Ijtihad

Ijtihad (Arabic اجتهاد) is a technical term of the Islamic law that describes the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the sources of the law, the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The opposite of ijtihad is taqleed, imitation. The person who applies ijtihad, the mujtahid, must be a scholar of Islamic law. The word derives from the Arabic verbal root jahada "struggle", the same root as that of jihad; the is inserted because the word is a derived stem VIII verb. The common etymology is worth noting, as both words touch on the concepts of struggle, effort, and meditation. Ijtihad is a method of legal reasoning that does not rely on the traditional schools of jurisprudence, or madhabs.

Related Topics:
Islamic law - Qur'an - Sunnah - Arabic - Jihad - Derived stem VIII - Etymology - Madhabs

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