to manuals of practical rulings, there are three primary methods to identify the most learned mujtahid:

  • The follower is personally a scholar capable of recognizing the A'lam.
  • Two just scholars identify him, provided their testimony is not contradicted by two other just scholars.
  • A group of scholars, whose consensus yields certainty, certifies an individual's status as the most learned.[25]

Arguments for Following the Most Learned

Arguments supporting this practice include:

  • **Hadiths:** References to resolving disputes between judges, such as the Maqbula of 'Umar b. Hanzala, where the Imams recommended referring to the "most expert in jurisprudence" (afqah).[26]
  • **Consensus (Ijma'):** Cited by jurists such as Akhund Khurasani.[27]
  • **Proximity to Reality:** The fatwa of the most learned is viewed as more precise and closer to the actual divine ruling.[28]
  • **Rational Argument:** Since the authority (ḥujjiyya) of the A'lams fatwa is certain, whereas the authority of a non-A'lams fatwa is doubtful in cases of conflict, reason dictates following the certain path.[29]
  • **Practice of Rational Agents (Sira al-'Uqala):** In all specialized fields, when experts disagree, rational actors refer to the most expert practitioner.[30]

Permissibility of Following a Non-A'lam

A minority of scholars, such as Muhammad b. Sulayman Tunikabuni and Muhammad Ali Arani, have argued against the necessity of following the A'lam.[31] Their arguments include:

  • The absence of the "A'lam" condition in verses and hadiths regarding taqlid.
  • The Rule of 'Usr and Haraj (Hardship), positing that identifying the A'lam imposes undue difficulty upon laypeople (although most jurists reject this, asserting that identification through experts is feasible).[32]
  • **Practice of the Religious (Sira al-Mutasharri'a):** Historically, believers sought rulings from any available scholar without being restricted to the most learned.[33]

In Sunni Jurisprudence

In Sunni jurisprudence, this issue emerged during the 4th/10th century. Some scholars permitted the selection of any mujtahid, while others mandated following the most learned.[34] The majority of Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, and Shafi'i jurists accepted the condition of being the most learned.[35] However, others, such as Qadi Abu Bakr Baqillani, permitted following a non-A'lam.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ḥājī-ʿAlī, "Aʿlam: tabyīn-i mafhūm, taʿyīn-i miṣdāq," p. 58.
  2. ↑ Jannātī, "Sayr-i tārīkhī-yi taqlīd az aʿlam," p. 18.
  3. ↑ Jannātī, "Sayr-i tārīkhī-yi taqlīd az aʿlam," p. 20.
  4. ↑ Ṣabūriyān, Takvīn-i nihād-i marjaʿiyyat-i taqlīd-i Shīʿa, 1398 Sh, p. 101.
  5. ↑ Ṣabūriyān, Takvīn-i nihād-i marjaʿiyyat-i taqlīd-i Shīʿa, 1398 Sh, pp. 101-102.
  6. ↑ Tawḍīḥ al-Masāʾil-i Marājiʿ, section on Taqlid, issue 2.
  7. ↑ Markaz-i Iṭṭilāʿāt wa Madārik-i Islāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi uṣūl-i fiqh, 1389 Sh, p. 349; Ḥakīm, Mustamsak al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, vol. 1, p. 25.
  8. ↑ Tawḍīḥ al-Masāʾil-i Marājiʿ, section on Taqlid, issue 4.
  9. ↑ Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1417 AH, vol. 1, p. 6; Al-Khūʾī, al-Ijtihād wa al-taqlīd, 1410 AH, p. 134; Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 8.
  10. ↑ Ẓahīrī, "Naqd-i naẓariyya-yi ʿadam-i taʿayyun-i taqlīd az aʿlam," p. 55.
  11. ↑ Banī-Hāshimī, Tawḍīḥ al-Masāʾil-i Marājiʿ, 1381 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 21-23.
  12. ↑ Ḥājī-ʿAlī, "Aʿlam: tabyīn-i mafhūm, taʿyīn-i miṣdāq," p. 60.
  13. ↑ Al-Anṣārī, Maṭāriḥ al-anẓār, 1404 AH, p. 277.
  14. ↑ Al-Anṣārī, Ṣirāṭ al-najāt, 1373 Sh, p. 31.
  15. ↑ Ẓahīrī, "Naqd-i naẓariyya-yi ʿadam-i taʿayyun-i taqlīd az aʿlam," p. 52.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 7-8.
  17. ↑ Khāmanih-ī, Ajwibat al-istiftāʾāt, 1424 AH, pp. 3-4.
  18. ↑ Ḥājī-ʿAlī, "Aʿlam: tabyīn-i mafhūm, taʿyīn-i miṣdāq," p. 63.
  19. ↑ Jannātī, "Sayr-i tārīkhī-yi taqlīd az aʿlam," p. 18.
  20. ↑ Al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, al-Dharīʿa ilā uṣūl al-sharīʿa, 1376 Sh, vol. 2, p. 325.
  21. ↑ Al-Muḥaqqiq al-Ḥillī, Maʿārij al-uṣūl, 1403 AH, p. 201.
  22. ↑ Al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Qawāʿid al-aḥkām, 1413 AH, vol. 3, p. 420.
  23. ↑ Al-Muḥaqqiq al-Karakī, Jāmiʿ al-maqāṣid, 1414 AH, vol. 2, p. 76.
  24. ↑ Ākhūnd Khurāsānī, Kifāyat al-uṣūl, 1409 AH, p. 475.
  25. ↑ Banī-Hāshimī, Tawḍīḥ al-Masāʾil-i Marājiʿ, 1381 Sh, vol. 1, p. 15, issue 3.
  26. ↑ Al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 1374 Sh, vol. 27, pp. 106-107.
  27. ↑ Ākhūnd Khurāsānī, Kifāyat al-uṣūl, 1409 AH, p. 475.
  28. ↑ Al-Khūʾī, al-Tanqīḥ fī sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 159.
  29. ↑ Al-Khūʾī, al-Tanqīḥ fī sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1407 AH, vol. 1, pp. 163-164.
  30. ↑ Al-Khūʾī, al-Tanqīḥ fī sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1407 AH, vol. 1, pp. 162-163.
  31. ↑ Āqā Buzurg Ṭihrānī, al-Dharīʿa, 1408 AH, vol. 4, p. 390.
  32. ↑ Al-Khūʾī, al-Tanqīḥ fī sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1407 AH, vol. 1, pp. 139-140.
  33. ↑ Al-Khūʾī, al-Tanqīḥ fī sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-wuthqā, 1407 AH, vol. 1, pp. 140-141.
  34. ↑ Al-Jaṣṣāṣ, al-Fuṣūl fī al-uṣūl, 1420 AH, vol. 2, p. 372.
  35. ↑ Al-Ghazālī, vol. 2, p. 404.
  36. ↑ Ḥakīm, al-Uṣūl al-ʿāmma lil-fiqh al-muqāran, 1418 AH, p. 637.

References

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