What is ijtihād? Can it still happen today?

"such as doubt on the last night of Ramadan, which does not prevent decisive intention. It may also rely on ijtihad, like someone imprisoned who predominantly believes Ramadan has begun through his ijtihad; his doubt does not prevent him from having intention. As long as one is doubtful on the night of doubt, verbalizing the intention doesn’t benefit him because the heart is the place for intention, and it is inconceivable to decisively intend with doubt."

"then it becomes evident that he has eaten during the day with certainty, he must make it up. If he remains on the judgment of his assumption and ijtihad, there is no make-up required, and he should not eat at the edges of the day except with sight and ijtihad. The fourth obligation is abstaining from intercourse, defined by the penetration of the glans."

"just as the disbelief of Jews and Christians is contested despite their belief in its truth, because their error is definitively known, in contrast to errors in the realms of ijtihad. If you argue that when you challenge the Qadariyyah position that evil is not from God, they in return challenge you for saying that evil is from God; similarly, when you claim that God can be seen and extend this to other issues, remember that each sect considers itself right in its own eyes while the orthodox sees the innovator as erroneous."

"Some hold the view that reckoning applies only to matters like wine and pork, which are definitively prohibited. However, it seems more appropriate that independent reasoning, or ijtihad, is relevant to the individual exercising it. It is unlikely for someone to determine the qibla, recognize its probable direction using indirect evidence, yet deliberately pray away from it simply because another assumes the opposite direction is correct."

"If judgment against the imam is permissible in defiance of him, how can it require his permission? Similarly, breaking musical instruments and spilling liquor is engaging in what is known to be right without the need for ijtihad, and it does not require the imam. As for gathering supporters and brandishing weapons, this may lead to widespread turmoil, which requires consideration that will be discussed later."

"authority is given to your young, and jurisprudence is in your lowliest." Third, the debater should be a mujtahid, an independent jurist, forming their own opinions rather than strictly following the schools of Shafi'i, Abu Hanifa, or others. If the truth becomes clear to them from another school, they should be willing to leave their previous opinion and give a ruling based on what they have discovered, just as the Companions and the Imams, may Allah be pleased with them, did."

"When faced with confusion, they must say, "Perhaps my mentor's school has an answer for this, as I do not have independent ijtihad in the root of the law. If their investigation involves matters with two opinions within their school, it is more appropriate, as they might give a fatwa on one and benefit from research leaning towards one side."

"just as the Companions and the Imams, may Allah be pleased with them, did. As for someone who is not at the level of ijtihad, which is the case for most people today, they can only give fatwas based on the teachings of their mentor's school. If they find a weakness in their school's position, they cannot simply abandon it."