Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan

This essay investigates the implementation of istihsan (juristic preference) in the early history of Islam by identifying the concept of ijtihad (independent effort) and ra’y (juristic opinion),both of which played an enormous role in the development of Islamic law. Ijtihad by ra’y (personal judgmen...

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Main Author: Kayadibi, Saim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association of Muslim Social Scientists 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/2399/1/Ijtihad_by_Ra%27y_AJISS.pdf
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author Kayadibi, Saim
author_facet Kayadibi, Saim
author_sort Kayadibi, Saim
collection IIUM
description This essay investigates the implementation of istihsan (juristic preference) in the early history of Islam by identifying the concept of ijtihad (independent effort) and ra’y (juristic opinion),both of which played an enormous role in the development of Islamic law. Ijtihad by ra’y (personal judgment in juridical judgment)has been practiced from the time of the Prophet, as reflected in several hadiths narrated by Mu`adh ibn Jabal (d.18/640). The Prophet taught him how to use personal discretion and encouraged the Companions to undertake ijtihad by ra’y with regard to various issues. The criteria of personal judgment in istihsan indicate a direct relationship between istihsan and ijtihad by ra’y. The nature of istihsan, the wisdom behind it, and the wisdom of its use is quite considerable. As istihsan is considered a product of ijtihad, it represents simplicity, ease, and the lifting of difficulties. If the resulting qiyas (analogy) is not in keeping with the Shari`ah’s spirit, then the ruling of similarities should be abandoned in order to give a ruling according to the special evidence that justifies its spirit. The definitions of istihsan, ijtihad, and ra’y; the historical perspective of ra’y; the validity of ijtihad and its implementation at the time of the Prophet and the Companions; and the practices of ijtihad in terms of istihsan among the Companions are all explored in this paper.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:23992011-12-04T02:50:56Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/2399/ Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan Kayadibi, Saim KBP425 Uṣūl al-fiqh. Jurisprudence and theory of law. Science of legal reasoning. This essay investigates the implementation of istihsan (juristic preference) in the early history of Islam by identifying the concept of ijtihad (independent effort) and ra’y (juristic opinion),both of which played an enormous role in the development of Islamic law. Ijtihad by ra’y (personal judgment in juridical judgment)has been practiced from the time of the Prophet, as reflected in several hadiths narrated by Mu`adh ibn Jabal (d.18/640). The Prophet taught him how to use personal discretion and encouraged the Companions to undertake ijtihad by ra’y with regard to various issues. The criteria of personal judgment in istihsan indicate a direct relationship between istihsan and ijtihad by ra’y. The nature of istihsan, the wisdom behind it, and the wisdom of its use is quite considerable. As istihsan is considered a product of ijtihad, it represents simplicity, ease, and the lifting of difficulties. If the resulting qiyas (analogy) is not in keeping with the Shari`ah’s spirit, then the ruling of similarities should be abandoned in order to give a ruling according to the special evidence that justifies its spirit. The definitions of istihsan, ijtihad, and ra’y; the historical perspective of ra’y; the validity of ijtihad and its implementation at the time of the Prophet and the Companions; and the practices of ijtihad in terms of istihsan among the Companions are all explored in this paper. Association of Muslim Social Scientists 2007 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/2399/1/Ijtihad_by_Ra%27y_AJISS.pdf Kayadibi, Saim (2007) Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, 24 (1). pp. 73-95. ISSN 0742-6763
spellingShingle KBP425 Uṣūl al-fiqh. Jurisprudence and theory of law. Science of legal reasoning.
Kayadibi, Saim
Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title_full Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title_fullStr Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title_full_unstemmed Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title_short Ijtihad by Ra’y: the main source of inspiration behind Istihsan
title_sort ijtihad by ra y the main source of inspiration behind istihsan
topic KBP425 Uṣūl al-fiqh. Jurisprudence and theory of law. Science of legal reasoning.
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/2399/1/Ijtihad_by_Ra%27y_AJISS.pdf
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