Al-Waadih Fee Usool ul-Fiqh by Muhammad Hussein Abdullah

Qiyaas is a Daleel Shar’iy for the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah and this has been established (or proven) through Qat’iy (definite) Adillah (evidences) and (supported by) Adillah Zhanniyah (indefinite evidences).

The Qiyaas that is considered is the Qiyaas in which its ‘Illah (reasoning) has been guided to by the Shar’a from the Qur’aan or the Sunnah or the Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah. As such considering Qiyaas as a Daleel Shar’iy is an inevitable matter because Qiyaas in its true reality represents the extraction or deduction (Istinbaat) of a Hukm Shar’iy from these three Adillah (evidences). Therefore, the Daleel (evidence) of Qiyaas is the same as the Daleel of the Nass (text) that has indicated or guided to the ‘Illah.

As such, if the Daleel of the ‘Illah is the Qur’aan Al-Kareem then the Daleel of the Qiyaas is the Daleel of the Qur’aan. This is like His Qawl Ta’Aalaa in Soorat ul-Jumu’ah:

That is because this Aayah indicates the prohibition (Tahreem) of conducting trade at the time of Salaat ul-Jumu’ah due to the distraction from performing the Salaah. If we were then to say that leasing or hiring (Ijaarah) at the time of Salaat ul-Jumu’ah is Haraam in analogy to the trade, then we would have deduced the ruling of prohibition of Ijaarah at the time of the Jumu’ah prayer from the Aayah by way of Qiyaas (analogy). Consequently, the Daleel of Qiyaas in this case is the Daleel mentioned in this Aaayah of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem.

If the Daleel of the ‘Illah is the Sunnah An-Nabawiyah then the Daleel of the Qiyaas is the Daleel of the Sunnah An-Nabawiyah. That is like in the speech of the Nabi (saw):

If we were then to say that based on Qiyaas there is also Zakaah due upon free grazing cows that live upon the pasture due to the cows and sheep sharing in the ‘Illah (reasoning) of ‘free grazing’ then this ‘Illah was mentioned and found within the Sunnah An-Nabawiyah.

Consequently, the Daleel of the Qiyaas is the Daleel of the Sunnah An-Nabawiyah that was taken from the Hadeeth.

The same applies if the Daleel of the ‘Illah was Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah in which case the Daleel of the Qiyaas would be the Daleel of the Ijmaa’ As-Sahaabah.

It has already been established that these three Adillah are Adillah Qat’iyah (definite evidences) and as such the Daleel of Qiyaas in respect to it being from the Wahi is also Qat’iy.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) guided towards the utilisation of Qiyaas and examples from amongst such evidences are the following:

It has been narrated from him (saw) that a man from Khath’am asked him: “My father became Muslim whilst he was of an elderly age and he is not capable of riding camels whilst the Hajj has been proscribed upon him. So can I make Hajj on his behalf?” So he (saw) asked:

“Are you the oldest of his sons?”. He replied: “Yes”. (Then) he (saw) said: “Do you see that if your father had a debt and you paid it off for him, would that count for him?” He replied: “Yes”.

(So) he (saw) said: “Then perform Hajj on his behalf” (AnNasaa’iy).

‘Umar (ra) related: “I was in good spirits one day so I kissed (my wife) whilst I was fasting and after that I went to the Nabi (saw) and said: “I did something very serious today. I kissed whilst I was fasting” And so the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Do you see what the case would be if you had washed your mouth out with water (Madmadah) whilst you were fasting”. I said: “There is nothing in that”. And so he (saw) said: “And so what’s the problem?” (Abu Daawood) i.e. What are you fearing when you have undertaken a permissible act that does not invalidate the fasting?

It has been authenticated that Abu Bakr (ra) allocated inheritance to the mother of the mother but not the mother of the father and so some of the Ansaar said to him: “You have given inheritance to a woman from a dead (man) whilst had she been dead he would not have inherited from her. And you left a woman who if she had been dead he would have inherited all that she left”. And so he revised his position to make them share in the sixth whilst none of the Sahaabah rebuked or denied this from him and as such it represented an Ijmaa’.

In this Ijmaa’ the Ansaari made analogy between the mother of the father and the mother of the mother in respect to inheritance and presented his argument to Abu Bakr based on this evidence or proof.

Abu Bakr (ra) then accepted the argument because it was based upon a Daleel Shar’iy.

There are two opinions in respect to working with Qiyaas: Affirming Qiyaas and negating (or denying) Qiyaas:

The is the opinion of the majority of the ’Ulamaa of the Muslims who have held the view of the Hujjiyah (validity) of Qiyaas in respect to the practical Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah. This is when a Hukm Shar’iy is not found for a reality within a Nass (text from the Kitaab or Sunnah) or Ijmaa’ and it is established that the reality is equal to another reality that has a text for its ruling and that this text contains a Shar’iyah ‘Illah (reasoning). Analogy is then made between one reality and the other reality that has a text for it and the same Hukm is applied to it. Its Hukm would then be a Hukm Ash-Shar’iy and the Mukallaf would have no choice except to follow it and act by it.

