Is following any of the 4 Imams forbidden?

There are only 4 schools of jurisprudence of the Ahle Sunnah.  The “5^th school of Imam Bukhari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)” has not been heard of anywhere.  In fact, those people who try to follow Sahih Bukhari (as a school of jurisprudence) are the most demented.  They detest following Imam Bukhari (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) and some even go so far as to term it “Shirk” (polytheism) and they present the following verse of the Holy Quran as a proof:

 

(O people!) Follow this (Qur’an) which has been sent down to you from your Lord, and do not follow (any heretic rulers and) friends other than Him. You take advice but little!  Surah A’araaf (07:03)

 

In some other verses, the disbelievers say that they will not leave what their fathers were doing and follow the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

The truth is that this verse and such verses were revealed about the disbelievers.  The reason was that when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) asked them to leave idol worship, they said:  We found our fathers and forefathers doing the same.  Thus, we won’t listen to you.  They did not affirm and acknowledge the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  When they would affirm, they would break those idols themselves.

 

As these verses are slapped on those who follow the imams, we need to see whether they have faith in the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) or not.  Secondly, if they have faith then what is the reason that they don’t follow the words of their Prophet and follow the words of their Imam?  Do they consider the Imam to be a Prophet who has come after the Seal of the Prophets (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?  Do they believe that the Imam gets divine revelation which abrogates the orders of the earlier Prophet i.e. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?

 

The solution is that one should ask the most illiterate follower of any of the 4 Imams.  That illiterate will never say that the Imam is considered as a prophet and thus, should be compulsorily followed.

 

This will prove that the reason which the disbelievers gave is not at all found here.  The reason there was to deny the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and no follower of an Imam can be a denier of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) permitted the jurisprudents to deduce the rules from the Holy Quran and Hadith and permitted us to follow them.  This is what we act on.

 

[Excerpted from Haqeeqatul Fiqh, Vol. 2, Pg. No. 57, 58, 59]