IJTIHAAD & TAQLEED

Any Mudgetahid who meets ALL the criteria for being a Mudgetahid, and is also the A'lam (the most knowledgeable amongst the Mudgetahids), is fit to be followed. It is up to you to compare an individual against the checklist of the criteria for a Mudgetahid. The following is the first four queries about Taqleed in the Risalah al-Amaleyyah of Ayatollah al-Udhma Imam Muhammad al-Hussaini al-Shirazi.

· A Muslim must believe in the fundamentals of Islam intellectual reasoning, and he may not follow any other individual in this matter in the sense that he accepts someone else's words without any reasoning.

As for the Shari'ah or Islamic Law and other religious details, an individual must be in one of the following three categories:

1. A Mudgetahid – i.e. an expert in Islamic law and theology - so that he can derive the laws and judgements from the relevant sources and references.

2. Otherwise he must follow the opinion and judgement of a Mudgetahid who meets ALL the required criteria for this purpose.

3. There is a third option for him, which is to perform his obligations through the practice of Ihtiyat - precaution - such that he is sure he has discharged his duties. For example if a group of Mudgetahids decreed that certain practice is haraam and another group decreed that that practice is not haraam, then on the basis of Ihtiyat this person should not commit that practice. Or if a group of Mudgetahids decreed that certain practice is obligatory – Waajib - and another group of them decreed that it is desirable - Mustahab - then on the basis of precaution - Ihtiyat - he treats it as obligatory and therefore performs that practice.

Therefore, if one is not a Mudgetahid, and he is not able to practice his duties on the basis of Ihtiyat, it is obligatory for him to follow a Mudgetahid and practice his duties according to the views and opinions of that Mudgetahid.

· Taqleed or following in the case of Islamic law is to follow the views and opinions of one of the Mudgetahids, and that the Mudgetahid must be: Adolescent Male of Sound Mind, Shi'a who believes in the twelve Imams or successors of Rasulollah (S), of legitimate birth, alive, free, and ‘Aadil. The ‘Aadil is he who practices all the compulsory and obligatory duties and avoids the forbidden, such that if his neighbours, friends, colleagues, and people of his hometown were asked about him, they would talk of his fitness.

1. If one himself is certain of the Mudgetahid's credentials, this is provided that the individual himself has some expertise in this field, and is able to identify the Mudgetahid.

2. If two just scholars who are able to identify a Mudgetahid declare that he is a Mudgetahid, provided two other Aadil scholars do not give opposing declaration.

3. If a group of reliable scholars and experts - who are able to evaluate a Mudgetahid - unanimously approve of one Mudgetahid.

And it is evident that the report of one such individual - if can be relied upon - is sufficient.

· On the basis of the obligation of following the most knowledgeable of the Mudgetahids, if it proved to be difficult to identify the A'lam - the most knowledgeable, one must follow he who is thought to be the A'lam - the most knowledgeable, and furthermore it is obligatory to follow he who is given a slight chance of being the A'lam, and that others are not most knowledgeable.

However, if a group of Mudgetahids were believed to be of equal ranks, then he may follow one of them.

Question: Qualifications

Answer

1. The first of the many Ulema who gave permission and licence for the IJTIHAAD of Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Imam al-Seyyed Muhammad Shirazi, were the most eminent:

The first two of the Ulema mentioned above are two of his teachers who announced Imam Shirazi's IJTIHAAD more than forty years ago. They in particular were the most eminent scholars and Maraaje' Taqleed of the time, whose qualities were widely known to all.

2. What has been attributed to imam Khoi, that he has declared that Imam Shirazi is not a Mujtahid, is incorrect and totally baseless. Imam Khoi has on numerous occasions refuted such slanders against him at every opportunity he came across. For example when on one occasion imam Khoi was asked about this matter by the Lebanese weekly al-Shiraa', he responded in his own handwriting, refuting it as “lies and slander which has been attributed to him”.

