abu'muhammad
Junior Member
:salam2:
There are four great Imams, namely Imam Aboo Haneefah, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’ee and Imam Ahmed Ibne Hambal r.h. Ninety-nine percent of ummah follow the teachings of one of these four Imams. The minority that is exposed to such following, usually try to mislead by stating that by following an Imam, one leaves aside the teachings of the Prophet MUhammad ( SAW), and it is him that we are required to follow and not any Imam. The objection is, how ever unfounded and indicates lack of knowledge on the part of those raising it.
This is because we are saying we follow an Imam, we simply mean that we follow the Qur’aan and Hadith under their guidance. They are followed because the ummah unanimously agrees that their works are in total harmony with the Qur’aan and Hadith. One who follows any of the four Imams is, in reality, following the Qur’aan and the Hadith, as every ruling of these great luminaries is in accordance with the Ahaadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
How can a Muslim even contemplate abandoning the Qur’aan and the Hadith? Such a person would no longer remain a Muslim. The teachings of four great Imams are followed because they are based on none other than Qur’aan and Sunnah. Besides, how can following of an Imam be against the Sunnah when we see that even the high ranking scholars of the ummah followed an Imam and refrained from interpreting the Shariah sources themselves.
Following an Imam is Following the Qur’aan & Ahaadith.
As it is impractical for every single individual to undertake an in-depth study of the Qur’aan and Hadith and dedicate him/herself totally towards this cause, without engaging in any other activity, it becomes necessary to follow those who had dedicated their entire lives in studying the Qur’aan and Hadith and proved their competency and capability in interpreting them. If was as if Allah(rabill alamin)Himself had chosen them for this noble work. The science of Hadith, Tafseer and fiqh is so vast that if they had not committed themselves to studying these, we have not been able to follow the Deen in its entirety. They are many Ahaadith which apparently contradicts one another; how would it have been possible to understand and follow them?
Many people who, having made an attempt to study the books of Hadith directly, without any scholarly knowledge, were led astray due to their not comprehending the real essence of the Hadith. Such people first doubted the authenticity of the Ahaadith and then ultimately rejected them. Hence, following the Imaam is a means of safeguarding oneself from such deviation. I repeat, when we say we follow an Imam, this means we follow the Qur’aan and Hadith under his guidance.
lillahil hamd