Contemporary Ijtihad: History, Implementation Methods, and Challenges in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Siti Zumrotus Saadah

doi:10.32332/rth9xd97

Authors

Siti Zumrotus Saadah STAINU Kotabumi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32332/rth9xd97

Keywords:

Contemporary ijtihad, usul al-fiqh, maqasid al-shariah, artificial intelligence, digital fatwa

Abstract

This study aims to examine contemporary ijtihad by tracing its historical continuity within the tradition of usul al-fiqh, formulating its methodological implementation in the era of Artificial Intelligence, and identifying the epistemological, social, and ethical challenges that emerge when AI enters the domain of Islamic legal reasoning and fatwa production. This research uses a qualitative approach with a limited normative-empirical Islamic legal study. The normative dimension analyzes classical and contemporary sources of usul al-fiqh, maqasid al-shariah, and ijtihad, while the limited empirical dimension captures expert perspectives on the role of AI as an assistive tool rather than an autonomous legal authority. The findings show that contemporary ijtihad is not a rupture from classical tradition, but a continuation of Islamic legal reasoning that integrates textual evidence, reason, maqasid, and social reality. AI can support ijtihad by accelerating legal source retrieval, mapping madhhab differences, comparing arguments, and simulating legal impacts. The study concludes that AI should be positioned within a “digitally supervised ijtihad” model, where technological efficiency remains controlled by scholars, fatwa institutions, domain experts, and ethical-algorithmic audit mechanisms to preserve legal validity, public benefit, and Islamic scholarly responsibility.

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