Theories of Ijtihad

format_quote Originally Posted by Knut Hamsun

But, I take it you have a problem with
Ijtihad based on the page or two I did read.

I don't have a problem with Ijtihad, read the book and you will know exactly what the place of ijtihad is in Islamic law. Proper education does require some reading - if you want to learn about Islam you'll have to do more than watch minute-long news clips on TV, or read short write-ups which betray a serious misunderstanding of Islamic teachings. Ijithad is part of Islamic law (shari'ah) not something seperate from it.

Regards

format_quote Originally Posted by Knut Hamsun

Proper dialogue consists of more than pasting 30 page party-line quasi-refutations! So, you won't explaion to me your position? Thanks, man.

Ask a specific question and I will have no problem in answering. Ijitihad is one of the sources of Islamic law, but it comes after the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the Ijmaa' of the early Muslim scholars. If you want to know more, please ask.

format_quote Originally Posted by Ansar Al-'Adl

Ask a specific question and I will have no problem in answering. Ijitihad is one of the sources of Islamic law, but it comes after the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the Ijmaa' of the early Muslim scholars. If you want to know more, please ask.

Just out of curiousity, may I ask: Muslim scholars once said that the Gates of Interpretation were closed, meaning there is no more room for ijtihad - all the big important issues have been decided. Do you believe that? Or perhaps given you are unlikely to believe that, how bound do you feel by the decisions of past scholars? Is there any room for new interpretation on old issues or just on new ones that have not been discussed before? Do you feel that a Muslim has to follow a School?

format_quote Originally Posted by HeiGou

Just out of curiousity, may I ask: Muslim scholars once said that the Gates of Interpretation were closed, meaning there is no more room for ijtihad - all the big important issues have been decided.

It's not so much a question of whether the gates are closed or not, the question is what the place of ijtihad is and who is qualified to perform ijtihad. You see many secularists parroting this word as though it somehow validates their notion of rejecting established Islamic laws. Ijtihad is never used to overrule Islamic laws or abrogate them.

Or perhaps given you are unlikely to believe that, how bound do you feel by the decisions of past scholars?

I believe that we are to follow Islam as it was revealed in the Qur'an, explained by the Prophet Muhammad pbuh and as it was understood by the earliest Muslims, the direct recipients of the message. After that, we can examine the consensus of the Muslim scholars on various issues.

Is there any room for new interpretation on old issues or just on new ones that have not been discussed before?

It depends what you mean.

Do you feel that a Muslim has to follow a School?

For the layman, their school of thought is whatever Islamic source that is readily available to them, such as their local imam. As for following a school of one of the four imaams, the consensus of the scholars is that this is permissable so long as we do not make it a source of division.

format_quote Originally Posted by Abu Zakariya

May I also add that blind following of a School of Thought is to be avoided. It's okay to follow a school, but if the school says one thing and an authentic hadith say another thing, then one shouldn't blindly follow his/her school.

Bro i'd just like to say this point is not very valid. I've heard brothers (who call themselves "salafi") say what you have to followers of one of the 4 madhabs. For example the raising of hands before ruku, hanafees don't do that. Now just as you have said, i've heard brothers say that there are authentic hadeeth in Sahih Bukhari saying you should do this, so they hanfees are wrong. But when you go to a scholar of the Hanafee Madhab, he'll say we have an authentic hadeeth where it says the Prophet PBUH did not do that. And i've even seen Shafi' Malaki and Hanablee scholars agree with the hanafees saying it is an authentic hadeeth aswell.
We have to remmeber the schools of thoughts are not just the works of Imam Abu Hanifah Imam Shafi Imam Malik or Imam Ahmad, but it's the extensive research carried out by thousands of scholars
who devoted their life for this noble cause.

So i'd just like to say i disagree with you, since following a school of thought blindly or not, you will be following authentic hadeeth, it they weren't authentic, i'm sure the thousands and thousands of scholars who have been followers of the madhabs for over the last 1000 years would have noticed by now. It's illogical to say they would have noticed unauthentic hadeeth and let it pass

Either way i don't think this is the time or place for a discussion like this as "sect" issues are banned here

So i'd just like to say i disagree with you, since following a school of thought blindly or not, you will be following authentic hadeeth, it they weren't authentic, i'm sure the thousands and thousands of scholars who have been followers of the madhabs for over the last 1000 years would have noticed by now. It's illogical to say they would have noticed unauthentic hadeeth and let it pass

Yes, the thousands and thousands of scholars who have been followers of the madhabs for over the last 1000 years would have noticed by now. Unless of course, they followed their shool blindly.
Btw, thanks for the link Ansar, this is something I have been wondering about to lately. Inshallah this will clear soem of the questions I have.