© 2001 by Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
The Shii Construction of Taqlid
Concordia University, Montreal
The essay outlines some of the controversies associated with the construction of taqlid argued by Twelver Shi'i scholars in both classical and modern juridical treatises, with illustrations of the legal reasoning behind them. Among the questions addressed are the necessity of taqlid, taqlid in fundamental beliefs, the boundaries between those who may do ijtihad and those who must instead follow, taqlid and probabilism, and taqlid of a deceased jurist. The essay concludes with a consideration of how these issues have entered into modern discussions of authority. It is demonstrated that, although the principle of taqlid has become central to Shi'ism, the issues involved in it have always been subject to dispute, and that these disputes lend flexibility to the doctrine and enable potential change.