[44] For details on this subject, see below, the 55th article.
[45] Transoxiana.
[46] Shâh Walî-Allah ad-Dahlawî, Izâlat al-Khafa ’an khilâfati ’l-Khulafâ’. v. II. p. 377, Karachi, 1372.
[47] Ijtihâd means to infer meanings from the figurative âyat-i-kerîmas in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. A scholar who is learned enough to perform ijtihâd is called a mujtahid. Performing ijtihâd requirs first learning the basic essentials of Islam, the Qur’ân al-kerîm, all the hadîth-i-sherîfs with all the particulars and details entailed, such as the time of revelation of each and every âyat-i-kerîma, where and upon what event it was revealed, the âyat-i-kerîmas that invalidated others, which ones invalidated which ones, and so forth, learning all the contemporary scientific branches, which in turn requires years of lucubration and self-sacrifice. This book would be too short to explain all the requirements. Our aim here is to help our readers to develop an idea as to the stupendous size of the job of ijtihâd. Those scholars who devoted all their worldly lives to this unutterably painstaking job of ijtihâd did us so great a favour by doing so that any degree of gratitude would fall short of paying them their dues. May Allâhu ta’âlâ lavish them with rewards in the Hereafter! Please read the five fascicles of Endless Bliss and the book The Sunni Path for detailed information.