Al-Shiraa's question was: “The Fatwa you have decreed that al-Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi is not a Mujtahid has caused much dispute amongst the (Shi'a) community . . . are you still of the same opinion as before? What was the reason/basis for the Fatwa given? Your Excellency know that not an insignificant number of Maraaje' and Mujtahids accept the Marja'eyyah of al-Sayyad Muhaamd al-Shirazi, let alone his Ijtihaad. Amongst them are Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Mirza Mahdi al-Shirazi, Sheikh al-Mujtahideen Agha Buzurg al-Tehrani, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Kaadhum Shari'at-Madari (may Allah bless their soul), and also Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Shahab-ul-Deen al-Mar'ashi al-Najafi, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Ridha al-Gulpaygani, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Saadiq al-Ruhaani, and Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Ibrahim al-Musawi al-Zanjani (may Allah prolong your and their life span). In addition to the fact that he – i.e. al-Seyyed Muhammad Shirazi – was put in charge of running and managing the Hawzah of Karbala by the likes of Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhsin al-Hakim and Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Abdel-Haadi al-Shirazi.”

In his reply Imam Khoi said: “what has been attributed to me at the beginning of the question that “The Fatwa you have decreed that . . . .” is incorrect and in fact false, if it has been attributed to us out of ignorance, or it is a false accusation and slander if it has been attributed to us in full knowledge and on purpose. Despite the number of occasions on which we have been asked about this matter, we have said nothing but that we have no knowledge of it since he – i.e. Imam Shirazi – had not studied or taken part in the lessons/debates which we used to give, or similar such programs for us to get to know this (i.e. his Ijtihaad). Therefore the only reply we have always given to such questions has been ‘we have not licensed him for a particular matter (i.e. Ijtihaad), and NOT that we have declared to the contrary (of his Ijtihaad). Therefore whatever has been attributed to us are lies and slander.”

In other words Imam al-Khoi did not personally gave licence of Ijithaad to Imam Shirazi since the former was not the latter's teacher/supervisor – which is a natural thing to happen when one has not been another's teacher – and Imam al-Khoi emphasises in the above declaration, that this does not mean that he, i.e. Imam Shirazi, is not Mujtahid. It is important to note that Imam al-Khoi's repeating statement in his concluding remark to the above question and answer that “what has been attributed to him”, i.e. that he has decreed that Imam Shirazi is not a Mujtahid, “is a lie and a slander.” Perhaps the reason behind this is the full knowledge of such high scholars that the dissemination of slander and false accusations against the scholars of Islam and the Maraaje' al-Taqleed is not new, and their history is full of such practice by the enemies of Islam. For example, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhsin al-Hakim was falsely accused at a time when he assumed the office of the Marja'eyyat. He was accused on television that he was a spy and that he was working for the colonial powers, and such false accusations continued to be broadcast against him until a pamphlet published against him under the title “Wahhabi Beliefs Manifest themselves in the Fatwa's of al-Hakim”. . . . Along the same line, “lies and slanders” were made against Imam Shirazi that were even attributed to Imams Hakim and Khoi, which are totally false, as can be seen from the above details.

If wish to see the article by the al-Shiraa' magazine, it is about 2MB, please click here.

It has been 'rumoured', for which I have yet to see solid proof that at least one hukm was issued by Marje' against Ayatollah Shirazi. Now it has not been made clear to me why this 'hukm' was issued and what it exactly contained. It has been mentioned that it (they) was (were) issued about 20 years ago by A. Hakim and A. Khoi.

In asking/looking around I have not found any evidence to support this (apart from a passing comment that A. Khoi issued such a hukm because, at that time A. Shirazi was considered too young, which makes no sense in my opinion). The accuser (s) themselves have failed to provide any evidence to support their claim. It nevertheless is something, which has been a tool that some have used to divide the Shi'a community (causing TAFRIQA).Although the rule in Islam is that the accuser must show the evidence (i.e. bears the burden of proof),I would like to find where these claims stem from and perhaps cut off the growth of false rumours, which are spread sometimes with malicious intent.

Would you please inform me if there were ever such a hukm (s) and why exactly they were issued and exactly what the hukm said? If there is any relating information, which will aid my understanding of this issue and does not inconvenience you, please provide me with it. I apologise if my request has caused inconvenience or bad feelings in anyway, but it is simply my aim to find the truth and stop any false claims being spread unchallenged. As unfortunately people believe a lot without any evidence being put before them.

If you have any documents (in Arabic or Farsi) which will disprove these claims or otherwise please send me a scanned copy.

