“The principle of movement and change is the essence of Islam's spirit, and ijtihad is its dynamic principle.”
— Muhammad IqbalThe Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (1930), Lecture V, The Principle of Movement in the Structure of Islam; close paraphrase, wording not verified word for word
Commentary
This claim, developed in the fifth of Iqbal's lectures in The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, is one of the most cited statements of his legal and theological position. Iqbal argues that the principle of ijtihad, or independent judgement, is the means by which Islamic law can respond to changing circumstances, and he presents it as the dynamic principle of the faith rather than a concession to modernity. Annemarie Schimmel, in Gabriel's Wing, discusses the lectures as a bold attempt to reconcile traditional jurisprudence with contemporary intellectual conditions, and she notes that Iqbal's emphasis on movement was controversial among the ulama. Javid Iqbal's Zinda Rud records that the lectures were delivered in Madras, Hyderabad, and elsewhere in India, and that they reflected his concern with the decline of creative legal thought. Bashir Ahmad Dar argues that Iqbal's account of ijtihad draws on his philosophy of time and the self, so that change is grounded in the dynamic character of the human ego. Commentators have debated whether Iqbal's views on ijtihad were applied in later Pakistani legal debates, a question that remains open. Because the wording is a paraphrase, it should not be cited as a direct quotation, and Lecture V should be consulted for the exact phrasing.
Commentary
This claim, developed in the fifth of Iqbal's lectures in The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, is one of the most cited statements of his legal and theological position. Iqbal argues that the principle of ijtihad, or independent judgement, is the means by which Islamic law can respond to changing circumstances, and he presents it as the dynamic principle of the faith rather than a concession to modernity. Annemarie Schimmel, in Gabriel's Wing, discusses the lectures as a bold attempt to reconcile traditional jurisprudence with contemporary intellectual conditions, and she notes that Iqbal's emphasis on movement was controversial among the ulama. Javid Iqbal's Zinda Rud records that the lectures were delivered in Madras, Hyderabad, and elsewhere in India, and that they reflected his concern with the decline of creative legal thought. Bashir Ahmad Dar argues that Iqbal's account of ijtihad draws on his philosophy of time and the self, so that change is grounded in the dynamic character of the human ego. Commentators have debated whether Iqbal's views on ijtihad were applied in later Pakistani legal debates, a question that remains open. Because the wording is a paraphrase, it should not be cited as a direct quotation, and Lecture V should be consulted for the exact phrasing.