The Precision of the Contemporary Ijtihad and its Relevance to the Condition of Knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and its Memorization: An Analytical Study in the Light of Fundamentalist Principles

This study examines the phenomenon of the poor knowledge of the conditions of Ijtihad among many who take upon themselves the responsibility of standing up to Ijtihad and Advocacy, due to these people’s lack of real awareness of these conditions. Thus, the study aims to reconsider in detail the first of these conditions, namely, the knowledge and memorization of the Holy Qur’an. The study is divided into an introduction, two sections, and a conclusion. The introduction contains a detailed account of the topic of the study, its problematic issues, the motives for its choice, its objectives, and the questions it raises. The first section deals with the definition of Ijtihad, its conditions, sections, and a new vision of the classes of Mujtahids. Then, the second section revolves around the condition of knowledge of the Holy Qur'an. It includes two chapters: the first discusses knowledge of the Holy Qur'an as a condition for ijtihad between identification and generalization. The second chapter studies the condition of memorizing the Holy Qur'an between facilitation and discipline. The conclusion contains the most important results of the study. The study suggests the multifunctionality of the Mujtahid as well as the fragmentary nature of Ijtihad. It also suggests that scientific research such as master's, doctorate, and promotional research in Islamic scholarship are considered forms of partial Ijtihad, especially when the candidates insist on observing the characteristic features of real Ijtihad. The study also suggests that one of the basic conditions of Ijtihad is a comprehensive knowledge of the Holy Qur'an, because the rules can be deduced from the verses as a whole. The study also suggests the necessity of memorizing the Holy Qur'an for students of Islamic studies in general and for Mujtahids in particular, based on the points of view of fifteen Fundamentalists. The study supports this view with reference to many Quranic verses and hadiths that emphasize the virtues of memorizing the Holy Qur’an as a basic condition that has been fulfilled in all those who have reached a high degree of ijtihad. The study, also, emphasizes the importance of memorization and its prominent impact on acquiring a comprehensive vision of the topics tackled in the Holy Qur'an and its methodology in legislation and Ijtihad, especially in the modern era.