A Methodological Critique of Focusing on the Transcript of Islamic legal Commands (Khiṭābāt) in Conceptual Manifestation (ʾIstiẓhār) from Verbal (Naqlī) Proofs

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mahdi Gerami Poor ¹
• Mostafa Jamal Bafqi ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Foundations of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

² Professor of Advanced Levels, Qom Seminary, Qom, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2024.84380.1640

Abstract

Jurists have accepted a well-established principle titled “Authority of Custom” (ḥākimiyyat-i ʿurf) in the interpretation of apparent meanings (ẓavāhir) of Islamic legal scripture, according to which the validity of any claimed apparent meaning in verbal proofs (adilla-yi lafẓī) depends on its alignment with the customary understanding of the text. However, a distinct interpretive habit is common among the jurists in how they derive meaning from Islamic legal command (khiṭāb); one that is not acknowledged or justified in uṣūlī legal sources. In this approach, the Islamic legal discourse, which is in fact a means for uncovering legal reality, is treated as having subjectivity, and the text of the evidence is considered as equivalent to the legal reality itself. In addition, in many cases this had led to an extreme interpretation of meanings. The present study seeks to use the descriptive-analytical method to analyze and critique this approach and its implications in the process of conceptual manifestation (ʾistiẓhār). The root of this approach as seen in some jurists’ words lies in the argument-centered use of legal proofs, which faces two critiques: First, that it departs from custom (ʿurf); and second, that it fails to consider how ḥadīths were recorded and transmitted

Keywords

• custom-based understanding
• conceptual manifestation (ʾistiẓhār)
• verbal proofs
• The legislator’s address (khiṭāb-i-shāriʿ)

Main Subjects

• Principles of jurisprudence

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