隨著穆斯林帝國的擴張,穆斯林收集了大量穆罕默德的生平事跡,加以運用以滿足其法律、宗教、政治和社會越來越渴求的需要,這些事跡最終集合編輯成聖訓集[16]。不過,這些聖訓集只是編纂和匯集了這些事跡,不一定可以透過它們得出明確的法律裁決,因此有一些「伊赫提拉弗」的著作意圖解答這樣的法律疑問。這些著作說明了法律學者就不同議題提供的歧見,其中有一些透過描述其他學派的錯誤來捍衛某些學者或某個學派的觀點,另一些則廣納各方就某個議題的見解而不偏袒任何一方,包括塔巴里、伊本·阿卜杜·巴爾(阿拉伯语:ابن عبد البر)及伊本·庫達馬(阿拉伯语:ابن قدامة)的著作[17]。
法學家塔基丁·蘇基(阿拉伯语:تقي الدين السبكي)則把分歧分為三類,一類是與信仰基礎抵觸的創新和背離,第二類是不受限制自由表達而可以引發內戰的意見,由於有損公眾利益,這類分歧同樣不獲允許。最後一類是次要的法律問題,爭論哪些是合法哪些是不合法,他認為這些分歧最好要達到共識[26]。優素福·卡熱達維認為分歧理應提供另一種答案,徹底對立、矛盾的觀點不是可以接受的分歧,因此理念相似的人們之間才可能存有分歧[27]。在討論法學問題的時候,他主張整合不同法學派別的意見[28]。
學者艾哈邁德·本·穆罕默德·奧馬爾·安薩里(Ahmad b. Muhammad 'Umar al-Ansasi)在他的著作裡討論了伊赫提拉弗的影響,又探討了正面和負面的看法。安薩里認為,伊赫提拉弗促成了多位著名穆智提哈德(有權詮釋伊斯蘭教法的學者)誕生,它標榜在爭論時要保持禮節,又提倡容納不同的意見和寬宏對待穆斯林兄弟。負面影響則包括虛假和錯誤的聖訓得以廣泛流傳、學術上出現停滯不前和狂熱盲從的現象[33]。
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