Hakikat Kitabevi Publications No: 10 answer to an enemy of islam

‘Ask
those who know,’ reveals this fact. A person who follows a
mujtahid in one matter and follows another mujtahid in another
matter will not have believed or trusted in the former mujtahid.
Nor will his performance of the former matter be acceptable. If he
says that he believes and trusts in both of them, his words are not
believable.”
[1]
As in many respects, Rashîd Ridâ’s attitude and
conduct have contradicted his words in this respect, too. So says
the poet:
“Action is man’s mirror, words don’t ever count;
In his work appears the extent of his mind.”
31– The religion reformer quotes the conversation between
Hadrat al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî and an eccentric member of the
Bâtiniyya. He reports al-Imâm al-Ghazâlî as having said:
“The person whom I will advise should not be attached
to a heretical group, nor should he have dived into
discordant subjects. In ’ibâdât, dwell upon the matters on
which there has been agreement. Don’t deal with the
discordant matters. On a discordant matter, do the prudent
solution! Those [’ulamâ’] who did not say that it was fard
said that it was mustahab. At times when it is difficult to do
what is prudent employ ijtihâd yourself, that is, do the way
of the mujtahid that you think is superior. Follow the ’âlim
whom you have decided to be superior and more hitting in
his point of view! If that exalted person hit the right way in
his opinion and ijtihâd or in the conclusion and decision
which he deduced, there shall be two rewards, two thawâbs
– 45 –
[1] See for detail the passage translated from 
Al-mîzân al-kubra below, p.
82.

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for him. As a matter of fact, Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam) declared that if a person employed ijtihâd and
hit the right way he would win two prizes, and if he erred he
would win one prize. And Allâhu ta’âlâ referred the job to
those who are capable of ijtihâd. The eighty-third âyat of
the Sûrat an-Nisâ’ declares,