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Fiqh

فقه

اجتهاد

Ijtihād

Definition

The qualified scholar's effort to derive a ruling from the sources when no clear text is available.

Example

Ijtihād is not opinion — it requires mastery of Arabic, Qur'an, sunnah, uṣūl, and the objectives of the sharīʿah.

See also

Fiqh›

Taqlīd

Following the ruling of a qualified scholar without knowing its evidence — the default state of a non-specialist.

Fiqh›

Madhhab

A codified school of jurisprudence — the four Sunni schools are Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī.

All glossary terms

More in Fiqh

FarḍWājibSunnah (as ruling)MustaḥabbMakrūhḤarāmMubāḥTartībTakhyīrFiqhSharīʿahSunnah (as source)