Reviving Ijtihad

confrontation. He urged them to prepare intellectually rather than militarily, ensuring they could effectively convey Islam’s peaceful message in line with the demands of the time. However, the Muslim leaders of that era were so consumed by their animosity toward the British that they could not imagine any constructive work being undertaken under British rule. A significant historical opportunity was lost, and the lack of ijtihadi insight was the primary reason. Muslims suffered setbacks because they adopted an imitative mindset and stopped practicing ijtihad. This stagnation has left Muslims akin to a backward caravan in the modern era, struggling to keep pace with contemporary challenges. 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.