Editing Ijtihad (section)

===Formative period===

During the early period, ''ijtihad'' referred to the exertion of mental energy to arrive at a legal opinion (''ra'y'') on the basis of the knowledge of the Divine Revelation.<ref name=hallaq/> Jurists used ''Ijtihad'' to help reach legal rulings, in cases where the [[Qur'an]] and [[Sunnah|Sunna]] did not provide clear direction for certain decisions. It was the duty of the educated jurists to come to a ruling that would be in the best interest of the Muslim community and promote the public good.

As religious law continued to develop over time, ''ra'y'' became insufficient in making sure that fair legal rulings were being derived in keeping with both the [[Qur'an]] and [[Sunnah|Sunna]]. However, during this time, the meaning and process of ''ijtihad'' became more clearly constructed. ''Ijtihad'' was "limited to a systematic method of interpreting the law on the basis of authoritative texts, the Quran and Sunna".<ref>{{cite web|last=Esposito|first=John|title=Ijtihad|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t24/e150|work=The Islamic World: Past and Present|publisher=Oxford Islamic Studies Online}}{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

As the practice of ''ijtihad'' transformed over time, it became religious duty of a ''mujtahid'' to conduct legal rulings for the Muslim society. ''Mujtahid'' is defined as a Muslim scholar that has met certain requirements including a strong knowledge of the [[Qur'an]], [[Sunnah|Sunna]], and Arabic, as well as a deep understanding of legal theory and the precedent; all of which allows them to be considered fully qualified to practice ''ijtihad''.<ref name="Oxford Islamic Studies">{{cite web|last=Esposito|first=John|title=Ijtihad|url=http://oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e150|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022174928/http://oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e150|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2014|work=The Islamic World: Past and Present|publisher=Oxford Islamic Studies Online|access-date=April 28, 2013}}</ref>