بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

There is a tendency in some people to hold those people in high esteem, who are supposedly knowledgeable in religious doctrine, and follow them in religious matters. Sectarian labeled Muslims have divided themselves into groups based on which Imam’s teachings they follow.  The people who are followed are usually awarded lofty titles e.g mufti, imam, ayatullah, ulamas, bishop, cardinals, rabbis, etc

These knowledgeable people/Ulamas often write books of religious practice (sharia) and practically for a common man, the religion becomes following this sharia/practice. Little that people know that when they are following this ‘sharia’, they are in effect not following the ‘sharia’ of the Book of Allah but the ‘sharia’ of the religious leaders of their particular sect. While Allah categorically declares the makers of all these ‘sharias’ as the partners who are strictly forbidden in Allah’s religion (42:21).

A majority of ‘Ulamas’ lead people astray from true ‘Deen’/Judgement of Allah (9:34). There is a book of guidance given to everyone (Al-Kitab), however, instead of following this guidance, people like to follow big names in religion who give the impression that common man is unable to pursue the right path on his own and must follow someone knowledgeable in religious matters.

The true believers are basically ‘wali’/protectors of each other as they advise/correct each other with Allah’s ayahs. Its is not always one way traffic for the believers that a more knowledgeable person can correct/advise people and not vice versa.

7:3    اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

Follow, what (the revelation) is sent down on you (people) from your Lord, and do not follow, as Aulia /(spritual) protectors, other than Him. Little among you pay heed to admonition.

Majority of Ulama’s take people’s money and devour it with falsehood. They terrorize people’s hearts for submission to their authority and for extorting money. Also, they propagate their own, mostly sectarian version of religion instead of conveying Allah’s path.

9:34   يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْأَحْبَارِ وَالرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

O’ you who believe surely the majority of ‘Ahbar’/the scholars and ‘Rohban’/the terrorists definitely eat the wealth of the people with falsehood and they oppose the way of Allah, and those people who hoard gold and silver (wealth) and they do not spend it in the way of Allah, then give them the tidings of the grievous punishment.

A portion of  ‘Ulamas’ i.e the supposedly knowledgeable religious people give the impression that what they are saying is from the Book of Allah, which actually is not from the Book, it only looks or sounds similar to the Book.

3:78   وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

There certainly is among them a party who digress their tongues with the Book so that you people may think it  (what they are saying) is from the Book, but it is not from the Book; and they say, “This is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah, and they tell lies towards Allah, and they know it!

6:114   أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْتَغِي حَكَمًا وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكِتَابَ مُفَصَّلًا ۚ وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ

Say,  shall I seek a judge other than Allah? – when He is Who has sent unto you the Book, explained in detail. Those to whom We have given the Book, know fully well that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth. Thus you never be then of those who doubt.

The above ayat answers and provides reason for the question, why a judge other than Allah, shouldn’t be sought? the reason is because Allah has sent down a detailed book.

2:166-167   إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا مِنَّا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَمَا هُم بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

When those who were followed, cleared themselves from those who followed (them) and they saw the penalty, and all relations between them would be cut off. And those who followed said. “If only we were to return, we would clear ourselves of them, as they have cleared themselves of us.” Likewise Allah shows them (The fruits of) their deeds as (nothing but) regrets for them and there is no way out of the fire for them.

As above ayahs state that those who were following supposedly knowledgeable people, will realize their mistake on the day of judgment.

Then there are religious grand ‘Muftis’ who issue ‘Fatwas’ (religious advice) for various issues and write Books of ‘Sharia’. They give the impression that by following the ‘Fatwa’ or their ‘Sharia’ book, the responsibility will be on the ‘Mufti’, absolving the followers of the responsibility of making that decision. The below ayat covers that issue:

29: 12-13  وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبِعُوا سَبِيلَنَا وَلْنَحْمِلْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَمَا هُم بِحَامِلِينَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالًا مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ ۖ وَلَيُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ

And the people who did Kufr/covered said to the people who believed, “Follow our path, and we will certainly bear the (burden of) your faults.” But they shall not be bearing anything from their faults, certainly they are liars! They will bear their own burdens, and (other) burdens along with their own, and on the day of Judgments they will surely be called to account for what they used to fabricate.

Then on the day of judgment, the followers and followed ones, both will be present and the followers will ask, that we but followed you as you asked us to do. So, is there a way you can help, but alas there will be no help for them.

14:21   وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا فَقَالَ الضُّعَفَاءُ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ قَالُوا لَوْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَاكُمْ ۖ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَجَزِعْنَا أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍ

They were all presented before Allah together. Thus the weak ones said to those who were arrogant, “We were but your followers; can you spare us anything (at all) from the punishment of Allah?”. They replied, “Had we been on Guidance of Allah, we would have guided you. To us it makes no difference (now) whether we lament or bear with patience. For us there is no way of escape.”

34:33   وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَادًا ۚ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

Those who had been weak (lesser in knowledge) will say to the arrogant ones. “Nay! it was (your) day and night plotting when you ordered us to negate Allah and set up rivals to Him!” They will (try to) conceal their shame when they see the punishment. We set up yokes on the necks of the rejecters, will they be retributed anything but what they used to do.

When on the day of judgment, the weaker in knowledge who used to follow the supposedly more knowledgeable religious leader, will disassociate themselves and will complain that you engaged us day and night in your fraud to cover Allah’s ayahs with your fabrications to set up rivals with Allah and make them the center of our hopes and supplications.  

42:21   أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَن بِهِ اللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةُ الْفَصْلِ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Do they have partners, who have established ‘Shariat’/ways for them in ‘deen’/judgment? for which Allah never gives His permission? Had it not been for the ‘decisive Word’, the matter would have been settled among them, and for the wrong-doers there is definitely a grievous penalty.

Those people who make ‘Shariat’/Practices, are the ‘Shuraka’/Partners as stated in above ayat.

Quran is Allah’s Book and the saying/Qaul of the Messenger (69:40-46). The Messenger (pbuh) has conveyed Quran to the people not the other Hadith books which are attributed to the Messenger. On the day of Judgment people who followed people with big names, will say wistfully that they should have obeyed Allah and the Messenger, instead of following the their ‘Syeds’ and big names and titles;

33:66-67   يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا

وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا

The Day their faces will be turned upside down in the fire, they will say. “Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the messenger!”  And they would say. “Our Lord! Verily We obeyed our Syeds/chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us as from the (right) path.”

The true believers are ‘aualia’s’ i.e backings to one another. It is basically a two way traffic. One can correct the other with the help of ayahs. Believers who back and protect each other for every advise/order they should give reference of relevant ayahs from the Book of Allah. 

9:71   وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

“The Believers, men and women, some are Wali/protectors of some. They enjoin with what is Maroof( recognized ), and forbid what is Munkar (Not recognized/impostor). they establish prayers, give zakat/justification, and obey Allah and His messenger. On them  Allah will soon pour His mercy, for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.”

Notes:

Other related Ayas are 10:35, 40:47-48, 16:25

Urdu version of this post on below link:

Quranic perspective on ‘Taqleed’