Definition

• Ijtihad: the rigorous, qualified effort of a jurist to derive a ruling for a matter without explicit text, through established methodologies.

Methodologies Used

• Qiyas — analogy based on a shared effective cause ('Illah).
• Istihsan — juristic preference for public benefit.
• Maslahah Mursalah — unregulated public interest.
• 'Urf — custom.

Conditions/Qualifications for a Mujtahid

• Mastery of Arabic.
• Deep knowledge of legally-relevant Qur'anic verses (commonly cited benchmark: roughly 500 verses).
• Deep knowledge of legal Hadith (commonly cited benchmark: roughly 1,200).
• Command of Usul al-Fiqh and prior scholarly disagreement (Ikhtilaf).
• Sound moral character (Taqwa, 'Adalah).
• Awareness of the higher objectives of the Shariah (Maqasid al-Shariah) and of contemporary context.

Prophetic Validation — Dialogue with Mu'adh ibn Jabal

• Sent to Yemen, asked how he would judge:
  • "By the Qur'an" → "By the Sunnah" → "By my own reasoning (Ijtihad)."
• The Prophet (PBUH) approved this order.

Reward Principle

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إِذَا حَكَمَ الْحَاكِمُ فَاجْتَهَدَ ثُمَّ أَصَابَ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَإِذَا حَكَمَ فَاجْتَهَدَ ثُمَّ أَخْطَأَ فَلَهُ أَجْرٌ

اردو: جب حاکم اجتہاد کرے اور درست فیصلہ کرے تو اسے دوہرا اجر ملتا ہے، اور اگر اجتہاد کرے اور غلطی کرے تو اسے ایک اجر ملتا ہے۔

English: "If a judge/jurist exercises Ijtihad and is correct, he gets two rewards; if he exercises Ijtihad and errs, he gets one reward."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 7352; Sahih Muslim 1716

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Hadith Evidence — Mu'adh ibn Jabal