Eng dastlabki to‘liq bayon Mujtahidning malakalari haqida Abu Husayn al-Basriy (vaf. 436/1044) ning "al-Mu'tamad fi Usul al-Fiqh" asarida berilgan. Al-Basriy bayonining umumiy tuzilishi keyinchalik al-Shiroziy (vaf. 467/1083), al-G'azoliy (vaf. 505/1111) va al-Omidiy (vaf. 632/1234) tomonidan kichik o‘zgarishlar bilan qabul qilingan. Bu al-Basriydan oldin yashagan ulamolar ijtihod shartlariga e'tibor bermagan degani emas, lekin ular ijtihodning shartlarini bunday tartibda belgilab berishni zarur deb hisoblamaganlar. Hanafiy faqihlar Fahr al-Islom 'Ali ibn Muhammad al-Bazdaviy (vaf. 483 h.) va 'Ubaydulloh ibn Mas'ud Sadr ash-Shari'a ikkalasi ham ijtihod qilish uchun faqih Qur'onni uning ma'nosi, lug'aviy va huquqiy ma'nolari, turli bo‘limlari bilan birga, hadislarni ularning matnlari va rivoyat silsilalari bilan, hamda qiyos orqali xulosa chiqarish qoidalarini bilishi kerak, deb aytganlar.38

The earliest complete account of the qualifications of a Mujtahid is given in Abu' Husayn al-Basri's (d. 436/1044) al-Mu'tamad fi Usul al-Fiqh. The broad outline of al-Basri's exposition was later accepted, with minor changes, by al-Shirazi (d. 467/1083), al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111) and al-Amidi (d. 632/1234). This does not mean that the requirements of Ijtihad received no attention from the Ulema who lived before al-Basri, however they did not see it necessary to lay down the conditions for Ijtihad in this manner.The Hanafi jurists, Fakhr al-Islam 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Bazdawi (d.483 A.H.) and `Ubaydullah ibn Mas'ud Sadr al-Shar‟iah both stated that to perform Ijtihad a jurist should have knowledge of the Qur‟an together with its meaning, dictionary and legal, and its various divisions, of the traditions (Hadith) including the texts and authorities thereof, and of the rules of analogical deduction (Qiyas).38

Ijtihad uchun zarur bo'lgan shartlar quyidagilardir. Bu shartlar Ijtihadning ta'rifidan kelib chiqadi, u esa avval tushuntirilganidek, aniq dalillarga asoslanadi:

The following are the qualifications needed to perform Ijtihad, these qualifications are derived from the definition of Ijtihad which is based on specific evidences as explained earlier:

A. Mujtahid musulmon erkak yoki ayol bo'lishi kerak, sog'lom aqlli bo'lib, yuksak darajadagi ilmiy salohiyatga erishgan bo'lishi lozim.

A. The Mujtahid must be a Muslim male or female of sound mind who has attained a high level of intellectual competence.

B. Qur‟on va Sunnat matnlari arab tilida nozil bo‘lganligi sababli, ijtihod faqat arabcha matnga asoslangan holda amalga oshirilishi mumkin. Qur‟on va Sunnatni to‘g‘ri tushunishga imkon beradigan darajada arab tilini bilish zarur. Ba’zi turdagi mujtahidlar uchun arab tilini to‘liq egallash shart emas, ammo mujtahid kamida o‘rganilayotgan masalaga tegishli tilning nozik jihatlarini bilishi kerak. U manbalarni aniq anglashi va ulardan hukmni chiqarib ola olishi lozim. U arablarning ahvolini, ularning nutqidagi hozirgi odatiy qo‘llanishni shunday darajada bilishi kerakki, quyidagilarga ko‘ra matniy ishoratlarni (Dalolat al-alfoz) farqlay olsin: muvofiqlik (Mutobaqa), ichkilik (Tazammun), zaruriylik (Iltizom), mufrad (birlik), murakkab (tarkib), umumiy (kulliy), qisman (juz’iy), haqiqat (haqiqiy ma’no), majoz (ko‘chma ma’no), omonim (Ishtirok), sinonim (Taraduf), ifodalangan ma’no (Mantuq) va anglashilgan ma’no (Mafhum) va boshqalar.

B. Since the text of the Qur‟an and Sunnah were revealed in the Arabic language, Ijtihad can only be performed based on the Arabic text. One must have knowledge of the Arabic language to the extent that it enables a correct understanding of the Qur‟an and the Sunnah. A complete command in Arabic is not a requirement for some kinds of Mujtahideen, but the Mujtahid must, at least, know the fine points of the language related to the subject at hand. He must also be able to comprehend the sources accurately and deduce the rule from them. He should know enough by which he can understand the circumstances of the Arabs, the current customary usage in their speech such that he can distinguish the textual indications (Dalaalat al-alfaaz) in terms of the following: congruence (Mutaabaqah), inclusivity (Tadmeen), requisite (Iltizaam), Mufrad (singular), Murakkab (construct), comprehensive (Kulli), partial (Juz‟i), Haqeeqah (literal), Majaaz (metaphorical), homonym (Ishtiraak), synonym (Taraaduf), uttered meaning (Mantuq) and implied meaning (Mafhum) etc.

