Mujtahid: Difference between revisions

A Mujtahid (مجتهد‎, ’muğtahid) is a Muslim jurist who is qualified to interpret the law and thus to generate Ijtihad.

The qualifications for a mujtahid were set out in the 11^th century by Abul Husayn al-Basri in "al Mu’tamad fi Usul al-Fiqh". These were accepted by later Sunni scholars, including al-Ghazali, although al-Ghazali believed that innovation had ended, as there was nobody qualified to be a Mujtahid. Such qualifications require proficiency in Shari'ah and its interpretation.