Life is the name of problem. Problems are a part of life. No conspirator or enemy creates problems. Problems are part of the creation plan of God. When problems come, you need to do ijtihad. Ijtihad literally means to make great efforts, or to exert one's utmost struggle. Whenever a new situation or new problem arrives, try to rediscover or redefine your ideology in that state of affairs. This is ijtihad. Ijtihadi hal is what we can call a creative solution. I will give examples to clarify the matter. A problem was created in one of the big cities of Maharashtra. There the procession for Ganesh Chaturthi is taken out with great furore. Incidentally, on a certain month the day of Muslims' Milad un-Nabi was coinciding with the procession of Ganesh Chaturthi. It was certain that there would be clash between the two groups, creating bloodshed and rioting, leading to loss of life and property.

This possibility was nearly certain. This incident happened several years ago in Pune. There were some wise Muslims who gathered in a mosque. Some were also readers of Al-Risala. They decided after reflection that they would change the date of Milad un-Nabi celebrations. If the Ganesh Chaturthi procession is taken out today, we will take out our procession the next day. They announced their decision among Muslims. This is what they did as well. All problems were solved. There was no riot and no bloodshed. This was a creative solution. Near the balcony of my home, there are many trees. There is a wire running between my home and these trees. Many squirrels race along this wire. I once observed an incident on the wire. Two squirrels were approaching each other on the wire from opposite directions. Both were meant to clash. But suddenly I saw that one of the squirrels turned upside down on the wire. The other squirrel went past and then the first squirrel carried on. This was a creative solution. This is a law of nature. This is what we see in the entire animal world.