- Emulation - Taqleed 65
- Taharah 350
- Prayers 296
- Fasting 120
- Zakat 23
- Khums 82
- Pilgrimage 45
- Trade 121
- Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong 88
- Trust 1
- Leasing 3
- Lending & Borrowing 8
- Agency 1
- Will 3
- Gifts 4
- Religious Endowment (Waqf) 6
- Charity 4
- Marriage 300
- Divorce 67
- Vow, Covenant & Oath 16
- Kaffarah 6
- Usurpation 1
- Lost Property 5
- Hunting and Slaughtering 23
- Food & Drink 53
- Sea Animal 8
- Land Animals 11
- Birds 2
- Solid Food 6
- Liquids 11
- General Rulings 15
- Inheritance 14
- Compensation (Diyah and Dhaman) 10
- Diyah 7
- Ahlulbait 42
- Alcohol 15
- Banking 15
- Beliefs 89
- Blood Donation 2
- Clothing & Adornment 40
- Clothing 15
- Rings 6
- Cosmetics and Makeup 12
- Silk 2
- Gold 5
- Copyrights 2
- Converts 7
- Dance 4
- Eid 15
- Games 10
- Hijab 27
- General Issues 23
- History 2
- Holy Quran 29
- Human Cloning 2
- Imam Mahdi (Peace be upon him) 20
- Immigration 1
- Islamic Religion 31
- Internet 8
- Istikhara 10
- Islam & Christianity 3
- Jesus (Peace be upon him) 4
- Laws 2
- Man & Woman 32
- Masturbation 19
- Medical Issues 24
- Mosques 12
- Mourning Imam Hussein 34
- Mourning 7
- Muharram 10
- Tatbeer 6
- Ways of Mourning 11
- Narrations 11
- The Prophet - Peace be upon him- 9
- Organ Donation 2
- Quran Commentary 9
- Religious Chants 6
- Pets 7
- Religious Propagation 9
- Relationships 19
- Slavery 1
- Satan 2
- Smoking 8
- Supplication-Dua 22
- Tattoos 5
- Sport 2
- Tran Sexuality 4
- Vivisetion 1
- Wilayet Alfaqih 3
- Work 31
- Yoga 1
- Ziyara 15
I would like to ask what is the procedure of changing one’s marja of taqleed?
You can change your marja by starting to refer to the edicts of the new marja and acting upon them.
However, the change is permissible only if it is based on religious evidence, for example, when it is proven to you that the new marja is more knowledgeable than the current one.
I have read on your site: "The change (of a marja) is permissible only if it is based on religious evidence, for example, when it is proven to you that the new marja is more knowledgeable than the current one." What would be an example of religious evidence? For example, if I asked members of ahl-ul-khibrah and they said that a mujtahid is more knowledgeable than the one I follow, would this be sufficient?
Yes, the testimony of the ahl-ul-khibrah is considered as religious evidence as long as it is based on referring to the researches of the mujtahids.
Is it permissible to change my taqleed in a particular issue because the edict of the marja I am following causes hardship for me?
It is not permissible to switch from a mujtahid to another just because the second mujtahid's edict is easier to follow or pleases the individual more. The first marja must be followed as long as he is still fulfills all the conditions of the marja. However, if the marja that you are following has an obligatory precaution, then you can follow another qualified marja in that issue.
If somebody is following a certain marja and he discovers that there is another marja who is at the same level of knowledge according to the view of members of ahl-ul-khibrah, can he choose between the two?
It is not permissible to change from the current marja unless it is proven by religious evidence that another mujtahid is more knowledgeable than him.
Can I switch from one marji' to another because it is not possible for me to follow him? For example, where I study it is not possible for me to have Niqab everytime, so can I refer to another marji' who doesn't deem it necessary?
If the opinion of the marji' that you follow is the obligation to cover the face, then it is not permissible to refer to another marji'. If his opinion is a compulsory precaution, then you can refer to the opinion of another marji' provided that he is the most knowledgeable than the rest of the other maraji'. If the opinion of that marji' is permissibility, then you can uncover your face based on the second marji's edict.
