Is the issue of taqlid (emulation) and ijtihad (juristic reasoning) considered among the fundamentals of…

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Exalted. If someone forbids taqlid in the well-known and customary sense recognized by the Shia, we ask him: Do you pray or not? If he does not observe prayer, then he should prepare for the punishment of a disbeliever on the Day of Judgment. However, if he does pray, then we ask: From where did you learn the specific details, components, and conditions of the prayer? Allah the Exalted said: "And Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers not knowing anything." So, whoever taught him how to pray is someone he is emulating. It is unreasonable to claim that a person becomes a mujtahid (jurist capable of independent reasoning) the moment he reaches the age of religious responsibility, whether he is Arab or non-Arab. Allah is the Guide.