Answer

In response to the question where do such false accusations and allegations against the eminent scholars come from, which aim to create division (TAFRAQA) amongst the Shi'a, we would say:

Such issues are the creation of the enemies of the Shi'a who aim to keep the Shi'a weak, divided and fighting amongst themselves. They are the governments who have imposed themselves upon the Islamic countries, especially Iraq , and the colonial powers who wish to protect their interest in the region. On the other hand there is a bunch of the Shi'a who are either ignorant, or jealous, or both who delve into such FITNAH.

This is not surprising since the most important aspect of the Shi'a, which distinguishes them from the rest is their system of Marja'eyyat, through which the Maraaje' safeguarded and protected the ‘Aqaa'id or beliefs and the teachings of the true Islam, in the face of the onslaught of corruption and deviation from the truth. Furthermore it was the Maraaje' who through their leadership protected or liberated the Muslim lands leading the people against the colonial powers or the despot rulers throughout history.

One example of character assassination of the Shi'a Maraaje' before that of Imam Shirazi is that of Imam al-Hakim. Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhsin al-Hakim was falsely accused at a time when he assumed the office of the Marja'eyyat. He was accused on television that he was a spy and that he was working for the colonial powers, and such false accusations continued to be broadcast against him until a pamphlet published against him under the title “Wahhabi Beliefs Manifest themselves in the Fatwa's of al-Hakim”. . . . Along the same line, “lies and slanders” were made against Imam Shirazi that were even attributed to Imams Hakim and Khoi, which are totally false, as will be seen later.

There has NEVER been any Hukm either by the late Ayatollah Hakim, or by the late Ayatollah Khoi against Ayatollah Shirazi. Given his extra-ordinary ability, as well as his resolute determination, Ayatollah Muhammad Shirazi accomplished the stage of Ijtihaad in his late twenties, and on the basis of the works he had done and the ‘thesis' that he presented, he was declared Mujtahid in Karbala 1379 H / 1959 CE. Ayatollah Hakim appointed the new Mujtahid – Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi – as his representative in Karbala and gave him the responsibilities to administer the Khums & Zakat, and put him in charge of running the affairs of the Hawzah in Karbala [The Hawzah in Karbala had produced some of the most eminent Shi'a scholars in history.] So, as far as Ayatollah Hakim is concerned, he had nothing for Ayatollah Shirazi other than praises. When Ayatollah Hakim died, Ayatollah Khoi became the Marje' in Najaf. When asked about Ayatollah Shirazi's Ijtihaad, as he had not studied in Najaf under the supervision of Ayatollah Khoi, the latter said that the former had not studied under my supervision, and therefore I do not know of his work. It seems those who want to create FITNAH in amongst the Shi'a had asked the late Ayatollah Khoi more than once in order to extract something against Ayatollah Shirazi, but every time they got the same response.

What has been attributed to imam Khoi, that he has declared that Imam Shirazi is not a Mujtahid, is incorrect and totally baseless. Imam Khoi has on numerous occasions refuted such slanders against him at every opportunity he came across. For example when on one occasion imam Khoi was asked about this matter by the Lebanese weekly al-Shiraa', he responded in his own handwriting, refuting it as “lies and slander which has been attributed to him”.

Al-Shiraa's question was: “The Fatwa you have decreed that al-Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi is not a Mujtahid has caused much dispute amongst the (Shi'a) community . . . are you still of the same opinion as before? What was the reason/basis for the Fatwa given? Your Excellency know that a significant number of Maraaje' and Mujtahids accept the Marja'eyyah of al-Sayyad Muhaamd al-Shirazi, let alone his Ijtihaad. Amongst them are Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Mirza Mahdi al-Shirazi, Sheikh al-Mujtahideen Agha Buzurg al-Tehrani, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Kaadhum Shari'at-Madari (may Allah bless their soul), and also Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Shahab-ul-Deen al-Mar'ashi al-Najafi, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Ridha al-Gulpaygani, Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhammad Saadiq al-Ruhaani, and Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Ibrahim al-Musawi al-Zanjani (may Allah prolong your and their life span). In addition to the fact that he – i.e. al-Seyyed Muhammad Shirazi – was put in charge of running and managing the Hawzah of Karbala by the likes of Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Muhsin al-Hakim and Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed Abdel-Haadi al-Shirazi.”

If wish to see the article by the al-Shiraa' magazine, it is about 2MB, please click here.

