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Khutba # 28

Ij’tihaad in Islam

 

Let us hold to Taq’wa, which means piety and righteousness, and let us revere Allah as He should be revered and obey His Divine Commands!  Let us choose wisely in this life and heed the consequences of our choices for the hereafter.  Let us be aware of our eventuality and departure into the everlasting life.  May Allah provide us all with the spirit of righteousness and obedience as best means for our salvation.

 

Surah 8 (al-Anfaal), Ayah 24 says:

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُم لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ

“O ye who believe!  Respond to the call of God and His Messenger whenever he calls you unto that which will give you life….”

The above Ayah is about, 1) the unique importance and influence of religion, and 2) the religious teachings and their place in individual’s life, family life, and society life.

 

The Arabic word Ih’yaa means to revive and its Arabic antonym is Imatah which means “to put to death”.  Ih’yaa is derived from the word Hayat, which means: life.  Imatah is derived from the Arabic word Mawt, which means: death, or a phenomenon of being unable to grow or understand facts.

 

However, the term Ih’yaa has been employed in the Holy Quran in different senses.  Examples are: a) ability to perceive intuitive facts, b) rational talent, c) spiritual life in agreement with revelation and Divine inspiration, d) eternal existence in the afterlife, e) capacity to grow regarding the plants, and so forth. Another character of life (Hayat) is its interconnection with strength and power, that is, it is motivating. 

 

Ih’yaa also means an interpretation of religion according to the needs and requirements of the contemporary time.   The Holy Quran says one of the main reasons for appointing Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was to revive and to remove the distortions in religion and to complete the teachings and the orders of human life.

 

The Holy Quran, the Prophet (pbuh), and Ahlul Bayt (the 12 Imams) emphasized the necessity and requirement for Ij’tihaad.  Through Ij’tihaad comes better understanding of many contemporary issues, and makes it possible to issue Islamic decrees by the qualified Jurisprudents.  Thus the Muj’tahideen (plural of Muj’tahid) are the true revivalist in the society.

Hisham bin Salem quotes Imam al-Saadiq (a.s.) as saying:[1] 

 

علینا إلقاء الأصول    وعلیکم التفریع

“ [As Imams] Our duty is to provide you, O’ people, with primary principles;

and your duty [O people] is to derive the deductions from these principles.”

 

 

Imam al-Ridha (a.s.) also states:[2] 

 

علینا إلقاء الأصول   وعلیکم ان تفرعوا

“[As Imams] Our duty is to provide you O’ people, with principles,

and your duty [O people] is to deduce the secondary decrees from them”.

 

 

Quranic verses and traditions emphasize the necessity for Ij’tihaad. According to Surah 9 (al-Taubah), Ayah 122 alluding to Ij’tihaad indirectly:

 

وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُواْ كَآفَّةً فَلَوْلاَ نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُواْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُواْ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُواْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ

“…From among you a contingent could devote themselves to acquire deeper knowledge of the Faith, and thus be able to teach their brethren, so these too might guard themselves against evilness.”

Ij’tihaad is the revival movement, a revitalization, or sign of Ih’yaa of life, which is an intrinsic character of God as revealed in the system of creation and religions.  Creating life is one of God’s unchangeable traditions in the realm of creation as evidenced in Surah 30 (al-Room), Ayah 19:

 

يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَيُحْيِي الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَكَذَلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ

“It is He [Allah] who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living, and He gives life to the earth after it is dead…”

Hence, the appointment of Prophets is in line with the tradition of reviving societies and man’s hidden talents.  Reviving man’s life and revitalizing it is part of the Almighty’s generosities towards life, to sustain creation.

 

Al-Bukhtari in quoting Imam al-Saadiq (a.s.) says:[3]

 

انّ العلماء ورثة الانبیاء ..... فانظروا علمکم هذا عمّن تأخذونه    فانّ فینا أهل البیت فی  کلّ خلف عدولاً  ینفون عنه تحریف الغالین  وإنتحال المبطلین   وتأویل الجاهلین

“Scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets [their successors in knowledge],

therefore be vigilant of the person from whom you receive your knowledge. 

No doubt, among us Ahlul Bayt, there are those who protect the religion from distortions by the ill-informed”.

 

 

The Prophet (pbuh) said:[4]

 

اذا ظهرت البدع فی امتی فلیظهر العالم علمه   فمن لم یفعل فعلیه لعنة الله

“When heresy appears [in my Ummah], then the scholars must stress their knowledge,

otherwise God would chastise them”.

 

 

Mu’awiya Ibn Wahab in quoting Imam al-Saadiq said: “I heard al-Saadiq quoting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by saying:

“After my [the Prophet’s] death, when an innovation appears about people’s faith,

there will be a guide from my Household to safeguard Islam. 

He will defend Islam; he will talk on behalf of God; and he will reveal the right and overcome the enemies’ ploy.”

 

Many Hadiths point to the scholars as the Prophets’ inheritors and trustees, the stronghold of Islam, as individuals for whom the angels of the heavens weep when they die.  All these issues are indicative of the perpetual need of Ij’tihaad and for the emergence of the revivalists in the society.   In view of these points it can be understood that the process of reviving is the first mission of God’s Messengers and the Prophet’s successors.

 

After the occultation of the 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) the divine mission rested on the shoulders of the religious authorities and learned scholars.  Just as the political leadership of people is the obligation of the fully qualified jurisprudent, Ij’tihaad is a Divine mission that is necessary for them.

