An evaluation of Fazl-al-Rahman’s ideas about the reconstruction of Ijtihad in religion

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Baqer al-Olum University

Abstract

The widespread scientific, political and social developments that started in various societies especially in the Western societies a few centuries ago and are still continuing have confronted intellectuals with different questions in different fields. In such circumstances, Fazl-al-Rahman, a Muslim intellectual, tried to answer, on the basis of the holy Qur’an and the traditions, these questions the most important of which may be how beliefs, values, and religious precepts can cope with the changes. Thus, discussions over the reconstruction of religious thought and how religion can be made effective in situations different from the past are very axial and have had an influential role in forming trends known as “religious revivalism”. This paper evaluates the principles of his theory about the reconstruction of Ijtihad [jurisprudence] in religion.

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