Understanding Ijtihād in Renewal Movements

Ijtihād is one of the fundamental concepts in Islam that allows for the valid understanding and interpretation of primary sources of Islam, Qur’an and Sunnah, while simultaneously affirming, actualizing, and concretizing core Islamic principles and fundamentals, regardless of time and space. It encourages the continuous development of Sharia law and provides responses to emerging questions and new life challenges, not only of a legal nature, thus enabling Muslim societies and minority Muslim communities, not only to adapt to new social, political, cultural, and other circumstances, but also to foster their critical inquiry and evaluation. It is highly significant that ijtihād provides the possibility for critical inquiry into the intellectual tradition of previous generations, based on which one can discern the overall state of Muslims, their level of civilization, and the extent of their reach. This paper aims to cast light on the restorative dynamic and contextual approach to ijtihād in a far more thorough manner, encouraging readers to engage in continuous reflection on man and the world in which he exists — an obligation that falls upon every generation — as well as making maximum intellectual efforts to enable both individual and collective life of Muslims in accordance with God’s will.