The Shi'i Religious Authority (Al-Marjaʿiyyah Al-Dīnīyyah) - An Introduction to the System of Marja'iyyah - STEPS Series 2 Episode 6 - Misconceptions on Taqlid - A Summary

In this video, we present an overview of what we have been discussing in the last 5-part series on Ijtihad and Taqlid.

This article introduces the system of marjaʿiyyah – the just, Shīʿī religious authority which the laity refer to when it comes to understanding one’s religious obligations towards Allah in the sphere of the acts of worship and beyond.

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What is “common sense”? What happens when a religious ruling appears to contradict what we “feel” is right? What do we do? Hasn’t the common collective intellect of humanity sometimes been “wrong”? Does Allah expect us to “blindly” follow the verdict of a religious scholar, or would He rather than we follow our “gut instinct” and do what WE feel is right?

The Shi'i Religious Authority (Al-Marjaʿiyyah Al-Dīnīyyah) - An Introduction to the System of Marja'iyyah - STEPS Series 2 Episode 5 - The Consultative Ijtihad System

Do the Mujtahids function in a bubble, isolated from each other, or are they engaged in a “collective, consultative system” in which they work with one another AND with experts in other fields when they issue verdicts? Do they take into account the modern-day breakthroughs in science or are they looking at issues with 6th-century lenses on?

What is “common sense”? What happens when a religious ruling appears to contradict what we “feel” is right? What do we do? Hasn’t the common collective intellect of humanity sometimes been “wrong”? Does Allah expect us to “blindly” follow the verdict of a religious scholar, or would He rather than we follow our “gut instinct” and do what WE feel is right?

The Shi'i Religious Authority (Al-Marjaʿiyyah Al-Dīnīyyah) - An Introduction to the System of Marja'iyyah - STEPS Series 2 Episode 4 - Taqlid vs Common Sense

What is “common sense”? What happens when a religious ruling appears to contradict what we “feel” is right? What do we do? Hasn’t the common collective intellect of humanity sometimes been “wrong”? Does Allah expect us to “blindly” follow the verdict of a religious scholar, or would He rather than we follow our “gut instinct” and do what WE feel is right?

Living in an increasingly complex world, we look to the senior scholars to provide guidance on contemporary issues in the fields of bioethics, business and finance, social interaction and other areas, however they insist on conducting ijtihad on “past issues” like prayers, fasting, etc. What is the need to delve on the past – should we not look towards the future?

The Shi'i Religious Authority (Al-Marjaʿiyyah Al-Dīnīyyah) - An Introduction to the System of Marja'iyyah - STEPS Series 2 Episode 3 - The Relevance of Ijtihad

Living in an increasingly complex world, we look to the senior scholars to provide guidance on contemporary issues in the fields of bioethics, business and finance, social interaction and other areas, however they insist on conducting ijtihad on “past issues” like prayers, fasting, etc. What is the need to delve on the past – should we not look towards the future?

Ahadith that Shape the Taqlid Mode

As the hadith are the secondary source of Islamic teachings, what does this body of text say about “following” others? Traditions seem to contradict each other in this area, so how do the senior scholars resolve this apparent inconsistency? Do we have examples in history of the Prophet or Imams encouraging their companions to guide others by issuing edicts?