Ijtih?d and Tajd?d in Ibadhi Thought: Figures and Issues

Ijtihaad and Tajdeed (innovative thought) plays a major role in the production and development of Islamic knowledge. Despite some calls to ?close the door of Ijtihaad? since the fourth century Hijri, a large number of Ibadhi scholars throughout the Islamic history continued the production of knowledge and the development of Islamic thought in various fields. They insisted to abandon the rigidity of tradition and acknowledged the Ijtihaad and Tajdeed and their role in the construction of Islamic thought. Despite this significant contribution of Ibadhi scholars in the renewal of Islamic thought in various field, modern studies have ignored their efforts, and their contributions in this area remained out of focus. Therefore, this research project aims at tackling this subject in order to reveal the importance of Ibadhi contribution in this regard. The project will focus on Ibn Baraka al-Omani and study what characterizes his thought in his time compared to his peers and contemporary scholars. Then, it will examine the thought of Abu Yaqoob al-Warjilani with reference to his key books, namely al-Daleel wa al-Burhaan and al-Adl wa al-Insaaf. Moreover, it will compare the innovative ideas of al-Warjilani with other leading figures in this field, namely Ibn Hazm and Ibn Rushd. In addition to this, the project will deal with the renewal features of the Imam al-Salimi in terms of form and content and provide live examples for demonstration. The forth axis seeks to explore the innovative features of Ibrahim Bayyoudh thought and his ideas concerning the issues and challenges facing the Islamic nation in his time. Then, the project aims at studying the innovative thought of the contemporary Sheikh Ahmad al-Khalil as one of the most prominent scholars and hardworking innovators in contemporary times.