Issues of Ijtihad

TAQLID AND IJTIHAD Compilation of Fiqh During the Era of Muslim Power The root of this tragedy lies in the fact that the foundational corpus of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) was compiled many centuries ago during the Abbasid Caliphate. This era marked the zenith of Muslim global dominance, with the Muslim world recognized as the most formidable political power of its time. A poet aptly captured this reality with the following verse: “From East to West, we were dominant across the world, No nation’s scale was weightier than ours in the world.” The fiqh that exists today was compiled during this era of dominance. As a natural consequence, the spirit of that time became embedded in it. This compiled fiqh thus became a form of authoritative jurisprudence. No Example Available I once heard a lecture by a well-known Islamic scholar and thinker, delivered in a city in India. The topic of his speech was “Islam in the Modern Era.” At the end of the lecture, someone from the audience asked the speaker what guidance the Shariah provides for us in a country like India. Upon hearing this question, the Muslim scholar remained silent for a while and then said that answering