Question
My question pertains to the process of “Living Sunnah” which was abolished after Imam Shafi closed the gates of Ijtihad. Living sunnah in my understanding is the process of Ijtihad and Ijma‘ for law formulation and other decision making activities of a Muslim society. I am still a student in understanding aspects related to the process of the “Living Sunnah”. I would really like for you to tell me if your institution knows what I am talking about because I feel that is what your institution’s purpose entails. If you do know what I am talking about could you impart more knowledge on this process so I can be ascertained that this was the way for the propagation of our society towards positive intellectual development.
Answer
Thank you for writing to us. As to the question of closing the gate of ijtihad I will restrict my response to the statement that the gate of ijtihad was not closed by Shafi’i. Imam Shafi’i himself explained that ijtihad means ascertaining the legal rulings and fulfilling the religious obligations mentioned in the religious sources in the light of express and implied religious injunctions. The door of ijtihad is considered to have been closed by the later jurists at least a century after Imam Shafi’i. Even this has been refuted by many scholars. For practically the Muslim scholars have always continued exercising ijtihad and finding solutions to the new problems faced. Please refer to the attached article on the issue of closure of ijtihad.
Answered by: Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Date: 2015-03-03
