layman’s ijtihad (اجْتِهَادُ الْعَامِيّ)

أصول الفقه

التعريف :

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A layman exerts his best efforts to identify the most knowledgeable and pious of scholars qualified to undertake ijtihad so as to follow such a scholar when scholars have different views. According to some scholars, this is a duty because a layman is able to do it, while other scholars disapprove of it because a layman is unable to know who is more knowledgeable and more pious, except by following someone else.