اجتماعی اجتہاد کا مفہوم: ایک ارتقائی مطالعہ

Abstract

The term collective Ijtihād is relatively a new term but the idea, however, existed in the past. The term refers to a collective effort of a group of scholars in determining the ruling of an issue from the depths and vastness of Qur’ān and Sunnah. In contemporary times, there exist numerous committees of academics worldwide that issue verdicts (Fatāwā) on modern issues; such proceedings are included in the definition of Collective Ijtihād. Some of these committees are governed by governmental institutions while others work independently.

Some contemporary scholars have tried to define the term Collective Ijtihād in a more comprehensive and precise way that resulting in the inscription of approximately ten definitions with certain variations. This treatise includes an analysis and comparative study of all these definitions along with an appropriate demarcation of the term and words that demonstrate its boundaries.