The Shi'a scholars progress through the levels of scientific achievements in the derivation of Islamic laws, and the leadership of the Ummah in various domains through three fundamental stages of

MARJA'EYYAH (to attain the leadership and managerial skills in order to be able to assume the office of a Marje' Taqleed), and

The following is a list of the names of some of the most distinguished Maraaje' al-Taqleed, scholars and Fuqahaa', who are expert in these fields and need no presentation, both of those who have passed away and those who are alive, who have acknowledge (1) the IJTIHAAD of Imam Shirazi, his outstanding fitness and competence for the management of the Hawzah and (2) the office of the MARJA'EYYAH, and (3) finally his A'LAMEYYAH, which most of the Fuqahaa' consider it a requirement for Taqleed (although some may consider it as a precautionary requirement).

The first of the many Ulema who gave permission and licence for the IJTIHAAD of Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Imam al-Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi, were the most eminent:

Needless to say that these prominent scholars are well-known and it would have been sufficient for Imam Shirazi to have received the authorisation for Ijtihaad from only one of them to prove his credentials.

The stage after that of the IJTIHAAD is the MARJA'EYYAH, and on the question of the fitness and competence of Imam Shirazi for this crucial post, many eminent scholars and Maraaje' Taqleed have confirmed his fitness, and endorsed him for this post, given Imam Muhammad Shirazi's prominence in scientific achievements and leadership and managerial qualities, not to mention his Zuhd, Taqwa, sincerity, and fearless determination to defend Islam and its noble values. Some of the scholars who endorsed Imam Shirazi's credentials are given below at the end of this email. The list is not exhaustive, and to avoid making the list too long, the names of some forty scholars are listed.

In this respect some of the scholars of Karbala issued a statement confirming the status of Marje' of Imam Muhammad Shirazi and his competence and qualification for this post.

The statement reads, “Bismillah . . . . . since many of the Mu'minin have been asking about the next Marje' following the death of Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Seyyed al-Hakim (may Allah bless his soul), we the under signed confirm that Ayatollah al-Mujaddid (the reformer) al-Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi is fit to manage the affairs of the Shi'a and qualified to lead them and he meets all the criteria for a Marje' Taqleed. 1391 H.”

The signatories were: Ayatollah Ja'far Rashti, Ayatollah Muhammad Kalbasi, Ayatollah Mahmud Danesh, Ayatollah Muhammad al-Hajri, Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Khaleeq al-Shirazi, Ayatollah al-Seyyed Mahmud al-Musawi al-Isfahani, etc.

Given Imam Muhammad Shirazi's piety, sincerity and knowledge (A'lam), in fact many of the Maraaje' Taqleed referred their follower to Imam Shirazi, such as

Furthermore on various occasions grand scholars and eminent Maraaje' Taqleed praised Imam Muhammad Shirazi for his significant scientific achievements, Taqwa and piety. Amongst them were:

Of course the ‘rumours' you referred to in your email are well passed their Sell-by-Date. The question of IJTIHAAD and/or MARJA'EYYAH was applicable more than forty years ago when Ayatollah Shirazi had accomplished the stage of IJTIHAAD at such an early age. The question that had presented itself in the past decade was whether there is anyone A'lam (more knowledgeable) than Ayatollah al-Udhma Imam Muhammad Shirazi.

On the question of A'LAMEYYAH many of the prominent scholars, who have proven their expertise in various fields of Islamic sciences for many decades, have confirmed Imam Shirazi's unquestionable A'LAMEYYAH and knowledge at the current era. Amongst these scholars/experts are:

In addition to the above a number of the great scholars of the Hawzah in Syria – al-Hawzah al-Zaynabeyyah – have confirmed the A'LAMEYYAH of Imam Shirazi. The statement of these scholars read as follows:

“Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Imam al-Seyyed Muhammad al-Shirazi (may Allah prolong his life) has met all the criteria for Marje' al-Taqleed, and furthermore he is the most knowledgeable amongst the Fuqahaa', and he is the fittest and most suited to lead the Shi'a Ummah at the present time. On the basis of our legal responsibility before Allah we declare this to the Mu'minin. May Allah protect his Excellency and benefit Islam and the Muslims with his existence. “ 1414 H.

Ayatollah Muhammad Ali al-Faadheli. He studied at the hands of Imam Khoi, and later taught the advanced stages of Islamic sciences in the Hawzah in Najaf. Now he teaches at the Hawzah Zaynabeyyah in Damascus .

