Within al-Azhar there is a growing emphasis on the need for scholars to take into consideration the fact that there is a difference between the context in which Islam was revealed and the current context that we live in. This debate is grounded in the term wāqi’. This chapter will examine the overlapping consensus about the importance of wāqi’, the intellectual tools used in ijtihād to reinterpret Islamic law with this understanding of the wāqi’, and, finally, the practical ramifications of incorporating wāqi’ within the process of ijtihād. Wāqi’ literally means reality, and in terms of Islamic legal theory it refers to the lived realities of Muslims in the contemporary context. As it will be shown, this understanding of wāqi’ also includes an appreciation of how the modern context differs from the context of the original revelation. In short, wāqi’ is used as a justification for reform. There have been a series of statements from nearly all the major official figures within al-Azhar, as well as statements from al-Azhar affiliates about the importance of bringing about an equilibrium between the demands of the wāqi’ and the requirements of the sharī’ah.

Tracing the Origin

This approach toward wāqi’ grows out of reforms initiated by Muhammad Abduh (d. 1905) and Rashid Rida (d. 1935) in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, which were briefly outlined in the preceding chapter. Muhammad Abduh was an influential liberal reformer as well as the third Grand Muftī of al-Azhar. Abduh's reform efforts consisted of several projects, such as his attempts to reform al-Azhar's curriculum. He was keen to promote active use of ijtihād and incorporate the role of reason in Islamic legal theory so as to better answer the challenges of modern life. Abduh summarized his approach to reform as having two main components: the destruction of taqlīd and the return to the opinions of the early Muslims (salaf). Abduh's disciple, Rashid Rida, however, had greater impact in terms of actually influencing Islamic legal theory.