Two Types of Ijtihad: General and Special

Shah Waliullah failed to recognize the transformative importance of dawah. His renowned book Hujjatullah alBaligha covers numerous subjects but does not include a chapter on dawah. Now, consider the example of Syed Jamaluddin Afghani (d. 1897). During his time, the British and French had established near-total political dominance over the Muslim world. Syed Jamaluddin Afghani devoted his life to ending this political subjugation. His slogan was, “The East for the Easterners” (Al-Sharq lil-Sharqiyin). Superficially, it may appear that the political dominance of Western nations has ended, as around sixty independent Muslim countries have since emerged on the world map. However, in reality, the situation remains largely unchanged, with Muslim nations still compelled to live under Western supremacy. This is because Syed Jamaluddin Afghani addressed only the surface-level aspects of the situation, overlooking the deeper realities. He viewed British and French dominance as purely political, overlooking the foundational issue: Western nations had achieved remarkable advancements in knowledge, science, and technology, outpacing Muslims. With his traditional political perspective, Syed Jamaluddin Afghani was unable to grasp these deeper dimensions of the problem. Had Syed Jamaluddin Afghani recognized the critical importance of intellectual and scientific progress in the modern era, he might have dismissed external dominance