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

The Mushkil is the Lafzh which its Dalaalah (implication) is not clear in respect to the meaning that is intended from it. It represents a lack of clarity arising from the Seeghah (form) or the Usloob (style) and this meaning cannot be comprehended or ascertained without Ijtihaad.

The Mushkil is therefore more obscure that the Khafiy because the Lafzh of the Khafiy is clear in Dalaalah (implication), whilst the Lafzh of the Mushkil is not clear in its Dalaalah.

Example:

Allah (swt) said:

The Qur’u is a Mushtarak Lafzh (a worded expression that holds more than one meaning) and hence its meaning is unclear. Amongst the Arabs it indicates two (possible) meanings: At-Tuhr (purity) and Al-Haid (menstruation). That is whilst it is known that the Shaari’ (Legislator) intended one of them and not the other because it is necessary for there to be one Hukm for one Mas’alah. At the same time, it is the duty of the Muslim to search for this Hukm and know it via Ijtihaad.

So the Lafzh ‘Qur’un’ is a Lafzh Mushtarak indicating two meanings: Purity and menstruation and as a result of the usage of this Lafzh in the Aayah an Ishkaal (a difficult or problematic issue) has arisen. This text has therefore been considered to be Mushkil (problematic).

I will now present a picture of the Ijtihaadaat of the Fuqahaa in regards to outweighing one of the two meanings over the other by way of Qaraa’in (connotations) and Adillah (evidences) that the Mujtahid found most probable or preponderant to reflect what the Shaari’ (Legislator) intended.

A – The opinion of the Hanafiyah that the intended meaning of ‘Al-Qur’u’ is ‘Al-Haid’ (menstruation):

They based their deduction upon the following: That Allah Ta’Aalaa made I’tidaad or ‘Iddah (period of waiting) by months in the case where the period of waiting by the Haid (menstruation) is not possible. That indicates that the Haid (menstruation) is the Asl (origin) in respect to the waiting period as was mentioned in the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

The Hikmah (wisdom) of the legislation of the I’tidaad (waiting period) is to know that the womb is free and that there is no pregnancy. What makes that evident is the Haid (menstruation) and not the Tuhr (purity).

B – The opinion of Ash-Shaafi’iyah that the intended meaning of ‘Al-Qur’u’ is ‘At-Tuhr’ (period of purity in between menstruation) the deduction of which was based upon the following:

Allah (swt) said:

This means: Divorce them for the commencement of their ‘Iddah and this is whilst it is known that the legitimate or legal Talaaq (divorce) occurs in the state of Tuhr (purity) and not the state or condition of Haid (menstruation). Consequently, the name of ‘Iddah (waiting period) was provided for the (period of) Tuhr (purity). And they said that the Lafzh (wording) ‘Thalaathah’ (three) in His Qawl (swt):

That the Lafzh came in the feminine form (Mu’annath) whilst it is known in the Arabic language that if the number is feminine then the thing or matter being numbered (Al-Ma’dood) is masculine (Mudhakkar) and not feminine. What is intended therefore is three ‘At’hur’ (i.e. three Tuhrs) meaning that the Qur’u is At-Tuhr (period of purity) and not Al-Haid (period of menstruation). Another example:

The ‘Ishkaal (problematic matter of difficulty) here does not lie in one single Lafzh (worded expression) but it is rather within the Usloob (style). So who is it that is intended by the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

Is it the husband or it is the Wali (guardian)? The Hanafiyah viewed that it refers to the husband because it is the meaning that is in agreement with the Usloob (style) and he (the husband) is the possessor of the knot or contract of marriage that was completed by the contract of the marriage. Al-Maalikiyah however said that the one in whose hand is the knot of the marriage is the ‘Wali’ with the consideration that she is Qaasirah (young). That however is a distant interpretation.

The text is not implemented or applied until after the Maqsood (intended meaning) from the text is known by way of Al-Ijtihaad Al-Mu’tabar (i.e. valid and recognised process of Ijtihaad).