Ijtihad

Ijtihad is disciplined juristic reasoning used to derive an Islamic legal ruling when authoritative texts do not settle a question directly. Its methods and scope have been debated across Islamic legal traditions.

Usul al-fiqh: Usul al-fiqh is the discipline that studies the sources and methods of Islamic jurisprudence. It supplies the principles that govern valid juristic reasoning.
Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i: Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i was a formative Islamic jurist who systematized legal reasoning and the use of prophetic reports. His work helped define the relationship between legal sources and juristic reasoning.
Fatwa: A fatwa is a nonbinding legal opinion issued by a qualified Islamic jurist in response to a question. A fatwa may express the outcome of ijtihad without itself being a court judgment.
Islamic bioethics: Islamic bioethics examines moral and legal questions about medicine and life through Islamic ethical and legal traditions. New medical practices prompt jurists to apply established sources to unprecedented cases.
Qiyas: Qiyas is analogical reasoning that extends a legal ruling from an established case to a new one sharing its effective cause. It is one method jurists use when direct textual guidance is absent.
Risala: The Risala is al-Shafi'i's treatise on Islamic legal theory and the interpretation of legal sources. It offers an early systematic account of the methods that discipline ijtihad.
Sharia: Sharia is the ideal divine path in Islam, understood through scripture and human interpretation. Ijtihad interprets sources associated with sharia; it is not identical to the divine ideal.
Islamic finance: Islamic finance is financial activity structured to comply with interpretations of Islamic legal and ethical principles. Its rulings often require juristic analysis of modern contracts and financial instruments.
Ijma: Ijma is the agreement of qualified Muslim jurists on a legal ruling. Its authority can constrain or settle questions that individual reasoning might otherwise address.
Taqlid: Taqlid is reliance on an established legal authority or school rather than deriving a ruling independently. Debates about taqlid shaped arguments over who could exercise independent reasoning.

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