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

Al-usûl al-arba’a that
ash-Shawkânî did not belong to a madhhab, that he said
“disbeliever and polytheist” about one who followed a madhhab,
and that the lâ-madhhabî regard him as a mujtahid.
41– In the Thirteenth Dialogue the reformer says:
“Imâm Ahmad said to Abû Dâwud, ‘Do not follow
anybody in the religion! Take what is conveyed from as-
Sahâba! You are free to adapt (tâbi’) yourself to those who
came after as-Sahâba.’ ‘Adaptation’ does not mean to
‘follow’ (taqlîd). Taqlîd means to follow a person’s words
or opinions without knowing where he has taken it from,
without seeing his proofs. The Hanbalî madhhab is the
madhhab of the hadîth. None of the scholars who adapted
themselves to this madhhab gave up the hadîth in return
for their imâm’s opinions. Taqlîd makes intellect useless.
He who compares the deductions (ra’y) or ijtihâds of
scholars with the Nass and then gives up the ones
disagreeing with the Nass will not have given up the words
of scholars. Neither it is fard to follow ijtihâds, nor will
those who do not follow them be sinners or disbelievers.
– 77 –

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The imâms or their disciples did not say that it was
necessary to admit their deductions or ijtihâds. Imâm Abû
Hanîfa said, ‘This is my ijtihâd. If there should be anyone
to say the better I will follow him.’ When Hârûn ar-Rashîd
wanted to command everybody to follow the ijtihâds of
Imâm Mâlik, the imâm said, ‘Do not do that! A hadîth
which is not known at some place is known at some other
place.’ A hadîth reported by only one person denotes
supposition. Such a hadîth, even if it is sahîh, is to be given
up if it is against the public advantage. The Sunna will not
be abandoned by doing so. It will have been omitted
because strong evidence against it has been seen. So is the
case with Hadrat ’Umar’s ijtihâd upon divorce and mut’a.
Hadrat ’Umar cannot be said to have opposed to the
hadîth.”
He boasts of himself by writing through the preacher’s tongue:
“O you virtuous young man! I now appreciate your deep
and extensive knowledge.”
He writes again through the preacher’s tongue:
“The harm of taqlîd, even if it were only getting stuck
into the books of one’s own madhhab and neglecting the
books of hadîth, will prove it [taqlîd] wrong.”
Not only Imâm Ahmad but also the other a’immat al-madhâhib
said to their disciples, “Do not follow anybody, not even me. Take
what is conveyed from as-Sahâba,” because there were mujtahids
among their disciples. Mujtahids had to do so. And the statement,
“You are free to adapt yourself to those who came after as-
Sahâba” is a lie, for, a mujtahid was not permitted to follow
another mujtahid. Hadrat ’Abd al-Wahhâb ash-Sha’rânî wrote in