Dia adalah seorang Mujtahid yang mampu menetapkan kaedah-kaedah (prinsip-prinsip) Usul al-Fiqh. Maka dia meletakkan asas-asas Usul dan menetapkan kaedah-kaedah yang dia terikat dan dibatasi olehnya dalam ijtihadnya. Dia melakukan ijtihad dalam semua masalah Fiqh, dan itu kerana semua syarat ijtihad sepenuhnya terdapat pada dirinya. Contoh Mujtahid seperti ini termasuklah para imam mazhab fiqh seperti Al-Imam Asy-Syafi'i, Abu Hanifah, Al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al-Imam Malik, Ibnu Hazm dan Ja'far As-Sadiq, dan lain-lain.
He is the Mujtahid who has the capability to set the Qawaa’id (principles) of Usool ul-Fiqh. So he sets the foundations of the Usool and sets the Qawaa’id that he is bound and restricted to in his Ijtihaad. He undertakes or embarks on Ijtihaad in all of the Masaa’il of Fiqh and that is because all of the conditions of Ijtihaad are amply fulfilled within him. Examples of such a Mujtahid include the A’immah (Imaams) of the Madhaahib (schools of Fiqh) like Al-Imaam Ash-Shaafi’iy, Abu Haneefah, Al-Imaam Ahmad Bin Hanbal , Al-Imaam Maalik, Ibn Hazm and Ja’far As-Saadiq amongst others.
Ini tidak bermakna bahawa Mujtahid Mutlaq mempunyai ‘Ilm (pengetahuan) tentang setiap satu Hukm, kerana inilah bukan yang dimaksudkan. Ini kerana itu bukanlah hakikat manusia, dan bahkan para Sahabat (rah) pernah berhenti pada sejumlah besar isu (Masaa’il), seperti ‘Umar (ra) berkenaan memerangi mereka yang enggan membayar Zakaah selepas kewafatan Rasulullah ﷺ, atau Abu Bakr (ra) berkenaan Mas’alah (isu) pusaka nenek. Atau seperti contoh Al-Imaam Maalik ketika beliau ditanya tentang 40 Mas’alah (isu) dan menjawab 36 daripadanya dengan: ‘ريِدْ أ ل) ‘Saya tidak tahu’.
This does not however mean that the Mujtahid Al-Mutlaq has ‘Ilm (knowledge) of every single Hukm as this is not what is meant. That is because this is not the reality of the human being and even the Sahaabah (rah) had cause to pause at a great number of issues (Masaa’il) like ‘Umar (ra) in respect to fighting those who withheld the paying of the Zakaah following the death of the Messenger (saw) or Abu Bakr (ra) in respect to the Mas’alah (issue) of the inheritance of the grandmother. Or like the example of Al-Imaam Maalik when he was asked questions in 40 Mas’alah (issues) and replied in respect to 36 of them: ‘ريِدْ أ ل) ‘I do not know).
Sebenarnya, yang dimaksudkan ialah bahawa Mujtahid Mutlaq memiliki potensi dan kemampuan dalam ijtihad yang menjadikannya mampu meneliti, mengistinbatkan (istinbaat), serta menetapkan usul dan qawaid dalam sejumlah masalah fiqh yang secara umum meliputi keseluruhan hukum-hukum syarak (al-Ahkaam Ash-Shar'iyah). Hasilnya, lahirlah fiqh seperti fiqh Ash-Shaafi'iy atau Abu Haneefah dan yang seumpamanya, dan mazhab dinisbahkan kepadanya dari segi ijtihad, iaitu satu metodologi tertentu yang diikuti oleh murid-muridnya selepas dirinya. Demikianlah halnya dengan empat mazhab yang terkenal, mazhab Ja'fari, mazhab Zhaahiry, dan selainnya.
Rather, what is meant, is that the Mujtahid Al-Mutlaq has the potential and capability in respect to Ijtihaad that makes him capable of examining, deducing (Istinbaat) and laying down or setting the Usool and Qawaa’id in a number of Fiqhiy issues that encompass in a general manner the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah as a whole. As a result, Fiqh is produced like that of the Fiqh of Ash-Shaafi’iy or Abu Haneefah and its likes and a Madh’hab is attributed to him in respect to the Ijtihaad i.e. a specific methodology that his students proceed upon after him. That is like the four well-known Madhaahib, the Ja’fari Madh’hab and the Zhaahiry Madh’hab amongst others.