In any case, it is not obligatory to cover the face according to his eminence, Sayyid al-Hakeem, may Allah prolong his life.
as following a Mujtahid who I believed to be worthy of being a Marja, but I later realized after some research that and he was not the most knowledgeable and his ijtihad was questionable. A trusted person told me that a particular Marja was amongst the most knowledgeable Mujtahids, and I began following him although I was not certain that He was the most knowledgeable. Is my taqleed valid?
If it has been proven to you via religious evidence that there are Marjas who are more knowledgeable than the Marja that you used to follow, you should refrain from following the latter and search for the most knowledgeable amongst those Marjas. If you could determine him by religious evidence then you should emulate him. If you could not, you must choose the most pious amongst them and if the said is not possible too, you can choose one of them and emulate him.
I would like to know if I can change my Taqleed from a living Mujtahid to Ayatullah Sayyid Sa'eed al-Hakeem?
You should stay on your Taqleed unless it is proven to you that his eminence Sayyid al-Hakeem (may Allah prolong his life) is more knowledgeable than your current Marja by referring to the experts who can certify this when they refer to the juristic derivation ways of both of them.
I am following a current Marja. After doing research, I concluded that Ayatollah Sayyid Saeed al-Hakeem (may Allah prolong his life) is the most knowledgeable. Is permissible to change my Taqleed to follow him?
Yes, it is permissible to do so.
Should I remain emulating a Marja after his death?
If it was proven to you that one of the living Marjas is more knowledgeable than the deceased Marja that you used to follow, then it is obligatory on you to switch to the living Marja. If this is not proven to you and you used to follow a religious scholar that satisfied the characteristics of the Marja then you should continue following him.
Is it possible to change one’s Marja because the first Marja’s verdicts are very difficult to follow in comparison to the second Marja’s verdicts?
After choosing a certain Marja who is qualified to be followed and following him, you should continue following him, until it is proven to you via religious evidence that indicates that there is a more knowledgeable living Mujtahid than the current Mujtahid. It is not permissible to pick verdicts from another Marja just because it suits you.
I was doing the Taqleed of a scholar who says that if I do a certain action I must pay a kaffara. I did the action, but before paying the kaffara I did more research and switched to your taqleed. After reading your rulings, I found that you do not require a kaffara to be paid. In such a case, do I act on your ruling and not pay, or am I still obligated to do so?
A Kaffara is not obligatory in the said case.
I am not following the rulings of Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakeem, but wish to follow his rulings in regards to marriage issues. If I do so, will my marriage be valid?
If the marja who you emulate has an actual edict on the issue related to marriage – or any other issue – then you must act in accordance to his edict and you are not permitted to refer to another marja.
If the opinion of your marja is compulsory precaution on a particular ruling, then it is permissible to refer to the opinion of another marja.
Does his eminence have a specific marji’ that his followers should refer to where he doesn’t himself provide an edict?
When the view of his eminence on any issue is to act as an obligatory precaution, those who follow him have a choice of either acting upon that precaution or referring to another marji’, provided that the latter is more knowledgeable than the rest of the maraji’.
One can determine the level of knowledge of the maraji’ by referring to the people of expertise (known as the ahl al-khibrah) who can differentiate between mujtahids and determine the most knowledgeable.
What is order for the followers of his late eminence? will they continue to follow his late eminence or they have to follow another jurist?
One should refer to the most knowledgeable contemporary marja and enquire about the permissibility to follow the deceased marja.
The current marja I follow says that a girl should take her father's permission for a temporary marriage as an obligatory precaution. So in this matter, I can follow the fatwa of another marja. I feel that Ayatollah al-Hakeem is equally knowledgeable or more knowledgeable. So can I follow the fatwa of Ayatollah al-Hakeem, in which he said that if there is no sexual intercourse in a temporary marriage, then the girl does not need her father's permission?
After the death of his eminence, the grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakeem (may Allah have mercy on his soul), you should refer to the marja that you follow and ask him about the permissibility to follow the late Sayyid.