Correlation between Independent Opinion (Ijtihad) and Renewal Among Recent and Old Fundamentalists: A Descriptive Comparative Study

Abstract

Research idea: 

Many of those who are interested in this matter believe that calls for renewal of ijtihad were ideas invented by late Muslim scholars and when senior imams of fiqh established the rules of Ijtihad, they overlooked this point. In fact, if one studies thoroughly the term ijtihad and considers carefully its issues which were already settled, one will seethe close relationship between the origin of ijtihad in Sharia, and the necessity for some changes.

Research objectives:

The primary purpose of this research is to prove this hypothesis by demonstrating the close relationship between these two terms: ijtihad and renewal by a thorough understanding of their meanings as well as the historical description of rules and issues of ijtihad which were adopted by fundamentalists in the past and nowadays.