Those who have affirmed Qiyaas have used the Qur’aan, the Sunnah, the statements of the Sahaabah and their actions in addition to the ‘Aql (rationality) as evidence to support its affirmation. The following are some of these evidences:

A – Allah Ta’Aalaa said:

Referring back to Allah and the Messenger means referring to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah and there is no doubt that linking or attaching that which has no text for it with that which has a text, due to them being the same or equal in respect to the ‘Illah of the Hukm, represents referring to Allah and the Messenger i.e. referring back to the Kitaab of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.

B - The guiding of the Messenger of Allah (saw) to the utilisation of Qiyaas as previously mentioned when discussing the Daleel AzhZhanniy in respect to the Hujjiyah (validity) of Qiyaas.

C – ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (ra) said in his time to Abu Mousaa AlAsh’ariy: “Then (use) the understanding that is most correct to you from that which has come to you that has no Qur’aan or Sunnah in respect to it, then at that point measure (Qiyaas) between the matters and understand the examples, then proceed in accordance to what you see to be more beloved to Allah and the closest to the Haqq (truth)”.

D – The texts of the Qur’aan are limited whilst the realities of the people and their issues are not limited. Therefore, it is not possible for the limited texts by themselves to be representative of the legislative source. In this case it is the Qiyaas that represents the legislative source that allows the newly occurring realities to be continuously dealt with.

The first who wrote about Al-Qiyaas was Al-Imaam Ash-Shaafi’iy in his ‘Risaalah’ in Usool ul-Fiqh. In regards to it he said: “In respect to the statement: ‘And Ijtihaad is Al-Qiyaas’, then this is not precise (or exactly accurate). That is because Ijtihaad can take place in other than Qiyaas just as it can occur with Qiyaas. It (Ijtihaad) is the manner or way by which the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah are deduced (or extracted) from their detailed evidences and it is not a source from among the sources of Islamic legislation like Al-Qiyaas is”.

Those who affirmed it differed in respect to its Dalaalah (import) in terms of it being Qat’iyah or Zhanniyah (definite or not definite). The majority viewed it to be definite whilst Abu l-Hasan Al-Basriy and AlAamadiy viewed it to be Zhanniyyah (not definite). The first opinion is (in my view) the correct one.

Those who affirmed Qiyaas included those of the four Madhaahib and the Fuqahaa of the four Madhaahib; Ash-Shaafi’iyah, AlHanaabilah, Al-Hanafiyah and Al-Maalikiyah.

The Nizhaamiyah (attributed to Ibraaheem Bin Sayyaar An-Nizhaam Sheikh Al-Jaahizh), Azh-Zhaahiriyah (attributed to Daawood AzhZhaahiriy, who was named as such because he took what was apparent from the text, and from amongst the strongest of them in denying Qiyaas was Ibn Hazm Al-Andalusiy) and some of the Shee’ah groupings denied that Qiyaas represents a Hujjah Shar’iyah for the Ahkaam. These were named: ‘The deniers of Qiyaas’ and they deduced their negation of Qiyaas based upon the following matters:

A – The statement of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

Which means: Do not follow that which you do not have knowledge (‘Ilm) of i.e. Yaqeen. This is whilst Qiyaas is a Zhanniy matter that contains doubt. Consequently, working with it would not be working upon ‘Ilm (knowledge i.e. Yaqeen). It is like the Zhann that has been mentioned in the Qur’aan Al-Kareem:

B – The Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

The Qur’aan therefore contains an explanation for every Hukm and as such there is no need for Qiyaas to be brought along with it.

C – They said that Qiyaas leads to differences in respect to the Ahkaam and leads to disputation in respect to the opinions/views.

Those who took Qiyaas responded to and refuted those who denied Qiyaas and they refuted the understandings that they based their deduction upon.

The most correct opinion as we have previously explained at the beginning of the study is that Qiyaas is a Hujjah (proof/evidence)

Shar’iyah for the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah and the Daleel that proves its validity as an evidence is a Daleel Qat’iy (definite evidence).

As for their use of the Aayah:

(Translators note: It appears that the explanation was emitted in the final print following these two Aayah however it is clear from what is discussed earlier that Qiyaas is established upon Qat’iy evidence and as such these two Aayah and the prohibition of relying upon Zhann in Usool does not apply upon it).

And the fact that the Qur’aan explains the Ahkaam in worded expression and meaning doesn’t mean that there is an explicit text for every Hukm. This is the case where Qiyaas is attached to the Dalaalah (indicated meaning) of the Qur’aan in respect to the Ahkaam by meaning. Consequently, Qiyaas cannot be done without, as it would mean neglecting some of what the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah have brought in terms of meanings indicated in its expressed wordings.

As for Qiyaas leading to differences in the Ahkaam then Ijtihaad in respect to the Nusoos has already led to difference in respect to the Ahkaam like for instance in relation to the Aayah:

That is because the Mujtahidoon differed in respect to the meaning of ‘Laamastum’ in terms of whether its meaning is the touching by hand or through intercourse. They also differed in respect to the meaning of ‘Quroo’ between the meanings of ‘purity’ and ‘menses’.

Therefore, differences occur in other than Qiyaas. In addition, the Messenger of Allah (saw) approved of the Sahaabah in regards to their differences based upon Ijtihaad.