Ijtihad literally means 'exertion' or 'effort'. In Islamic legal terminology, it refers to the independent reasoning and intellectual effort by a qualified Islamic scholar (mujtahid) to derive legal rulings on matters not explicitly covered in the Quran or Hadith. Ijtihad involves deep knowledge of Islamic sources, Arabic language, and established principles of jurisprudence. It allows Islamic law to address new situations while remaining rooted in divine guidance.