Usuli
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Usulis are the majority Twelver Shi'a Muslim group; they favour fatwas over hadith, unlike the smaller Akhbari and Shaykhi groups, when trying to determine what the Sunnah says about any specific topic. They form the overwhelming majority within the Twelver Shia denomination. Since other Twelver denominations have a very small number of followers, the words 'Twelver' and/or 'Shia' are often used today to refer to the 'Usuli denomination' alone.
[edit] Taqlid: Accepting a Scholar's Verdict
- See also: Marja
Taqlid or taqleed (Arabic تَقْليد taqlīd) is a doctrine in Islamic theology referring to the acceptance of a religious ruling in matters of worship and personal affairs from someone regarded as a higher religious authority (e.g. an 'ālim) without necessarily asking for the technical proof. Most often, this refers to the adherence to one of the four classical Sunni schools of fiqh, or jurisprudence (see madhhab).
In Arabic, taqlīd is a verbal noun based on the verb qallada, which literally means 'to place something (e.g. a necklace or medal) around the neck'. The person who performs the action is called a muqallid. By extension, it means 'to award or confer an honor or authority' to someone.
The Twelver school of thought accepts and encourages the concept of taqlid (Arabic تقليد) or "imitation", e.g. These higher religious authorities can be known as a "source of imitation" (Arabic marji taqlid مرجع تقليد, Persian marja), or less exaltedly as an "imitated one" (Arabic مقلَد muqallad), and is a person who spends years studying the Qur'an, the sunnah, and the sayings of the Imams and their deeds in order to come up with certain opinions based on those sources of knowledge. However, his verdicts are not to be taken as the only source of religious information and he can be always corrected by other muqalladeen (the plural of muqallad) which come after him. This process may take years or decades; as the idea in taqlid is that verdicts are based on the latest research and are implemented according to one's contemporary situation. Sunnis do not practice taqlid in the same sense.
[edit] References
http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=22319
[edit] See also
Categories: Fatwas | Islamic sects | Twelvers | Ja'fari | Islam stubs
