BENEFIT: What is Taqleed (Blindfollowing)?

Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajoori hafidhahullah said: Taqlīd means following someone who is not a hujjah/proof, without hujjah/proof. This is not permissible. As for what you may see in the words of Ibn Al-Qayyim, as transmitted by Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr or others, that “the scholars agreed that the blind follower is not a scholar,” the meaning is: in the issue in which he blindly followed others. For example, a person may be knowledgeable in Arabic grammar, yet blindly follow someone else in a fiqh issue. This does not mean he is not a scholar at all. Or he may be knowledgeable in one field but blindly follow others in another issue. Therefore, he is not considered knowledgeable in the specific matter in which he made taqlīd, but it does not mean he is completely ignorant. So the agreement of the scholars refers to the issue in which he blindly followed others — he is not considered knowledgeable in that matter, because he merely followed someone else in it. For example, if we say that a scholar of fiqh followed a hadith scholar in authenticating a hadith, and he quoted that opinion without examining the evidence himself, without researching or investigating it, because he was unable to do so — Would we then say that he is completely ignorant? No. Rather, we say that in this particular issue he is not a scholar, because he followed someone else regarding the hadith. However, he is still a jurist and scholar of fiqh. Isn’t that correct? Because completely dismissing his knowledge simply because he made taqlīd in some issues requires further consideration. This statement is understood to refer to the fanatical blind follower who never goes beyond saying, “So-and-so said,” or “This is the view of the madhhab,” and similar statements. Taqlīd is forbidden. Taqlīd means following someone who is not a hujjah/proof without hujjah/proof. Following someone without evidence is not knowledge — it is ignorance. From this angle, it is said that such a person is not a scholar. So if a person is a blind follower in all of his affairs, then he is not a scholar at all. But if he is independent in some matters and a blind follower in others, then in the matters where he made taqlīd, he is not considered knowledgeable. Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/6677