The Ijtihād of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Its Impact on Uṣūlī and Fiqhī Scholarship: An Analytical Study through al-Qurṭubī’s al-Jāmiʿ, with Maṣlaḥa as a Case Study

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the foundational principles and legal status of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) ijtihād, as well as the scholarly competition among Imams in affirming its significance and categorization, alongside their divergence regarding its possibility, validity, and evidentiary basis. The study applies this jurisprudential and methodological lesson to al-Qurṭubī’s principle of maṣlaḥa (public interest) as articulated in his work al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān. From this emerges the established recognition of Prophetic ijtihād grounded in the consideration of both immediate and long-term public interests. Furthermore, this study examines how jurists and legal theorists have treated such ijtihād as a legitimate Sharīʿah methodology, endowed with authoritative evidence, clarity, and rational proof.

Keywords: Prophetic Ijtihād, al-Jāmiʿ of al-Qurṭubī, Maṣlaḥa (Public Interest), Uṣūlī and Fiqhī Analysis.