C. Mujtahid shuningdek Qur'onni bilishi, Qur'onning Makkiy va Madaniy mazmunlarini, ularning nozil bo'lish sabablarini (Asbab al-Nuzul) bilishi va Qur'onning huquqiy mazmunini to'liq anglashi kerak, ammo Qur'ondagi hikoyalar va masallar hamda oxirat haqidagi oyatlarni albatta bilishi shart emas. Ayat ul-Ahkom (hukmlarga oid oyatlar)ni bilish ularga tegishli tafsirlarni, xususan Sunnat va ushbu masalaga oid Sahobalar (roziyallohu anhum) qarashlarini bilishni o'z ichiga oladi. Ba'zi ulamolarning, jumladan al-G'azzoliy, Ibn al-Arabiy va Abu Bakr ar-Roziy fikriga ko'ra, mujtahid bilishi lozim bo'lgan Qur'onning huquqiy oyatlari taxminan besh yuztani tashkil etadi. Shavkoniy va boshqalar esa bunday belgilashning qat'iy bo'lishi mumkin emasligini ta'kidlaydilar.

C. The Mujtahid also needs to be knowledgeable of the Qur‟an, the Makki and Madani contents of the Qur‟an, the occasion of theirrevelation (Asbab al Nuzul) and must have a full grasp of the legal contents of the Qur‟an, but not necessarily of the narratives and parables of the Qur‟an and its passages relating to the Hereafter. The knowledge of the Ayat ul Ahkam (verses regarding rules) includes knowledge of the related commentaries (Tafsir) with special reference to the Sunnah and the views of the Sahabah (ra) related to the subject at hand. According to some Ulema, including al-Ghazali, Ibn al-Arabi, and Abu Bakr al-Razi, the legal ayat of the Qur‟an which the mujtahid must know amount to about five hundred. Shawkani and others, however observe that a specification of this kind cannot be definitive.

D. Mujtahid Sunnatni yetarli darajada bilishi kerak, ayniqsa uning ijtihodiga aloqador qismini, va Sunnatdagi hukmlarga tanish bo'lishi kerak. Mujtahid, shuningdek, Sunnatdagi nasxlanish holatlarini va hadis rivoyat qiluvchilarining ishonchliligini ham bilishi lozim.

D. The Mujtahid must possess an adequate knowledge of the Sunnah, especially the part relating to his Ijtihad and be familiar with the rulings in the Sunnah. The Mujtahid must also know the incidents of abrogation in the Sunnah and the reliability of the narrators of Hadith.

E. U usul al-fiqh bilimiga ega bo'lishi kerak, shunda u matndan hukmlarni chiqarish tartiblarini va ularning oqibatlarini bilib oladi.

E. He must have knowledge of Usul al-Fiqh so that he will be acquainted with the procedures for extracting the rulings from the text and the implications.

F. Mujtahid mavjud bo'lgan taqdirda, turli mujtahidlarning fikrlaridan xabardor bo'lishi kerak. Mujtahid uchun muayyan masala bo'yicha boshqa mujtahidlarning dalillarini, ya'ni boshqa mujtahid dalilni va masalani qanday tushunganini bilishi muhimdir.

F. The Mujtahid should be aware of the opinions of different Mujtahideen, if any exist. It is essential for a Mujtahid to be familiar with the Daleels of other Mujtahideen, on a particular issue as how the other Mujtahid understood the Daleel and the issue.

G. Nihoyat, u ijtihod qilinayotgan masala bo‘yicha keng qamrovli bilimga ega bo‘lishi kerak. Biror hukmni chiqarish uchun masalani chuqur tushunish lozim. Agar mujtahid biror masalani tushunmasa, u qayerda yashashidan qat’i nazar, bunday masalada ijtihod qilishga haqli emas. Masalani tushunish uchun mujtahid mutaxassislarga murojaat qilishi mumkin. Masalan, genetik muhandislik bilan bog‘liq masala bo‘lishi mumkin. Genetik muhandislik jarayonini tushunish uchun mujtahid shu soha mutaxassisiga murojaat qilishi mumkin.

G. Finally, he must have a comprehensive knowledge of the issue on which Ijtihad is being performed. To extract any ruling one has to understand the subject thoroughly. If the Mujtahid does not understand an issue, he is not allowed to do Ijtihad regardless of where he lives. To understand the issue, the Mujtahid can go to experts. For instance, there might be an issue in genetic engineering. To understand the process of genetic engineering, the Mujtahid can go to an expert in this field.

Shuning uchun, bu mezonlar ijtihod qilishga yetarli bo'ladi va har bir masala uchun mujtahidning o'sha muhitda bo'lishi shart, deyish noto'g'ridir.

Therefore, these criteria are enough to qualify one to do Ijtihad, and it is incorrect to say that each issue requires the Mujtahid to reside in that environment.

Mujtahid istalgan joyda yashashi mumkin va u muammoni bilgan ekan, unda ijtihod qila oladi. Agar mujtahid masalani bilmasa, hatto masala uning yashayotgan muhitida yuz bergan bo‘lsa ham, unga ijtihod qilish joiz emas.

The Mujtahid can reside anywhere and do Ijtihad as long as he is familiar with the issue being dealt with. If the Mujtahid is not familiar with the issue, he is not allowed to do Ijtihad, even if the issue occurs in the same environment that the Mujtahid is residing in.