problems: Zakariyyah ibn Adam al-Qummi and Yūnus bin ‘Abdu ’r-
Rahmān,forexample, werenamedbyImam ‘Aliar-Riza, tosolve dis-
putes in their own districts.
Inafamous hadīth,‘UmaribnHanzalahaskedImam Ja‘faras-Sādiq
(a.s.)aboutthelegalityoftwoShi‘asseekingaverdictfromanillegitim-
ateruler in adisputeoveradebtor alegacy.The Imam’s answerwas
thatitwasabsolutelyforbiddentodoso.ThenIbnHanzalahaskedwhat
the two should do, and the Imam replied:
“They must seek out one of your own who narrates our traditions,
whoisversedinwhatispermissibleandwhatisforbidden,whoiswell-
acquaintedwithourlawsandordinances,andaccepthimasjudgeand
arbiter, for I appoint him as judge over you... ”
Besidestheseahādīth,wehavequiteafewsayingsoftheImamsthat
telluswhattodoifwecomeacrosstwoahādīthwhicharecontradictory
or semi-contradictory—andsolvingthe contradictory ahādīth is one of
the functions of ijtihād. These types of ahādīth are known asal-akhbār
al-‘ilājiyyah,theahādīthwhichsolvetheproblemsinthestudyingofthe
hadīth.
Inconclusion,we cansaythat oneway of followingthesharī‘aisto
study the science of sharī‘a, learn the process of ijtihād andbecome a
mujtahid.