An Analysis of the Conceptual Scope of Sustenance (ma'ūna) Based on Jurisprudential Evidences and Shari'a

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mostafa Kazemi Najaf Abadi ¹

Abbas Yaghoobzadeh mojarrad ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Research Institute of Social Sciences, Research Institute of Hawzah and University (RIHU), Qom, Iran

² PhD candidate, Department of Economics, Research Institute of Social Sciences, Research Institute of Hawzah and University (RIHU), Qom, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2025.89415.1821

Abstract

Sustenance (ma'ūna) is among concepts whose semantic breadth cannot be clarified solely by referring to language experts. It is rather highly instructive to refer to custom ('urf) and examine the language of traditions (lisān-i rivāyāt) to discover the nuances and details of its meaning. The present study attempts to analyze ten primary and challenging axes regarding the conceptual scope of ma'ūna based on Shari'a evidences and using a descriptive-analytical method. Findings indicate that ma'ūna consists of the regular expenses and costs related to the worldly and otherworldly affairs of a household, proportional to its social standing over the course of one year, manifesting in two forms: consumption expenses and necessary investment for income generation. Some of these expenses pertain to the sustenance (ma'ūna) of the family and obligatory dependents (afrād-i vājib al-nafaqa), while others pertain to capital and profit-making tools, all of which are considered part of ma'ūna. Goods that are consumed in their entirety through use, or goods whose utility is used while the essence of the item is preserved, as well as capital that is not actually consumed but merely yields utility, fall under the concept of ma'ūna. ma'ūna

Keywords

sustenance (ma'ūna)

concept of ma'ūna

religious (sharʿī) poverty

sustenance of profit-making

Subjects

• other

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