However...

However, the role of an expert cannot be over ruled but for only stating the traditions of Masomeen -asws related to various issues and certainly not for producing their own statements (fatawa). The above explanation may be considered sufficient in response to Myths no.5, however, in favour of brevity, further discussion on this topic is combined with Myth no 6!

Myth 6: Taqleed is in human nature, we all follow someone, e.g., as a guardian, as a teacher, and hence we follow the most knowledgeable person in religion, the religious-expert – Maraje! Fact 6: In the recognition of an expert, in any discipline of life, one would search for the track record of that expert (his success and failure profile).

For example, if one wants to consult a cardiologist or an architecture, he will investigate specialist’s success rate on previous ‘treatments’ or ‘building structures’, after establishing success of his treatment or sound features of the building structures one would take the advise of that expert.

But when one looks at the simple issues, which have been remained unresolved by the Mujtahid for the last 1400 years, one gets perplexed, particularly when one is asked to just follow without asking for a proof! Those simple issues are, for example, when Salat/fast becomes ‘Qasr’ or in which direction prayers should be offered while travelling-all of the ‘Mujtahid’ are confused and issue different statements, please see details in Kashaf-ul-Tazad .

In brief, the capability of a Mujtahid in deriving a fatawa is far from being an expert. The expert of the Deen is the narrator of Divine laws and only nominated by Allah -azwj , so the real experts in Islam are our Masomeen -asws .

Therefore, in this context, a Mujtahid may be taken an equivalent to ‘hakeem’ [33] who would try to treat a patient through mixing and grinding various tables in different combinations and strengths, which he has acquired from various pharmacies – The actions of the Mujtahid, are not far, from this example, in his efforts of deriving a fatwa!

He takes bits and pieces from various Verses of Quran and traditions of Masomeen -asws and produces his own statement ‘Fatwa’ (which is also sometimes reffered to as nutshell or sugur coated bill for Muqallid-as it eliminates his research for the traditions of Masomeen -asws ).