‘Allameh Sheikh al-Muhammad al-Bamyani. He attended the advanced lectures given by Ayatollah al-Udhma's al-Khoi, al-Khomeini and al-Bujnurdi, and currently teaches the advanced stages in the Hawzah. He has many publications in various fields of the Islamic sciences.

‘Allameh Sheikh Muhammad al-Muqaddas. He attended the advanced lectures given by Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Khoi, and currently teaches the advanced stages in the Hawzah. He has many publications in various fields of the Islamic sciences.

‘Allameh al-Hujjah al-Seyyed Qassim al-Radhawi. He attended the advanced lectures given by Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Khoi, and currently teaches the advanced stages in the Hawzah.

‘Allameh al-Hujjah Sheikh Nasrallah al-Naseri. He attended the advanced lectures given by Ayatollah al- Seyyed Nasrallah al-Mustanbit, and currently teaches the advanced stages in the Hawzah.

‘Allameh al-Hujjah Sheikh Muhammad Hussain al-Noori. He attended the advanced lectures given by Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Khoi, and Ayatollah al-Udhma al-Sadr and currently teaches the advanced stages in the Hawzah.

‘Allameh al-Hujjah al- Seyyed Muhammad Ali al-‘Alawi. He is one of the teachers of advanced stages of Islamic sciences in the Hawzah.

‘Allameh al-Hujjah Sheikh Ridha al-Ahamdi. He is one of the teachers of advanced stages of Islamic sciences in the Hawzah.

List of scholars who have confirmed the IJTIHAAD of Imam Shirazi, and his fitness for the MARJA'EYYAH of the Ummah.

The list is not exhaustive, and to avoid making the list too long, the names of some forty scholars are listed here:

A brief biography of each of the above eminent scholars has already been given in the main text above.

Question

I am from Pakistan . I am very much interested in religious studies. I have read a number of books. I want to be a Mujtahid but I can't afford to join any Meddrissa because of my home environment. I was wondering if I could get lesson on Fiqh over internet (Via Email). Is it possible?

Answer

Given the nature and complexity of the subject and the task involved, it would be very difficult to provide such a program over the internet. A minimal amount of the task may be achieved over the net/email, if there were such facilities and resources available, (that is not to say that a comprehensive program is available), but it would not go any where near the objective of the task to achieve the status of a Mujtahid. To do that you need to devote yourself to the task whole-heartedly . . . it is a full time task and you need to abandon most other things, if not all, if you are to become a Mujtahid. So I am afraid you cannot do a successful study if you are to do it on the sideline. You could go to the Hawzah in Pakistan rather than going to other countries. Of course if you could go to countries where the taught language is Arabic, such as Syria, then in the course of doing your studies you would also master the Arabic language which is one of the most important factors for the Mujtahid since the over whelming body of materials of the Islamic sciences are in Arabic. If you decide to opt for Syria , then let me know and I'll send you the details necessary.

Question

Answer

Dars-e-Sutooh is the foundation or primary stage of the studies, which usually a number of years depending on the amount of effort put by the student, whereas Dars-e-Kharej is the advanced stage studied once you have satisfactorily completed previous stages such as Dars-e-Sutooh. Once you complete the Dars-e-Kharej stage successfully you are then a Mujtahid.

Hujjatul Islam, Ayatollah, are titles and today Ayatollah has become known to represent a higher status than Hujjatul Islam.

Question: Starting Taqleed

I want to start doing Taqleed, can you please outline what I have to do, and the process involved. Many thanks.

Answer

If you want to start doing Taqleed, i.e. start following a fully qualified Marje', then you must identify and choose to follow the Marje' who has more comprehensive knowledge and expertise, encompassing all areas, than other Marje's. Taqleed is of course compulsory upon any adolescent individual if s/he is not a Mujtahid or required level of expertise to deduct the required rulings.

Having identified the most knowledgeable Marje' who meets all the required criteria for this post, you must follow all of his rulings concerning such matters that you come across in life. Usually you can find most of his ruling in the Risalah, amongst his other publications.

I hope that this answers your query. If you had any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Question: Studying Islamic sciences part time . . .

I would like to pursue the study of Islamic sciences, could you please outline the course of action I need to take. Can I do it on a part time basis?

In order for you to achieve that, you must study the fundamentals, and then the advanced levels of the various fields of the Islamic sciences. This is done in the Hawzah.

