Fiqh and Usul

Fiqh and Usul

A Critical Analysis of the Jurists' and Legal Theorists' Approaches to the Man Balagh Traditions and an Elucidation of a New Reading of the Principle of Leniency in the Evidences of the Sunan

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Fateme Ansari
Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and the Foundations of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
10.22067/jfiqh.2025.90514.1865
Abstract
Shīʿa scholars differ in their approach to the man balagh traditions used to establish the principle of leniency (tasāmuḥ). The primary question is whether these reports can establish the authority (ḥujjiyyat) of weak traditions in the derivation of legal rulings. The present report applies a descriptive-analytical method and uses library-based resources, seeking to elucidate the various approaches to the man balagh traditions. Three main approaches can be evaluated, each of which faces challenges in proving its own stance regarding the man balagh traditions. These approaches include: the legal-theoretical (uṣūlī), the jurisprudential (fiqhī), and the theological (kalāmī). After identifying the deficiencies in these approaches, a new interpretation of the man balagh traditions is proposed, based on the argument of rationality. In this reading, acting upon any report that carries a probable intendedness (muḥtamal al-maṭlūbiyya) from the commanding authority (mawlā) is permissible due to its rational basis. However, to prevent chaos, it is necessary to establish specific regulations for acting upon weak traditions, namely: Not attributing the act to the Shari'a, the absence of valid Shari'a-based or rational contradictions, and the absence of notoriety among the transmitters for falsehood. The elucidation of the conditions for acting upon weak traditions further demonstrates that these are non-obligatory teachings and therefore provide a regulatory framework for the chosen approach.
Keywords
man balagh traditions
reward (savāb)
leniency in the evidences of the sunan
religious recommendation
probability of intendedness (iḥtimāl-i maṭlūbiyyat)
Subjects
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