The Concept of Ijtehad, its conditions & objectives- An Overview

اجتہادکا تصور، شرائط ، فقہ المقاصد،ایک اجمالی جائزہ

Abstract

Ijtihad is a fundamental and important aspect of Islamic Shari'ah which solves up-to-date problems of the followers of Shari’ah in every age in the light of Qur'an and Sunnah. Ijtihad remained active in Ummah in one form or the other. The jurists have formulated some principles for Ijtihad and Mujtahid. In this paper, we not only discuss the importance and philosophy of Ijtihad but, we also explain the requirements for Ijtihad and Mujtahid. We further elaborated on the sciences that a Mujtahid should be an expert in performing Ijtihad. The role of Shariah (Fiqh ul-Maqasid) in practical life and importance of having its knowledge for a Mujtahid is also briefed. It has been clarified that there is a need to create modern institutions for collective Ijtihad in the present time, the scholars of the Ummah should try to do so to address the problems of people in a proper way.