This marks the onset of the intellectual crisis among Muslims. This stagnation in thought has rendered the Muslim community a stationary caravan. Amir Shakib Arslan (d. 1946), in his book “Why Have Muslims Lagged Behind and Others Progressed?,” addresses this issue at its core: the primary reason for the backwardness of Muslims in the modern era is the cessation of ijtihad (independent reasoning).
Ijtihad is not an optional endeavour; it is an essential and inevitable process. The question is not whether ijtihad should be undertaken—it is a natural necessity. Halting this process is akin to disrupting the flow of nature itself, and such disruption inevitably leads to stagnation and the cessation of progress.
The vitality of a river lies in its flow. If the flowing waters of a river are obstructed, it ceases to be a river and becomes a stagnant, foul-smelling pond. In the same way, if a community suspends the process of ijtihad, stagnation will ensue, making all forms of progress—material, religious, and spiritual—impossible.
