Issues of Ijtihad

A living community cannot remain confined to approaches shaped by earlier circumstances. While it must honour its intellectual inheritance, it must also have the courage to think anew in the light of the Quran and Sunnah, so that their guidance may be meaningfully applied to contemporary conditions. This is the true spirit of ijtihad.
The tragedy of present-day Muslim society is that imitation has too often taken the place of reflection. As a result, Muslims have failed to understand changing circumstances and have remained largely unaware of the opportunities offered by the modern age. The need today is not to abandon the past, but to stand upon it and move forward.
Ijtihad is the effort to discover the guidance of Islam for new situations with wisdom, realism, and a peaceful approach. It teaches that criticism is not an enemy, but a means of growth. It opens the door to constructive action, respect for humanity, and the renewal of Islamic thought in every age. The present book is an attempt to understand this principle in relation to the modern age.