Dars-e Sutooh is the foundation or primary stage of the studies which usually a number of years depending on the amount of effort put by the student, whereas Dars-e Kharej is the advanced stage studied once you have satisfactorily completed previous stages such as Dars-e Sutooh. Once you complete the Dars-e Kharej stage successfully you are then a Mujtahid.

To do that you need to devote yourself to the task whole-heartedly . . . it is a full time task and you need to abandon most other things, if not all, if you are to become a Mujtahid. So I am afraid you cannot do a successful study if you are to do it on the sideline. You could go to a Hawzah in (your country) rather than going to other countries. Of course if you could go to countries where the taught language is Arabic, such as Syria, then in the course of doing your studies you would also master the Arabic language which is one of the most important factors for the Mujtahid since the over whelming body of materials of the Islamic sciences are in Arabic. If you decide to opt for Syria , then let me know and I'll send you the details necessary.

Question: Mujtahid, Marje', Marje'-Al-A'lam, Hawzah

What is the difference between a Mujtahid, Marje' and Marje'-Al-A'lam?

What is a Hawzah?

Which Hawzah is the largest one?

Who govern a Hawzah?

Is there any Hawzah in Pakistan ? If yes, then what is the difference between the Hawzah of Pakistan and Qum/Najaf?

Answer

To become a Mujtahid, you need to study in the Hawzah for a number of years so that you reach a stage when you can derive and deduce the laws and the decrees from the sources of jurisdiction such as the Qur'an and the teachings –Sunnah – of the prophet and the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS). It could take ten years – or more or less than that – depending on the effort the individual makes. Usually the teachers and other ‘Ulema declare the Ijtihaad of the individual based on the works – or thesis – he has produce.

As for Marje', he is a Mujtahid who has other significant qualities which are essential for the leadership of the Ummah. These qualities are many amongst which are leadership and management qualities, and superiority and diversity in knowledge, bravery etc.

As for Marje'-A'lam, he is a Marje' who is basically ‘the best amongst the rest'. He would not only have best leadership and management qualities, but also possesses superior knowledge in a variety of fields and domains. Another quality in this respect is Se'at-el-Sadr or capability to deal with various people and difficult situation, and be enormously tolerant towards others, brave, etc.

Once one has studied in a Hawzah to become a Mujtahid, if one wants to continue to be Marje' or Marje'-e-A'lam, they have to work (very hard) for it, such statuses are not taught, but acquired through self training and self discipline.

A Hawzah is a university for Islamic sciences.

It is usually governed by the Maraje' who establish it.

There is a Hawzah in Pakistan .

There may be far more scholars in the Hawzah in Qum than that in Pakistan .

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Question: Imam Muhammad Shiazi

I had an inquiry with regards to some accusations that I have recently heard about the status of Sayyid al Udhma al Shirazi. As far as I know, there have been two main accusations made against him, and I dearly hope you will be able to explain these for me and clarify these misconceptions for me.

1) Some people have said that Sayyid al Shirazi is not a qualified Marje'. They say that in fact neither Sayyid al Khoei nor any other of the leading Maraje of their times have qualified and defended the status of Sayyid Mohammad al Shirazi as a competent Marje'. Some have even gone as far as to say that Sayyid al Khoei issued a Fatwa declaring the incompetence, in his view, of Sayyid al Shirazi as a Marje'. My question therefore has many branches. First of all, is it true that Sayyid al Khoei issued such a Fatwa, or is this simply false news made up by some people with ill-will against the great Sayyid. Second, are there any leading Maraje who have qualified the status of Sayyid al Shirazi as a competent Marje', and who are they? Is there any proof for this qualification? And lastly, is there a process that a Mujtahid must go through to be declared a Marje'. Do several Maraje' have to witness his competence, or is this not a necessity?

1. It is the norm that if someone makes an accusation about someone else, then we would ask the accuser to produce his evidences for the accusation he is making. We would NOT turn to the accused to prove his innocence. In one of your emails you mentioned that you were attending law classes, and therefore it makes it more applicable to you to approach this in a professional manner. When someone said to you that al-Khoei issued a Fatwa declaring al-Shirazi's incompetence, did you not ask for a copy of the Fatwa? As someone of your calibre well know it is ever so easy to make an accusation, but laborious to prove otherwise. It is very easy to destroy things but difficult to build up. Of course such conduct and behaviour - the making of such accusations - come from those who are either drowned in the wilderness of the ocean of ignorance, or have a sick heart. Whichever they serve to tear apart the fabric of the Shi'a Ummah's unity and harmony; and that is exactly what the enemies of this Ummah want. You see if the pious, competent, and fully qualified individuals lead the Shi'a, then the status of this Ummah would be much different from it is now. But the enemies of Islam ensure that this does not happen through Fitnah and divide-and-rule policy. It is up to us to be aware.

