It is better to follow blindly someone who sees clearly than to follow a blind person with open eyes

You said that: “It is better to follow blindly someone who sees clearly than to follow a blind person with open eyes”, therefore:

Question:

1. Who is the one who sees clearly and it is better to follow him blindly and who is the one who is blind who should not be followed with open eyes?

2. What proof do you have from Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma-us-Sahabah or Qiyaas to prove that what you are claiming to be obligatory (that is, it is better to follow ...), is correct according to Islam?

3. Is there any proof in the Shari’ah that mentions that someone who does not follow blindly someone who sees clearly, (besides Muhammad (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam)), is necessarily a blind person (whom we are not allowed to follow with open eyes)?

Answer: Before answering your questions which are quite important and interesting, let us give you a little explanation concerning the statement or the formula that made you ask so many questions!

"It is better to follow blindly someone who sees clearly than to follow a blind person with open eyes." It is a statement to make comparison between two types of people: 

The first person deals with someone who knows his field and is competent. Therefore, he entrusts everything in the hands of this competent person. 

The second person is someone who supposedly knows how to reason but who unfortunately deals with someone who does not have the necessary skills in his field.

The first person, in principle, will succeed in his procedures while there is no guaranty of success for the second person. He is principally heading towards defeat. It is like a car that has a good driver. Any passenger that travels in this car may sleep and be sure of reaching his destination safe and sound. On the other hand, a passenger with the eyes wide opened, cannot prevent himself from falling in a precipice if the driver who is leading him is a great imposter. So to compare the status of these two kinds of people, we may say: 

"It is better to travel with eyes closed, in a car that is being led by a good driver than to travel, with eyes wide-open in a car driven by an imposter."

If a person sleeps in a plane, bus or car, no one will say that he is committing something wrong. Everyone will agree that he is perfectly right. He is not wrong as the person who has taken the responsibility of piloting or driving, has the desired competence. On the other hand, any intelligent or sensible person will blame the person who is travelling with one who is not a good driver, although the passenger may not sleep at all and remains awake throughout the journey. In this example, it is the person whom one is following that makes the difference, not the passenger. In the field of Deen, this example signifies that a person, who follows a competent person, is in a better position than someone who apparently seems to understand but who is unfortunately following a person who is not competent.

To be clearer and more explicit, this applies to preachers and teachers who say that it is not permissible to follow the Imaam such as Imaam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh), Imaam Shafi’i (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh), Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh) and Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh). On the other hand, they want people to listen and follow them in their statement: "It is not permissible to follow an Imaam."

Hence, if people listen to these teachers who they themselves say they are not ‘Aalim and that there is no ‘Aalim in Mauritius, it means that people have stopped following the previous Imaam due to the statement of those who are not ‘Aalim. This is also called following. Therefore, this example also applies in the current context and we can say that it is better that people follow blindly the great and well-known Aimmah such as Imaam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh), Imaam Shafi’i (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh), Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh) and Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal (Rahmatullahi Alaiyh), those whom Allah Ta’ala has granted an extraordinary gift to understand, analyse and interpret the Qur’an-e-Kareem and the Hadith of Nabi (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam), rather than following, with open eyes, teachers who are not ‘Aalim and whose knowledge does not represent anything in front of the knowledge of these scholars.

Nowadays, many people think that they have understood Deen and that they can do research. In regards to their knowledge in Deen, they did not study much besides a few translations haphazardly. They should know that practicing Deen by following the Aimmah is so necessary and important that great scholars of Tafseer, Hadith and great jurists did not find any other way besides following an Imaam. For example, Allaamah Abu Bakr Al-Jassaas, Ibn Khuzaimah, Abu Thaur, Allaamah Tahawi, Allaamah An-Nawawi, Allaamah Jalaluddeen As-Suyuti, etc. have all followed an Imaam.

We should admit that this is a reality which many of our youngsters do not know. This is because teachers are concealing this truth. We do not know what benefit they get in concealing the truth. Maybe it is because if youngsters and the general public would know it, they will reason and will say that if such great personalities have followed the Imaam, then who are we not to follow. So, the example given above also applies in this context that it is better to follow blindly the previous Aimmah who were very wise than to follow with open eyes those who know absolutely nothing.

Answer 1:

The one, who sees clearly and deserves to be followed blindly, is the Mujtahid. A Mujtahid is a person whom Allah Ta’ala has granted an advanced degree of extraordinary ability to understand, analyse and interpret the Qur'aan-e-Kareem and the Hadith of Nabi (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam). Those, who have not attained this level of aptitude, are akin to the blinds compared to the knowledge of a Mujtahid. It is like a giraffe which is very tall but appears to be insignificant in front of a small hill also. This means that when we have the Aimmah Mujtahid such as the 4 Aimmah, then, it is better to follow them, even if one must follow them blindly, rather than following the preachers or teachers of nowadays who, from the point of view of their knowledge, competence and piety, are not like the Aimmah.

Answer 2:

Allah Ta’ala said in the Qur'an-e-Kareem: 

"... So ask those who have knowledge if you do not possess any knowledge." (21:7)

According to this verse, when a person does not know and does not have knowledge, he should ask someone who knows. The main thing is to follow Deen. If you cannot get the knowledge by yourself, then you should try to acquire it through someone else. And we know that it is not in the capacity of everyone to follow Deen without inquiring from someone. Therefore, those, who do not have the capacity, must follow Deen by following someone who knows. If a person should necessarily follow Deen through his own research, then many would not be able to practice Deen since it is not in the ability of everyone to do so. Allah Ta’ala does not impose something which is beyond the capacity of His servant. This signifies that those, who do not have capacity, should follow Deen by following someone else who knows. Hence, when one has no other choice than to follow someone, then, why not follow those who have more knowledge such as the 4 Aimmah? Why must one refrain from following the previous Aimmah on the statement of teachers who do not even know the true scope of their statement? In a Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) said:

"Why didn’t they ask when they did not know?" (Abu Dawud)

This Hadith is also showing us that when one does not know, one should ask.

Answer 3:

It depends in which category the person is in. If he is a Mujtahid, he should follow his own research. However, if he is not a Mujtahid, he should follow a Mujtahid. In front of the knowledge of a Mujtahid, he would totally be like a person who does not know. So, according to the Qur'an-e-Kareem, he should follow someone who has knowledge. 

"... So ask those who have knowledge if you do not possess any knowledge." (21:7)

[English version of "Vaut mieux suive aveuglement quelqu'un qui trouve clair ki suive ene aveugle lizié ouvert" – Al Jamiat – Vol.1 No.6 & Al-Haadi Vol.4 No.5]