Issues of Ijtihad

TAQLID AND IJTIHAD T he human mind can be categorized into two types: an imitative mind (taqlid) and a mind guided by independent reasoning (ijtihad). The distinction between these two can be described as follows: an imitative mind is a closed mind, while an independent reasoning mind is an open mind. The intellectual journey of an imitative person comes to a halt at a certain point, whereas the intellectual journey of an independent reasoning person continues to progress, ceasing only with death. This distinction can be better understood through an example. Shakespeare was a great writer of the English language, who passed away in 1616. On the other hand, George Bernard Shaw, an English writer of a later period, was born in 1856—there was a gap of about three hundred years between their periods of activity. In the history of English literature, Bernard Shaw holds a lesser position as compared to Shakespeare. Referring to this, Bernard Shaw famously remarked: “I am smaller in stature than Shakespeare, but I stand upon his shoulders.”