Ijtihad (Independent Legal Reasoning)
The independent interpretive effort to derive legal rules from the Islamic sources.
Ijtihad literally means "effort" and refers to the qualified scholar's independent interpretive effort to derive legal rules from the Quran and Sunnah in matters where there is no clear and unambiguous text. It is one of the most important mechanisms for the development and adaptation of Islamic law.
The founders of the four Sunni schools of law were all mujtahid mutlaq (absolutely independent legal interpreters). The Prophet (peace be upon him) recognized ijtihad when he sent Mu'adh ibn Jabal to Yemen and asked him how he would judge. Mu'adh answered: "With the Book of Allah, then with the Sunnah of the Prophet, and then with my own ijtihad." The Prophet approved of this.
In prayer matters, ijtihad is relevant for topics such as calculating prayer times at high latitudes, using technology to determine the qibla direction, and new situations such as prayer in space or on an airplane. Imam al-Ghazali set strict conditions for the one who exercises ijtihad in his work "al-Mustasfa."
Related terms
Wudu (Ritual Ablution)
The ritual cleansing with water, required before prayer.
Tartib (Order in Prayer)
The correct sequence of the prayer's actions and the daily prayers.
Imamat (Divine Leadership)
The doctrine of the twelve divinely appointed Imams who lead the community after the Prophet.
Mutahhirat (Purifying Agents)
The agents and methods that purify impure things according to Shia fiqh.
Karbala (Imam Husayn's City)
The sacred city in Iraq where Imam Husayn was martyred, and home of the turbah.
Muharram (The Sacred Month)
The first and one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar.