Ijtihad, Taqlid, and intellectual freedom – these three things are the three pillars of the intellectual system of religion. The slightest imbalance in them turns the entire understanding of religion either into stagnation or chaos. Ijtihad is not actually the self-will of the intellect, but rather the organized struggle of the intellect in the shadow of revelation. It comes into motion in the place where the text is silent or there is room for multiple understandings. For this, mere intelligence is not enough, but rather a deep understanding of the Quran and Sunnah, mastery of the principles of jurisprudence, a taste for the Arabic language, and an awareness of the objectives of Sharia are required. That is why Ijtihad is neither the right of every person nor the field of every issue in every era.
Taqlid, which is nowadays denounced as intellectual slavery, is actually a scientific trust and protection for the common man, just as a patient trusts a doctor without knowing the secrets of medicine, similarly a non-Mujtahid trusts those who have greater knowledge and insight than himself. This trust is not a negation of reason, but rather an acknowledgment of specialization. Yes, when Taqlid turns into an escape from argument, the sanctification of a sect, and a denial of the possibility of error, then it does not serve the religion, but rather becomes a prison for the religion. As for intellectual freedom, Islam keeps it within moral and ideological limits instead of leaving it unbridled. Here there is an invitation to think, but no permission to break; there is encouragement to ask questions, but not to rebel against the text; the intellect has been given a lamp, but it is not allowed to claim to be the sun.
The tragedy is that today, on the one hand, every novice mind considers himself a Mujtahid, and on the other hand, in some circles, centuries-old opinions have been made the final word, whereas the beauty of religion lies in the fact that the text remains ثابت, the understanding remains dynamic, and freedom remains linked to responsibility, because where Ijtihad is bold but humble, Taqlid is strong but not blind, and intellectual freedom is broad but bounded, there religion becomes life and knowledge becomes worship.
