Taqlid or taklid (Arabic تَقْليد taqlīd) is an Arabic term in Islamic legal terminology connoting "imitation", that is; following the decisions of a religious authority without necessarily examining the scriptural basis or reasoning of that decision, such as accepting and following the verdict of scholars of jurisprudence (fiqh) without demanding an explanation of the processes by which they arrive at it, hence adherence to one of the classical schools (madhhab) of jurisprudence.

In Islamic theology taqlid of someone regarded as a higher religious authority (such as a qualified scholar or 'ālim) is acceptable in the details of the laws of the religion (shariah), such as matters of worship and personal affairs, but not in the fundamentals of "metaphysical" belief, such as about the existence of God (Allah). Taqlid may be contrasted with independent interpretation of legal sources by intellectual effort (ijtihad). This is a common concept among the Shi'a while the Sunni generally regard it impermissible for a person who has not mastered fiqh to derive their own rulings on matters of law.

» Posted by ibn zakir on 24th August 2011

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