Issues of Ijtihad

From this example of the Prophet, a vital principle can be derived: in life, there are situations where the consideration is not about what is right or wrong but about what is possible and what is impossible. This principle is of immense importance. Achieving success in the present world often requires adherence to this pragmatic approach. Many of the failures of Muslims in the modern era stem from neglecting this principle. Instead of considering what is realistically achievable, they focus solely on what they perceive as right. They often rush to act on this perceived rightness, even when circumstances make its attainment impossible. The resulting fruitless sacrifices of Muslims in the present era are a direct consequence of ignoring this principle. The root cause of this detrimental outcome is blind imitation (taqlid). By viewing the Hadith only through the lens of the chapter title provided by Al-Bukhari, they limited their understanding to the virtues of Makkah. They failed to extract the broader principle of the wisdom of life from it. This confinement to imitation prevented them from advancing to the subsequent stages of independent reasoning (ijtihad), which is essential for progress. The Wisdom of Gradual Reform In a narration from Sahih al-Bukhari, Aisha, in response to a question, mentioned that the first revelations of the Quran