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

parting in actions (a’mâl). Every business has an 
’azîma (difficult
way) as well as a 
rukhsa (easy way). A business has its ’azîma in
one madhhab, while its rukhsa is permitted in another madhhab.
A person who can do the azîma is not permitted to pick out the
rukhsas of the four madhhabs. Doing so means making a game of
Islam. Rukhsas are for those who are unable to do ’azîmas.
Moreover, it is better for the able person not to do the rukhsa in
his own madhhab, either. One should act upon ’azîmas as much as
one can. Non-mujtahids have to choose one madhhab and follow
it in everything they do. When they reach a grade to infer rules
from the Nass (âyats and hadîths) by way of nazar (careful
examination) and istidlâl (reasoning, convincing oneself with
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reasonable evidences), they must follow their own ijtihâds. This is
stated in Imâm Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s saying, ‘Obtain your
knowledge from the source your imâms did. Don’t go on with the
taqlîd.’ Abû Muhammad al-Jawînî (d. 478/1085) wrote in his book
Muhît, ‘It is wara’ and taqwâ for capable people to do the ’azîmas
of the four madhhabs and it is very good. It is permissible for
incapable people to do the rukhsas of the four madhhabs, but all
the requirements of a rukhsa in a madhhab should be fulfilled.’
“Al-Imâm as-Suyûtî says: ‘There are two kinds of mujtahids:
mujtahid mutlaq and mujtahid fi ’l-madhhab. A scholar who is a
mujtahid fi ’l-madhhab does not follow the imâm of his own
madhhab; he issues a fatwâ as a result of his own inference, but he
has to look for the documentary evidence according to the
principles (qawâ’id) of the imâm of the madhhab. He cannot go
beyond these principles. No mujtahid mutlaq came after the
imâms of the four madhhabs. That is, no scholar claimed to be a
mujtahid mutlaq. Only Muhammad Jarîr at-Tabarî claimed to be
so, yet no scholar admitted his claim.’
“When Shaikh ’Izz ad-dîn ibn Jamâ’a issued a fatwâ for a
matter in accordance with another madhhab, he would always
include all the conditions concerning that matter required in that
madhhab and state that the conditions were to be fulfilled, and
would add, ‘If you do not do them, it will not be sahîh as an ’ibâda,’
for, doing the rukhsas of madhhabs is permissible only when there
is hardship in doing ’azîmas, and with proviso that one shall fulfil
all their conditions.
“If one’s hand touches a woman [he is and/or was permitted to
marry with nikâh], his ablution breaks according to the Shâfi’î
madhhab but it does not in the Hanafî madhhab. When it is
possible for a Shafi’î who has touched [such] a woman to perform
an ablution again, it will not be sahîh (valid, lawful) for him to
perform salât with his broken ablution by following the Hanafî
madhhab. His following the Hanafî madhhab in this respect
requires the existence of a compulsory hardship; that is, it must be
impossible for him to perform an ablution again, and he has to do
all the things that are fard and wâjib in an ablution and salât
according to the Hanafî madhhab.”
[1]
The religion reformer, taking the scholars’ comment that there
may come mujtahidi fi ’l-madhhab in every century, claims that
absolute (mutlaq) mujtahids who will not follow the four
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[1] ’Abd al-Wahhâb ash-Sha’rânî,