Taqlid
There never was a tradition of following a single authority unless introduced later by some scholars. It was their burden to prove their point that layman should follow a single authority. It is all about administering the masses. On the other hand the original situation for every Muslim is to use his intellect to decide between opinions to follow. This is his test. If he follows his wishes in his selection he will be answerable to God. If he chooses the easier way, it is what Islam endorses because Deen is easy. No one has authority to limit man’s freedom of choice which has granted to him by God.