If such secondary affairs are not among the religious...

If such secondary affairs are not among the religious fundaments fixed by decisive texts of religious laws, such as the obligation of offering prayers, fasting, and defraying the poor-rate ( zakat ), then an ordinary person is required to do one of the following three matters: (a) one may practice ijtihad (that is: exert all possible efforts to extract religious laws from the sources of the Islamic code of laws), by engaging oneself in the highest levels of studies of jurisprudence, and then investigating the proofs of the religious laws after qualifiying to reach such a stage and becoming a mujtahid , or (b) exercise juristic precaution ( ihtiyat : act according to the views of the jurisprudents so as to act upon the actual ruling) if one is able to do so, or (c) act upon the verdicts of a well-qualified mujtahid who must enjoy decency and rationality in addition to other qualifications.

…preserves himself against wrongdoing and worldly pleasures, cares for his religion, opposes the dictates of his desires, and obeys the commands of his Lord.([^2]) It follows that if one is not qualified enough to practice ijtihad , or to act upon ihtiyat , and still refrains from acting upon the verdicts of a well-qualified religious authority, then all of one’s acts of worship will be invalid and unacceptable even if one offers prayers, observes fasting, and performs acts of worship one’s entire lifetime unless: (1) Such acts be compatible with the views of the jurisprudent upon whose verdicts one relies after that,([^3]) and (2) previous acts were intended to seek nearness to Almighty Allah ( qurbah ).).

Ijtihad We believe that ijtihad in secondary matters of religion is a collective duty ( wajib kifa'i )([^4]) in the ages of occultation (of Imam al-Mahdi—may Almighty Allah hasten his reappearance).([^5]) In other words, all Muslims in all ages are under the obligation of practicing ijtihad , but should one of them become proficient in ijtihad thus becoming a well-qualified mujtahid , all Muslims will be acquitted from this responsibility and they will then act upon his verdicts and refer to him in the secondary affairs of religion.

In all ages, Muslims must consider their religious duty to choose an authority from among themselves.