(Part 5)
The Continuation;
The Third Speech: Definition of Muqallid
Literal Definition of Muqallid (Imitator):
A muqallid is a person who follows another without personal knowledge of the evidence. (Qunaybi, 1408 AH, p. 454) In other words, a muqallid is someone who follows scholars without understanding the legal basis, lacking the insight or capability for independent reasoning or effort.
Technical Definition of Muqallid (Imitator):
A muqallid is someone who adopts another person’s religion without evidence or proof. (al-Zamakhshari, n.d., vol. 1, p. 57) Muqallids make up the vast majority of society, bearing the burden of many social duties while relying on jurists for legal matters due to their preoccupations and limited expertise.
The Fourth Speech: Definition of Mujtahid
Literal Meaning:
Derived from juhd, meaning effort or capacity. With fathah (ja-ha-da), it means exerting full effort; with dammah (ju-hd), it means capacity. Ijtihad implies intense effort beyond normal capacity. (Ibn Manzur, 1414 AH, vol. 3, p. 133)
In Context:
Ijtihad means applying all possible effort in fulfilling a task, especially in deriving rulings from religious sources. (al-Qarafi, 1416 AH, vol. 9, p. 3788) A mujtahid is someone who strives to extract a religious ruling in such a way that he feels he has exhausted his ability. (Sajjadi, 1373 SH, p. 121) A mujtahid is a diligent scholar who has reached the level of ijtihad in Islamic law, (Moein, 1386 SH, vol. 4, p. 325).
Definition of a Mujtahid (Jurist)
In Islamic jurisprudential terminology, a mujtahid is a jurist who exerts all his efforts to derive a probable practical ruling from the detailed sources of Islamic law (Al-Minyawi, 1432 AH, p. 569).
A mujtahid is someone who fully meets the conditions of ijtihad. Mujtahid is a jurist who fully understands the meaning of Islamic Sharia and strives with all his being to utilize the knowledge and understanding granted to him by Almighty Allah to extract probable subsidiary practical rulings. He clarifies and explains these Islamic rulings to his followers and laypeople. Ijtihad is a communal obligation (fard kifayah); if one competent and sincere scholar fulfills this role for the Muslim community, the responsibility is lifted from others and they are not sinful (Al-Zarkashi, 1413 AH, 8/228).
A mujtahid receives reward and merit for his ijtihad. Regarding the virtue of ijtihad and the mujtahid, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“If a judge gives a ruling and strives to arrive at the correct judgment and gets it right, he will have two rewards; and if he strives and errs, he will still have one reward.” (Muslim, 1416 AH, 3/1342) This hadith illustrates the virtue of ijtihad and the mujtahid—even if the result of their ijtihad is incorrect, they are rewarded for their effort and struggle in seeking the truth. Therefore, a mujtahid is one of the most beneficial and virtuous members of the Muslim Ummah after (Kheir ul ghoroon) the best Centuries.