Thus, their contributions to the Islamic Fiqh over the...

Thus, their contributions to the Islamic Fiqh over the subsequent centuries were practically confined to summarization and consolidation of the original materials of the four recognized schools.10 The centuries-long hiatus in the growth of Sunni Ijtihad continued until 1378 AH/1958-59 AD. Then, a Fatwa (religious verdict) was issued at Cairo's thousand-year-old University of Al-Azhar by Mufti 'Azam Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot.

It formally recognized the possibility of Sunni Ijtihad vis-a-vis that of the Shi'a Muslims that had continued through the centuries.11 Iqbal explains "Ijtihad" as follows: "The word literally means to exert. In the terminology of…