BENEFIT 292: The Gate of Ijtihād has NOT been shut!

Sheikh Sulayman Ar-Ruhaili ḥafidhahullāh states: "The Ummah still requires the efforts of Mujtahids (qualified jurists), as contemporary challenges are numerous, and it is not accurate to claim that the gate of ijtihad (independent reasoning) has been closed. A noteworthy scholarly debate in this regard: one scholar debated another who argued that the gate of ijtihad had been shut, asserting that no one is permitted to engage in ijtihad anymore. The first scholar responded, "Did you arrive at this judgment through ijtihad or without it? If you made this claim without ijtihad, then your statement carries no weight (because the gate of ijtihad has been closed according to your claim). But if you reached it through ijtihad, then you have admitted that the gate of ijtihad remains open." Thus, the argument for the closure of ijtihad inherently refutes itself. It is impossible to close the gate of ijtihad. However, the practice of ijtihad is not open to everyone!"