Issues of Ijtihad

less than ideal, and that is why they are very easily attracted to violence. And it is always in the name of attaining their goal that they resort to violent methods. The opposite of ghulu or extremism is moderation. If you are moderate in your thinking, you will think in terms of peace. You will use only peaceful means in all you do. Moderation and peace are closely interlinked. Where there is moderation, there will also be peace. Likewise, where there is peace, there will be moderation. In contrast, the ghulu-psyche always leads one towards extremism. And extremism very easily turns into violence and confrontation. Ghulu and violence are thus closely interlinked. This is why ghulu is looked at with great disfavour in Islam. Inclining towards ghulu is another name for addiction to violence. And abstaining from ghulu is another name for cherishing moderation. Killing One Person is Like Killing All Humanity The Quran tells us: ‘Whoever killed a human being, except as a punishment for murder or for spreading corruption in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all mankind.’ (5:32) Killing someone is a very heinous act. It is legitimate only if someone becomes a definite danger to social peace. To kill someone without genuine justification is tantamount to the slaughter of the whole of humanity, because such an action