Contemporary Muslim Society

TAQLID AND IJTIHAD This statement reflects an independent reasoning approach. Such a way of thinking fosters broad-mindedness and courage. In a society where this attitude prevails, the journey of intellectual evolution continues unhindered. Each generation adds to the intellectual heritage of its predecessors and further develops it to pass on to future generations. Contemporary Muslim Society Now, consider Muslim society. In the present era, the process of intellectual evolution among Muslims has almost come to a standstill. The primary reason for this stagnation is the dominance of imitative thinking (taqlidi), while the practice of independent reasoning (ijtihadi) has been abandoned, and treated almost as a vice to be avoided. Generally, there is a widespread belief that all knowledge and research have already been accomplished by the scholars of the past (salaf). The prevailing notion is that our only task is to read their books and follow their conclusions. However, this mindset creates a permanent obstacle to the intellectual progress. Muslims today face two possible approaches in their way of thinking: 1. “My stature is lesser than that of my predecessors, but I stand upon their shoulders.” 2. “My stature is smaller than that of my predecessors, and therefore, I lie at their feet.”