Taqlid and the Stagnation of the Muslim Mind

Abstract

The Origins and Beginnings of Taqlid
Allah Most High chose the Muslims to be the ummah of mission (risalah),
of exemplary good (khayriyah), of the golden mean (wasatiyah), and of
witnessing to humanity (shahadah). Along with these responsibilities came
the capacity for renewal, for ijtihad, and for correctly interpreting the Shari'ah.
As a result, there is a certain inseparable mutuality between the ummah's
roles as a median community czun civilizational witness for humanity and
its other role as a moral and ethical exemplar, and between its capability
for ijtihad and effecting reform. In order to hcilitate these roles, Allah endowed
the Qur'an and the Sunnah with the necessary flexibility in every aspect of
Islam: its belief system, its methodology, its Shari'ah, and its organization.
Thus it was only natural for the early generations of Muslims, both on
an individual and a community level, to offer a unique picture to the
world: the complete liberation of the human mind from all forms of mental
slavery and idolatry. Further protection against Wing from this exalted position
was the provision made for avoiding mistakes, deviations, and
misinterpretations: only those statements which could be proven by acceptable
evidence or supported by valid testimony were to be believed. A look at the
ijtihad exercised by the sahabah, whether they were learned qurra' or common
people, will suffice to illustrate the amazing transformation which Islam was
able to achieve.
Why do we not see this situation today? What has happened to the
penetrating and enlightened mind inspired by Islam, the one which freed
our ancestors from their idols and the obstacles blocking their progress? Haw
did such a mind return to its former prison and fetters, robbed of any chance
to renew and reform the ummah through ijtihad? In a word, the answer is ...