LessonsThe Mujtahid’s Duty: Evidence Hierarchy, Conflicts, and Revised IjtihadQuiz

فإنه لا سبيل إلى العمل بالرأي مع إمكان العمل بالنص
One may not resort to opinion when an applicable text can be followed.

The qualification when the text can be followed matters. The relevant proof must be established and must actually bear on the case. If competing passages appear difficult to reconcile, the jurist first undertakes proper interpretation and reconciliation rather than declaring opinion a substitute for that work.

Where a rule follows from clear applicable evidence, a jurist cannot simply reject it because a different analogy seems convenient. This is the central distinction between authoritative text and subordinate legal judgment.

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Why opinion cannot bypass an applicable text

The Mujtahid’s Duty: Evidence Hierarchy, Conflicts, and Revised Ijtihad

فإنه لا سبيل إلى العمل بالرأي مع إمكان العمل بالنص
One may not resort to opinion when an applicable text can be followed.

The qualification when the text can be followed matters. The relevant proof must be established and must actually bear on the case. If competing passages appear difficult to reconcile, the jurist first undertakes proper interpretation and reconciliation rather than declaring opinion a substitute for that work.

Where a rule follows from clear applicable evidence, a jurist cannot simply reject it because a different analogy seems convenient. This is the central distinction between authoritative text and subordinate legal judgment.