Mujtahid

Mujtahid refers to a jurist who performs independent reasoning in finding a solution to a legal question.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 11 months ago

According to majority of our Shia Ulama, the most learned Mujahid and Marja' of Taqleed is Ayatullah Sistani. There are many other big Mujtahids but he is been accepted by majority of Ahl Al-Khubra (Experts scholars) in the Hawza as the most learned Mujtahid.

'Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 year ago

The most learned Mujahid among Shia Ulama can be known through valid witnesses of at least two of the high caliber Ulama in the Hawza who are called Ahl al-Khibra or Khubra أهل الخبرة.

It is not for any one else out of the high caliber Ulama to give witness in this matter. 
Hawza Ulama usually guide people when the need arises.

There are few high learned Mujtahids but you need two high caliber Ulama to give you their wtnisses.

Wassalam.

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Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 1 year ago

Bismihi ta'ala

I have addressed this question in a series of presentations that might be useful to you, in shaa Allah. 

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 year ago

You need to follow the witness of two of more of Ahlul Khubra أهل الخبرة 

Ahlul Khubra are the high standard of Ulama in the Hawza who know the level of knowledge of the Mujtahids and define who is the most knowledgeable among them.

'Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 years ago

The linguistic meaning of it is (Peace be upon him) which is in fact used for every Muslim when you say to him : Salamun Alaykum.(Peace be upon you).

But as a term and common understanding , we have to be careful in using it to avoid mixing between the Infallible and others.

Wassalam.

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Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answer updated 3 years ago

Bismillah, 

Asalamu Alaykom, 

When our jurists produce religious rulings, they have done so based on  the religious sources and principles. This is  according to their best efforts. It could be that a jurists’s ruling in reality isn’t correct, however the jurist exhausts his upmost efforts to produce something that they think is closest to the sources. 

Therefore, even if a ruling wasn’t correct in reality, someone wouldn’t be accountable as he has only followed this jurist’s ruling while considering him to be a qualified expert in Islamic jurisprudence. 

When it comes to one’s own theological beliefs such as proving God, they must establish and prove this for themselves and can’t just say: “A scholar told me to believe in God so I do so”. 

May Allah grant you success

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 3 years ago

You need to start very early in teaching him the basic Islamic knowledge, in a way which makes him like this knowledge and continue gaining it in the Hawza ( Islamic seminary).

Becoming a high level Mujahid needs decades of continuous hard work in seeking Islamic knowledge along with sincerity and humbleness which are essential in enlightening the heart.

Wassalam.

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Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 3 years ago

as salam alaikum

there are many contradictory reports attributed to the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. Some, but not all, reasons for that are:

1) Some of the reports are weak while others are authentic.

2) Some Imams may have said or given a particular rules for a specific reason or in a particular context while other Imams may have said or given a different ruling due to some circumstantial changes in the situation they were in. 

One of the tasks of the Alim or the Mujtahid is to distinguish between true and false reports or valid and invalid knowledge. 

Differences of opinion in the details of jurisprudence are natural and each one of us is called to do his best to reach valid conclusive statements. As a matter of precaution the layman is called to follow the most learned of the scholars. Some jurists have disagreed regarding the necessity of the A'lamiyyah and regard ijtihad and full competence (with all its related conditions) as sufficient criterion to be followed.

There is no blame on anyone if two people follow two different qualified Mujtahids with different rulings as each one of them exerted outmost effort to deduce the details of the practical law. This is part of Allah's plan and He doesn't act out of wisdom.

What has been established by the Qur'an and the Sunnah Mutawatirah should not be differed upon. As far as the details, the servant should always look for truth but also be humble enough to admit that "Allah and His Prophet know best" and perhaps to understand that such humility is more important to Allah than a variation in legal opinions.

With prayers for your success.

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Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 3 years ago

No, they do not need to repeat them.

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Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 3 years ago

The holy Qur'an says that believers should act upon knowledge: "And do not pursue that which you have no knowledge" (17:36). The idea of acting according to guesses and conjectures have been clearly rejected: "And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except conjectures, and indeed conjectures avail not against the truth at all" (53:28). Consequently, the one who is not able and is not qualified to deduce religious rulings should follow an expert and a mujtahid to learn the necessary details of Islamic law that are relevant to his life and situation. Not doing so would imply to follow conjectures of his own self or non-qualified people and this is condemned by the Qur'an. It is also possible to act according to precaution which implies to take the most precautionary steps and opinions but this requires a considerable amount of knowledge often difficult to attain for the ordinary person; it is therefore advisable for those who are not experts in religious sciences to follow a fully-qualified mujtahid whose knowledge has been fully established.

With prayers for your success.

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Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi went to the Hawza-e ‘Ilmiya-e Qum, Iran where he attended the dars-e kharij lectures of Ayatullah Wahid Khurãsãni. He also obtained an MA degree in History in 1991 from Simon... Answer imported 4 years ago

It is haram for a person who has reached the level of ijtihad to do taqlid for another mujtahid. This applies equally to men as well as women.

However, when the question of a marja` comes (i.e., a mujtahid who is followed by others), then one of the conditions is that the marja` must be a male. For example, the late Ayatullah al-Khu`i, says: "The conditions [necessary] in marja`i 't-taqlid...", before listing the well-known conditions ---like sanity, being baligh, iman, justice and being a male (Minhaju 's-Salihiyn, vol. 1, p. 7).

In short, a woman can reach the level of ijtihad and follow her own views but she cannot become a marja`.