As far as you are concerned the ideal way would be for you to investigate the matter professionally, given the expertise you seem to have as a law student. If you pause and reflect on what Ayatollah al-Udhma Imam Muhammad Shirazi has done, it would help you reach a conclusion based on facts and reason. If you see and study his thoughts as reflected in his work, it would be sufficient for you, or anyone else, to the truth - whatever that may be. Just the staggering number of books he has written - more than 1200 - is sufficient to give some hint about the status of this outstanding and truly remarkable individual. However, if you do not have the time and the resources to carry out this investigation for your self, then you could have a look at the Q&A section - IJTIHAAD - of our site where all the issues raised in your email are discussed in detail - you are not the first one to have raised this issue, whoever told you these things had talked to others before hand.

2) Some people have also been saying that Sayyid al Shirazi has submitted nothing at all in efforts at establishing the Islamic government in Iran. They claim that he was passive and did nothing to help all the other Ulema and students in establishing the government and fighting the Shah. Was the Sayyid really quiet and passive during the establishment of the Islamic government, and if so, why?

2. Again this originates from the same root as above; either ignorance or sickness.

Without going into much detail, at a time when no one supported the revolution - back in the early 1960's - and nobody agreed with ayatollah Khomeini, ayatollah Shirazi supported him fully, and by doing so many did not like the stance of ayatollah Shirazi then!!! His support for the Islamic revolution was such that it was said that “the Islamic revolution was started by Khomeini and spread to the world by Shirazi.” In fact the question that raises itself is if it weren't for ayatollah Shirazi's support and contribution, only Allah knows where the then Islamic revolution would be. [See for example the documented book which was published at the outset of the revolution, 1981, in Farsi in Tehran - "Investigation and Analysis of the Movement of Imam Khomeini" by Sayyid Hamid Rouhani]

It was ayatollah Shirazi's resolute determination to adhere to the teachings of Islam and the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) without any compromise which has resulted in him coming under pressure from various sides . . . throughout his adult life he was anything but passive - if you study his life and his history.

You only need to look at Imam Shirazi's works to see his total dedication and absolute passion to Islam and true Islamic government as prescribed and implemented by Rasulollah (S) and Amir-ul-Mu'minin (AS). His works in this field are such that very few, if any at all, of the scholar and Maraje' have produced such detailed work in this respect. If you read Arabic you would be able to read his works, and if not some of his works are available in English on our site The Teachings of Islam.

Qustion: My Taqleed

Q2. What should a simple Muslim do when scholars and specially, scholars of highest rank, differ in one topic/Fatwa?

Q3. Can a Muslim imitate 2 scholars at a time? If yes, then what are the conditions?

Q4. Can a Muslim imitate a dead scholar who was a specialist in a special field, say in economics?

A2. Follow your own Marje', if he was the A'lam – the most knowledgeable amongst other Maraje'. If your own Marje' does not give a Fatwa concerning certain issue, or if he considers precaution (Ihtiyat) to be observed in that issue, then in that respect you may follow another Marje'.

A3. According to the Fatawa of all the prominent Maraje', you may only follow one Marje' at a time, except when concerning cases such as the above.

A4. One may not start following a dead Marje' unless one was following the Marje' during his lifetime, in which case one may continue doing so. Even then one should follow a living Marje' concerning issues which the dead Marje' had not given any Fatwa, specially in cases of new developments. But to start following a dead Marje' is not permissible.

As for Faqih expert in economic science, there are great scholars who are expert in the economic science and one may follow them in this field. There are developing issues in this field and one have to follow a living Marje'. For example Ayatollah al-Udhma Imam Muhammad Shirazi has written a number of books on the Islamic economy; such "al-Fiqh al-Iqtisaad", volumes 107-108 of the al-Fiqh series, “Economy: Problems and Solutions”, etc.

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