Historicity in the Tradition (Sunnah) of the Infallibles from the Viewpoint of Muḥaqqiq Naʾīnī and Shahīd Ṣadr, with an Emphasis on the Theories of “Constitutional Governance” and “Manṭaqat al-Farāgh”

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Marjan Gholami ¹

Mohammad Mahdi Ajilian Mafogh ²

Mahdi Ahmadi ²

¹ Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Qurʾanic and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Qurʾanic and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2024.88113.1781

Abstract

The notion of historicity in the tradition of the Infallibles (ma‘sūmān) refers to the existence of propositions within the texts of the sunnah whose persistence and validity depend on the temporal conditions and the specific circumstances of their emergence. The present study employs the comparative-analytical approach and examines the views of Muḥaqqiq Nā’īnī and Shahīd Ṣadr regarding the historical limits of the propositions issued by the Infallibles. According to the findings, although Muḥaqqiq Nā’īnī considers part of the governing and social laws as historically conditioned and variable according to context, he does not enter the field of text, and considers textual laws explicitly issued by the Infallibles as fixed, akin to the texts of the Qurʾān, and eternally binding. In contrast, Shahīd Ṣadr speaks of the dual aspects of the Infallible in legislation and distinguishes a portion of the texts of the sunnah as variable or discretionary (ḥukūmī), separating them from the fixed and mandatory provisions and considering them subject to change. Moreover, despite emphasizing stability and immutability in part of the texts of the sunnah, both perspectives implicitly acknowledge the historicity of other portions of the texts and the contingent nature of certain present-day obligations derived from the sunnah.

Keywords

historicity

Tradition of the Infallibles

text

fixed and variable

Mohaqiq Nā’īnī

Shahīd Ṣadr

Subjects

• Philosophy of jurisprudence

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