Anyhow the meaning of ijtihad in general is clear even if...

Anyhow the meaning of ijtihad in general is clear even if the previous definitions fail to give all its limits. Ijtihad in its special meaning is a synonym of analogy according to ash-Shafi’iy’s thought. He says: “…what is analogy? Is it ijtihad or they are different? I said: they are two names for one meaning”.[^6] They might make it as a synonym for approval, opinion, conclusion and analogy as different names for one meaning.

Mustafa Abdur Razaq says: “The opinion that we talk about is dependence on intellect in concluding the legal verdicts that is what we mean by ijtihad and analogy and it is also a synonym for approval and conclusion”. [^7] It is clear for one, who studies these researches and what definitions they have mentioned for these idioms, to find that this speech has come out according to the requirements of this subject and its idioms.

Its reason might be an ambiguity that the general concepts have imposed their confirmation upon this great researcher. Apparently that one, who observes their sayings about the subject of ijtihad in its special meaning, will find it as a synonym of “opinion” for them and analogy, approval, benefits and the likes are just confirmations for this concept.

When comparing between “ nass ” and “ ijtihad ” mentioned in the title of the book, we understand that the author has meant by ijtihad here its special meaning, which is trying one’s opinion to derive the legal verdict with ignoring the “ nass ” that contradicts the verdict.

As for these evidences that have been mentioned repeatedly in some definitions of ijtihad in its general meaning and ad-Dahlawi has ascribed to it in his previous definition “the whole verdicts”, they are four - as he has mentioned - three of which the Muslims have agreed on and they are: the Book, the Sunna and consensus. The jurisprudents of the Shia have added to them “reason” while their Sunni brothers have added “analogy” and perhaps some of them have added approval, benefits and others.

With regard to the importance of the research on these evidences and preferring some of them to the others and the important relation with the researches of this book, we shall talk about in some details as necessary as the subject requires. The Book means the Book of Allah that has been revealed to His messenger Muhammad (S), who has informed his Ummah of it and it has circulated among the Muslims until this day with no increase and no decrease.