What does Ijtihad mean?
A qualified scholar's effort to derive a ruling for a matter the texts do not settle directly.
Ijtihad explained
The mujtahid who is right earns two rewards, and the one who errs after real effort earns one. Ijtihad is how the Shari'ah answers new questions, from organ donation to cryptocurrency.
Related terms
- Fiqhفِقْه
Islamic jurisprudence: the understanding of rulings drawn from the Quran and Sunnah.
- Qiyasقِيَاس
Analogy: extending a known ruling to a new case that shares its cause.
- Ijma'إِجْمَاع
Consensus of the qualified scholars of an age on a ruling.
- Fatwaفَتْوَى
A scholar's answer to a question about Islamic law.
Questions about Ijtihad
What does Ijtihad mean?
Ijtihad (اِجْتِهَاد, Ijtihad) means: A qualified scholar's effort to derive a ruling for a matter the texts do not settle directly.
How is Ijtihad written and pronounced in Arabic?
It is written اِجْتِهَاد and pronounced Ijtihad.
Where does Ijtihad come from in the Quran or hadith?
The mujtahid who is right earns two rewards, and the one who errs after real effort earns one. Ijtihad is how the Shari'ah answers new questions, from organ donation to cryptocurrency. Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 7352.
Practice with the full Quran, word by word, in the Barakah Life app
Every term here is something Barakah does: prayer times to the minute, a qibla you can trust, du'as with audio, the Quran word by word, tasbih, zakat, and a guide for Jumu'ah itself.
Get the Barakah app