The Legal Status Of Following a Madhab

According to the Hanafi Madhab, the hands should be held below the navel. According to the Shaaf'ee Madhab, the hands should be held above the navel. The Hanbali Madhab grants an option between the two, while the Maaliki Madhab advocates leaving the hands unfolded at one's sides" 

Why taqleed (Followers) of  the schools of thoughts (madhaahib) of Imam's  Maalik, ash-Shaafi'ee, Abu  Haneefah, and Ahmad bin Hanbal. 

The fact is  that the Religion of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is one and the Quraan is one?

This Book deals with the issue of Madhab, the approach  is academic and non-confrontational. A must read if you want to understand this sometimes hotly debated issue.

Table of Contents

The Nature of Taqleed

The Concept of Taqleed in the Qur'an

Taqleed in the Sunnah

The Era of the Companions and Absolute Taqleed

Taqleed of an Individual during the Time of the Companions and their Followers

The Need for Following a Particular Imam

Taqleed of an Individual

Why the Four Schools of Thought

The Different Levels of Taqleed

The Taqleed of the Lay Person

The Taqleed of an Expert Scholar

The Taqleed of a Scholar who is a Mujtahid in his School

The Taqleed of an Absolute Mujtahid

Responses to Doubts Raised Against Taqleed

The Following of Forefathers is Condemned in the Qur'an

The Condemnation of Taqleed of Savants and Sages

The Hadith of Adi ibn Hatim, Radi-Allahu anhu

The Statement of Abdullah ibn Mas'ood, Radi-Allahu anhu

The Statements of Mujtahid Imams Themselves

How Does a Lay Person Recognize a Mujtahid

Is Taqleed a Defect?

The Taqleed of an Individual and Following one's Whims and Fancies

The Taqleed of an Individual and New Issues

The Hanafi School of Thought and Ahadith

Imam Abu Hanifa and his Knowledge of Hadith

Inertia in Taqleed

Mufti Taqi Usmani is one of the leading Islamic scholars living today. Author of more than 40 books, he is an expert in the fields of Islamic law, Economics and Hadith. For the past 35 years, he has been teaching at the Darul-Uloom in Karachi that was established by his father Mufti Muhammad Shafi, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan. He also holds a degree in law and has sat as Judge at the Shari'ah Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He is a consultant to several international Islamic financial institutions and has played a key part in the move toward interest free banking and the establishment of Islamic financial institutions. He is the deputy chairman of the Jeddah based Islamic Fiqh Council of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).