Ijtihād and Islamic Reform

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ID: 314356
2026
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Abstract
Abstract Ijtihād is the most important source of the sharīʿa next to the revealed sources, namely, the Qurʾān and Sunna. One of the main differences between ijtihād and the revealed sources is that ijtihād proposes a continuous process of development, whereas revelation of the Qurʾān and Sunna discontinued with the demise of the Prophet Muhammad. Ijtihād thus remains the principal instrument by which to relate the sharīʿa to the changing conditions of society. As a vehicle of renewal and reform, ijtihād has always been dominated by its dual concern for continuity and change: continuity of the fundamentals of Islam while keeping also pace with the changing conditions of society. These two concerns have characterized the history and methodology of ijtihād and its role in the development of sharīʿa. The effort to reform Islam from within has suffered from the rigidities of conservatism, on the one hand, and the modernist demand for wider reforms, on the other. The chapter begins with a review of ijtihād-related terminologies, followed by the definition of ijtihād and how the Companions, Successors, and leading schools of law contributed to the methodology of ijtihād and development of the science of the sources of law, the uṣūl al-fiqh. Several supplementary topics that follow include: the scope and subject matter of ijtihād, qualification of a mujtahid, types of ijtihād, divisibility of ijtihād, decline of ijtihād, and contemporary ijtihād. New developments in ijtihād, including collective ijtihād (ijtihād jamā‘ī), multidisciplinary ijtihād, and greater emphasis on the higher purposes (maqasid) of sharīʿa, are discussed.
Reference Key
openalex_W7161963600 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Mohammad Hāshim Kamali
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197532805.013.3
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197532805.013.3
Keywords Keywords not found

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