Title: Further Exchange on ' Taqleed & the Opinions Expressed at 'Understanding Islam'' Question/Comments: You write in your reply..."In my opinion, following any one of the four respected jurists or any other scholar of Islam is equivalent to following the understanding of Quran and Sunnah of that particular jurist or scholar.". I agree, but what I was pointing to was that suppose if a person follows any one of the Mujtahids (out of the four imams), wouldn't he be following a safe way (relatively speaking)? I mean since he knows that these imams were very learned and intelligent, and agreed that following any of the four will in essence be equavalent to following the imam's understanding of the Quran and the Sunnah (along wiht all the errors etc), still this path would still be safer then doing one's own ijtihad, Correct? (A case in point - suppose the person does not have the means to consult contemporary scholars etc., then what shoud he do?) Jazaakumullah Khair . Atif Aziz Pakistan Answer: As I had explained in my earlier response, blind acquiescence to one or more scholars has never been the way in the history of Islam. As regards 'doing one's own Ijtihad ', I must stress that the world we live in today is radically different from the one in which our respected classical jurists and scholars of Islam lived. Countless new problems have cropped up and we are faced with the challenge of finding satisfactory answers to them, in the light of the guidance provided by our Lord. These problems are peculiar to our times and our cultural and demographical environments. It stands to reason that we strive to find answers to them under the guidance of scholars of today along with the use of our own faculties of reason and intellect. Thus, if we ought to rely on our own Ijtihad and the guidance of contemporary scholars regarding our present problems, there is no reason why we cannot adopt an understanding of Qur'an and Sunnah different from the four respected jurists. Stubbornly clinging to one individual's opinions without considering any alternative opinions, thus never seeking the opportunity to correct errors of understanding, is not a safer path. This breeds prejudice and bias against every opposing view and hinders the nourishment of intellect and the search for truth. Conversely, the approach I suggested in my response might sometimes lead to errors of understanding, as in case of any other course of learning, but, if the intentions are good and the mind open, then the possibility of correction shall always be there. It is quite inconceivable that in today's world, an educated person would not have the means to consult contemporary scholars. However, under any such compulsion, that person can adopt the approach of people in the third category as has been explained in another of my responses: Where does One's Obligation to Discover the Truth End? Regards, Razi Allah January 22, 2003