Issues of Ijtihad

This example very clearly illustrates how to appropriately respond to such challenging situations. Had Maulana Ilyas complained about the wrong action of the villager, the central point of their relationship—which was related to inviting the man to God—would have shifted. The Maulana unilaterally ignored the man’s action so that religion alone remained the basis of their relationship and no irrelevant matter became an obstacle in it. In matters like this, there can be two ways of thinking. One is to give importance to the excesses committed by the other party and complain and agitate against them. The other is to ignore the excesses of the other party, exercise patience, and avoid conflict. The first approach leads to the central focus of the relationship with the other party to change completely, while with the second approach, the central focus continues to remain unchanged. Equalising Matters In the Second World War, America and Japan were enemies. They caused immense damage to each other. But their inimical relations were soon to come to an end. It happened in this way: In 1945, America dropped two atom bombs on Japan, which destroyed two Japanese cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This event greatly incensed the Japanese. They began talking about taking revenge against America. Now, this was a very delicate situation. Had Japan decided