Assessing the Capacity of Inferential Statistics for Identifying Customary Practice (ʿUrf) in the Process of Ijtihād

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Morteza Niazi ¹

Mohammad Hossein Bayati ²

Mahdi Hamzehpoor ³

¹ Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Decision Sciences and Complex Systems, Faculty of Industrial Management, University of Tehran,Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Fiqh and Law, University of Edalat, Tehran, Iran

³ Associate Professor of Decision Sciences and Complex Systems, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Management, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2024.85484.1721

Abstract

Customary practice (ʿUrf) refers to the prevailing practice and established custom among people, and is one of the most significant and frequently invoked concepts in jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl-i fiqh). A central issue concerning customary practice is the method by which it should be inferred. Various approaches have previously been proposed for inferring it, such as intuitive analysis, enumeration of elements, inductive reasoning, transmission, and testimonial evidence. The present study seeks to introduce inferential statistics as a methodological tool for the inference of customary practice. Inferential statistics generalizes characteristics derived from a sample to the entire population by employing probability calculus and clear logical procedures. Using estimation theory or statistical hypothesis testing, it can determine whether a given hypothesis holds for the larger community with a high degree of confidence. Thanks to its low-margin error, inferential statistics can move beyond conjecture and assist the jurist or legally responsible individual in gaining confidence regarding the proper inference of the common understanding of a given matter. Alternatively, it may challenge a certitude (qaṭʿ) generated purely by subjective intuition, destabilize it, and thereby strip it of legal authority (ḥujjiyyah). In such instances, the relevant practical principle appropriate to the issue at hand must then be applied.

Keywords

Customary practice (ʿurf)

inference of ʿurf

statistics

inferential statistics

estimation theory

certainty (qaṭʿ)

legal authority (ḥujjiyyat)

Subjects

• Principles of jurisprudence

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