That is why my Master the Commander of the Faithful (a.

That is why my Master the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) has said: When you are in doubt about a matter, you can understand it ending by looking at its beginning. Therefore it is necessary that we look at the inception of Ijtihad so that its reality may dawn upon us. I have pointed out in Chapter 2 how Ijtihad entered among the Sunnis.

In practical life this started during the era of the 1st caliphate and then the second and carried on to the extent that those who were considered to the companions used to think that it was their birth right to use their own opinion in matters of religion. This is why the Sunnis regard all companions to be Mujtahids and cover up their mistakes by regarding it as an ‘error of Ijtihad’.

It was later on, at the time of Abu Hanifa that Ijtihad was done in an organized manner, when he started commenting on the Holy Quran based on his opinion and declared some Hadeeth to be of a doubtful nature. This gave him an open field to play in. Later on many others followed on from him and created their own sects. They also created the principles of jurisprudence which formed the basis of Sharia law.

(Al Risalat Ul Ilmiya Fi Akhbar Ul Ma’sumeen - Al Risala for short) It has been quoted from Rawdat Ul Jannat by Muhammad Baqir Khonsari: ‘It is the unanimous view of all the scholars that the first one to set the principles of jurisprudence was Imam Shafei of the Sunnis’. I am only delving into this for the sake of understanding it and not to narrate the history of Ijtihad among the Sunnis. This has nothing to do with us. It’s their affair.

We are only interesting in finding out where this plague came from and how it was established among the Shias. Allama Bakhshashi has quoted his book, ‘Imam Ja’fer Al Sadiq (a.s.) Peshwa O Raees E Mazhab’ that the first Shiite scholar who used the term Ijtihad in the other meaning was Allama Hilli (died 726 AH) who in his book, in the chapter of Ijtihad used the term Ijtihad in the same meaning that it is being used today in.

This was the time period in which the term Ijtihad accepted the Shiites or, shall I say, the Shiites accepted Ijtihad. Well, that was the 8th Century AH. Let us now go back a little. Allamah Muhammad Baqir Kamrohi’s book, in his preface of Sheykh Saduq’s book Al Khisal he says: Among the Shiites, until the end of the 4th CenturyAH, on the Holy Quran and the Traditions of the Infallibles used to be the source of law.