 

For the end of the 1st part of the Khutba, read Surah Al-Asr, take a short intermission, then start the 2nd part of the Khutba with a short Du’aa.

 

What are the attributes of U’lamaa’ and Muj’tahideen (plural of Aalim and Muj’tahid) one may ask, and what are their responsibilities for the revival of man’s society?

 

  1. Basically, among people the multitudes are indifferent toward religion, the world, and the community. They are obviously the lay people who are far from their godly nature.

  2. On the other hand, there are people whose thoughts and horizons go beyond personal benefit, self-service, and egotism.  Their mission is something beyond their own “existence”.  Of course this group is not equal to the first group.  We call these people the scholars and learned persons, who want to serve mankind in a special framework.

  3. The third group is called the religious intellectuals who care deeply for the society in that:

    1. they assist the oppressed,

    2. they fight against tyranny,

    3. they understand events of their times,

    4. suffer the burden of being committed to the religion, and

    5. realize the necessity to reinforce or revive this commitment.

The last group believes that only religion is able to solve individual as well as society problems.  They can be called religious intellectuals who are U’lamaa and Muj’tahideen in a real sense.

 

Let us have a look at the characters of the U’lamaa and Muj’tahideen (plural of Aalim and Muj’tahid):

 

The first point is that they are conscious of the problems of their times. When a scholar does not recognize the problem, how can he solve it?  Understanding the requirements of the time has occupied a distinct place in the cultures of the Prophet’s household, Ahlul Bayt.  Mufadhal ibn Omar quotes Imam al-Saadiq (a.s.) as saying:[5] 

“One who is aware of the [social problems of his] times is less likely to be burdened by doubts or commit errors”.

Imam Ali (a.s.) states:[6] 

 

    العالم بزمانه  لا تهجم علیه اللوابس

“A person knowledgeable of his times will not be confounded by tribulations of the time”

 

 

The second point about the Aalim or Muj’tahid is that the U’lamaa and the Muj’tahideen are cognizant and aware of true Islam and Islamic Schools of Thought.  They must themselves properly understand the Islamic religion from the point of view of the Holy Quran and the Hadith.  The Messenger of God (pbuh) has said: 

 

 

اذا التبست علیکم الفتن کقطع اللیل المظلم  فعلیکم بالقران

 

“If your problems are more than you can handle, refer to the Holy Quran”.

 

 

A person cannot claim to be Aalim or Muj'tahid and to proceed to do reforms without having gained the needed tools and sciences, i.e. understanding the Quran, Hadith, and other Islamic sciences.”

 

The third point about the Aalim or Muj’tahid is that they are not only theoreticians but also insightful persons, who try to purify themselves from sinfulness, malice, wickedness, and mischief making.  They try to perpetually be doers of good in their life.  Imam al-Hasan al-Askari says:[7] 

 

فأمّا من کان من الفقهاء   صائناً لنفسه   حافظاّ لدینه   مخالفاً لهواه   مطیعاً لامر مولاه     فللعوام أن یقلـِّدوه

“Of the jurisprudents the one who is protector of his soul [against the sinful],

who applies his religion well,

who opposes his unlawful passions,

who is submissive to the Commands of his Lord:  It is then obligatory for people to follow such a person.”

 

 

The Muj’tahideen should not only be acquainted with religious sciences but also to have high insight, which is of the nature of the gifted (non-acquired) knowledge.

 

The fourth point about the Aalim or Muj’tahid is that he should be familiar with the spirit of the people of his times.  The Holy Quran refers to this point when it says in Surah 14 (Ibrahim), Ayah 4:

 

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ

“And We sent not a Messenger except to Teach in his own people’s Language, in order to Make the Truth Clear to them…”

The Prophet (pbuh) spoke in the language of the culture and the customs of the peoples of his time.  Besides, the lifestyle of the Prophet and the 12 Imams is a wonderful example for the Aalim or Muj’tahid to follow, and to utilize it in the most effective way of communication.

 

The Quran emphasizes as a principle that all the pomp and show of life is meaningless when it is devoid of faith and spirituality and if it is not consistent with the aim of benefiting man.   The Holy Quran describes the fate of those with no aim in their life and are negligent of faith, in Surah 24 (Al-Noor), Ayah 39-40:

 

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاء حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا ِ

“As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert; which the thirsty mistakes it for water, but when he approaches it, he finds it to be nothing”.

Purely material life is as good as a mirage.  Numerous people lack direction and are submerged in vulgarity.  We pray Allah to grant us a happy end, give us the favor of obedience, worship, and devotion to Him.  We pray to Allah to make us true devotees of Islam, make our intentions pure, protect us against every evil and grant us salvation in this world and in the hereafter.

 

Finally, let us read Surah Al-Nasr with a short Du’aa to close the Khutba.


 

 

[1] Sara’ir ibn Idrees, Page 478.

[2] Sara’ir Ibn Idrees, Page 478.

[3] Usool Al-Kaafi, Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, section on Description of knowledge, Saying #2.

[4] Usool Al-Kaafi, Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, section on Innovation, Saying #2.

[5] Usool Al-Kaafi, Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, section on Wisdom and Ignorance, Saying #29.

[6] Nahjul Balaaghah, Sermon 220.

[7] Wasa’il al-Shi’a, al-Aamili, Vol. 18, P. 95.  Also al-Ih’tijaj, Tibrisi, Vol. 2, Page 263.

 

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