ABSTRAK Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mempelajari dan memahami  posisi dan  metode ijtihad Yusuf al-Qaradawi dalam menyelesaikan permasalahan fiqih kontemporer untuk mengistinbatkan hukum Islam , khususnya ijtihad beliau tentang penyaluran zakat terhadap  mustahiq zakat dalam relevansi masa kini. Penulis menemukan bahwa Yusuf al-Qaradawi  telah mengunakan metode ijtihad lafdziyyah ( kaidah-kaidah kebahasaan) yang langsung pada nash (teks) dan melalui metode Maqasid al-Syariah  berupa qiyas  dan istislah dalam ijtihadnya tentang memaknai fisabilillah  dalam mustahiq zakat. Kata Kunci : Metode, ijtihad, Fisabilillah, Mustahiq zakat ABSTRACT This study is aimed at observing and understanding Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s position and method in ijtihad (independent reasoning in finding a solution to a legal question) pertaining to contemporary fiqh (Islamic law) issues, i.e. in doing istinbat (deducing) towards Islamic laws, particularly his ijtihad in distributing zakat (alms) to the mustahiq (recipients) related to the recent conditions. The study found that he used ijtihad lafdziyyah (language principle) directly to the nash (text) and Maqasid al-Syariah (the objective of shari’ah) method of qiyas (reasoning by analogy) and istisla>h (reasoning by public interest) in his ijtihad pertaining to the understanding towards fisabilillah (those who fight in Allah’s way) in terms of the mustahiq of zakat. Keywords : Method,  Ijtihad ,  fisabilillah , mustahiq of zakat.