Historical Perspective in the Process of Ijtihad with Emphasis on the Ijtihad and Comparative Method of Ayatollah Boroujerdi

Historical perspective is one of the methods of understanding religious texts. In this method, any understanding of these texts should be examined under the influence of the context during the period of its issuance. In his Ijtihad method, Ayatollah Boroujerdi has paid specific attention to the historical perspective and it seems that it is the historical perspective in the situation of traditions and historical roots of controversial issues that supports his interpretations of traditions. Through this historical perspective, he had achieved an unparalleled ability to interpret and justify traditions. Therefore, it can be said that he had a special and independent method in Ijtihad with a comparative method. In this article, we would like to briefly introduce the Ijtihad method of this prominent jurist and explain the place of historical perspective in his process of Ijtihad and its characteristics in three areas: 1- Principles 2- Hadith and Narrators 3- Jurisprudence and prove that paying attention to this component prevents abstract discussions in Ijtihad and it will significantly increase the certitude of the intention of the Infallible Imam.