Mujtahid

Mujtahid refers to a jurist who performs independent reasoning in finding a solution to a legal question.

52568

Mujtahid . Salah (Prayers) . Taqlid . Sawm (Fasting)
If someone did not know about Taqleed and later learned that they must follow a Mujtahid, do they need to repeat all their prayers and fasts?
Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 6 years ago

No, they do not need to repeat them.
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48028

Mujtahid . Taqlid
Is Taqleed wajib on one who is not a mujtahid himself? If not, how can one determine the Islamic decrees to be followed?
Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 7 years ago

The holy Qur'an says that believers should act upon knowledge: "And do not pursue that which you have no knowledge" (17:36). The idea of acting according to guesses and conjectures have been clearly rejected: "And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except conjectures, and indeed conjectures avail not against the truth at all" (53:28). Consequently, the one who is not able and is not qualified to deduce religious rulings should follow an expert and a mujtahid to learn the necessary details of Islamic law that are relevant to his life and situation. Not doing so would imply to follow conjectures of his own self or non-qualified people and this is condemned by the Qur'an. It is also possible to act according to precaution which implies to take the most precautionary steps and opinions but this requires a considerable amount of knowledge often difficult to attain for the ordinary person; it is therefore advisable for those who are not experts in religious sciences to follow a fully-qualified mujtahid whose knowledge has been fully established.

With prayers for your success.
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46423

Mujtahid
Would a female mujtahid still have to follow a male marja'?
Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi went to the Hawza-e ‘Ilmiya-e Qum, Iran where he attended the dars-e kharij lectures of Ayatullah Wahid Khurãsãni. He also obtained an MA degree in History in 1991 from Simon... Answer imported 7 years ago

It is haram for a person who has reached the level of ijtihad to do taqlid for another mujtahid. This applies equally to men as well as women.

However, when the question of a marja` comes (i.e., a mujtahid who is followed by others), then one of the conditions is that the marja` must be a male. For example, the late Ayatullah al-Khu`i, says: "The conditions [necessary] in marja`i 't-taqlid...", before listing the well-known conditions ---like sanity, being baligh, iman, justice and being a male (Minhaju 's-Salihiyn, vol. 1, p. 7).

In short, a woman can reach the level of ijtihad and follow her own views but she cannot become a marja`.
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