Issues of Ijtihad

TAQLID AND IJTIHAD Intellectual Crisis This marks the onset of the intellectual crisis among Muslims. This stagnation in thought has rendered the Muslim community a stationary caravan. Amir Shakib Arslan (d. 1946) addressed this issue in his book ‘Why Muslims Lagged Behind and Others Progressed’ (Arabic: Limaza Ta’akhkharal Muslimoon wa Limaza Taqaddama Ghairuhum?). He argued that the primary reason for the backwardness of Muslims in the modern era is the cessation of ijtihad (independent reasoning). Ijtihad is not an optional endeavour; it is an essential and inevitable process. The question is not whether ijtihad should be undertaken—it is a natural necessity. Halting this process is akin to disrupting the flow of nature itself, and such disruption inevitably leads to stagnation and the cessation of progress. The vitality of a river lies in its flow. If the flowing waters of a river are obstructed, it ceases to be a river and becomes a stagnant, foul-smelling pond. In the same way, if a community suspends the process of ijtihad, stagnation will ensue, making all forms of progress—material, religious, and spiritual—impossible. The Ability to Reassess A person with an imitative mindset, as the popular saying goes, simply follows the beaten path. Such individuals lack the ability to reassess situations. They persist in following the same familiar track, even when it yields no results. In