“이즈티하드(Ijtihād)의 문 폐쇄”에 대하여:락의 비판이 주는 의미와 파장

On the Closing of the Gate of Ijtihād:The Meaning and Impact of Hallaq’s Refutation

Islamicists in the West tended to follow an argument that ijtihād ceased around the end of the third/ninth century, and the unquestioning acceptance of the established legal schools and scholars prevailed, which eventually led to the stagnation of legal reasoning in the Islamic world. Drawing on Muslim sources, Hallaq refuted it and concluded that ijtihād continued throughout Islamic history. Reflecting on the meaning and impact of Hallaq’s refutation, this paper attempts to show that Hallaq’s findings demand a re-evaluation of not only the legal history of Islam, but also the way Islamicists have seen the Muslim world as lacking any creative rational thinking that may contribute to its development and progress.