Why Doors Of Itjtihad Are Considered Closed?
Assalam u Alaikum, The specifics of your proposed change is unclear. However, in general, societal behaviours are difficult to mend. It is a gradual process that requires persistence from the few individuals who are visionary. They are good at foreseeing a decaying society unless the root issues are addressed and solutions are advised and promoted. Gladly, o ne of the life struggles of Mohtaram Ghamidi Sb. has been in this area. I say this despite having certain disagreements with him on academic grounds. It would be nice to see more individuals following in his footsteps. Why is the mainstream institution of scholars against this approach? According to M Ghamidi Sb., the approach in most (if not all) madrassas is to learn and follow what is taught. Students rarely raise creative or difficult questions because dissent with the teacher may be constituted as an insult or against norms of courteous behaviour. Historically, this behaviour is likely to have its roots in the practice of taqleed i.e. make up your mind regarding which scholar you will follow and then stick to his rulings. Historically, its necessity may have originated following the apparent impression that the “gates of Ijtehaad” had been shut by an ijma of scholars. Modern scholars highlight its relevance and importance by suggesting that people having the freedom to either learn from or utilise the rulings of multiple scholars will either suffer confusion or will start to pick and choose rulings according to their personal liking thereby abusing the system. I humbly disagree with this explanation. Why we are not changing this concept? Because we are collectively part of the problem. For example, a similar behaviour or mindset can also be found in normal schools in Pakistan. Independent thinking and creativity are discouraged. Students survive the expectation of their families and schools by temporarily memorising the course curriculum (data). Where mindset is not an issue, there is either lack of time or the teachers are underpaid to be bothered with creativity from students. A self-reflection may also reveal that questioning or seeking proper justification from our elderly within family settings or senior members of local communities comes at a price especially for the poor children or youth. Accordingly, they learn and adapt for the sake of survival and start imitating the loud egos, irrelevant arguments, and insults that tend to prevail over reason. Why is there extreme opposition on this matter? A society lacks originality when its religious or non-religious educational institutions do not make it clear to their students “how to learn?” and “why learn?”. When those students grow up to become Scholars or Professionals, they may try to remain relevant or survive the competition by finding their sense of rationality for their beliefs & practices but they will sadly lack the ability to justify both. This vacuum within them causes them to oppose any idea that merely appears to attack their beliefs & practices, their ancestral or similar identities, or the people who inspire them etc. The Way Ahead I had mentioned earlier that it would be nice to see more people having semblance to the likes of M Ghamidi Sb. The basic ingredients of such a character are sincerity, knowledge, and application. His sincerity helps him move beyond rationality and find appropriate justification for the set of beliefs and practices that he holds. This self-reflective exercise polishes him over time as he repeatedly practices reasoning and critical thinking. He begins to understand how scattered data transforms into information that is then acquired, shared, absorbed, improved, and continuously re-visited to produce knowledge. This process produces academics and intellects. Unfortunately, the education and upbringing in family settings, local communities & neighbourhood, schools, madrassas, and universities are nowhere near this standard. This may require all of us to ‘look into the mirror’. Accordingly, an ideal way of experiencing the desired change in societal attitude is by correcting ourselves and becoming an example for others. InshaAllah.