Taqlid: Is Belief in the Jurist Leader’s Authority a Matter of Taqlīd or Personal Conviction?
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei
Taqlid: Is Belief in the Jurist Leader’s Authority a Matter of Taqlīd or Personal Conviction?
English:
Question #67
Is the authority of the jurist leader an issue of following (in which someone could follow a marji‘) or is it a doctrinal issue, which the mukallaf must believe in through his own reason and understanding? And what is the rule with respect to someone who does not believe in it?
Answer #67
The authority of the jurist leader is an aspect of wilāyah and Imamate that forms one of the fundamental principles of the Shī‘ah denomination with one difference that the rules pertaining to it are derived — like every other juristic rule — from the evidence and sources of Islamic law. Whoever is led by reasoning not to believe in it is excused.