5. What is ijtihad in today’s world?
Ijtihad is a principle to be followed in every age. It was used even at the time of the Prophet. Ijtihad means to reapply the teachings of Islam to a new situation. We have an example of this during the life of the Prophet.
Once, the Prophet sent a group of his Companions to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. Before sending them off, he advised them:
Do not offer the Asr prayer until you have reached Banu Qurayzah. (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 946)
Asr is the afternoon daily prayer, the time for which ends at the beginning of sunset. The group of Companions had not yet reached Banu Qurayzah when the sun began to set. Some of the Companions said that they should offer prayer as the time for Asr would end by the time they reached Banu Qurayzah. Certain other Companions said that they would strictly follow the Prophet’s advice and would not pray until they reached the camp of Banu Qurayzah. The former group of Companions explained to the latter that the Prophet’s words should not be taken literally, as he had actually wanted them to walk fast so that they reached their destination before the time of the Asr prayer came to an end. The Prophet did not mean that they should offer the Asr prayer only after having reached the destination, come what may. So, the Companions eventually offered prayer before reaching the Banu Qurayzah, which was contrary to the literal advice of the Prophet. Thus, on this occasion they re-interpreted the words of the Prophet. This incident is an example of doing ijtihad or reapplying a teaching of Islam in a changed situation.
In today’s age also, ijtihad is a necessity. For example, the Quran says:
Call mankind to the Pilgrimage. They will come to you, on foot, and on every kind of lean camel, by every distant track. (Quran 22:27)
This verse calls on all Muslims to perform the pilgrimage to Makkah on camelback. In today’s times, this command cannot be followed literally, and is taken to mean: ‘Use the available means of transportation for the pilgrimage.’
In life, situations and circumstances always change and thus there is a need to re-study and re-apply the original teachings of Islam.
