The Relationship Between Al-maslahah Al-mursalah And Al-istihsaan
1 – Al-Istihsaan comes together with Al-Masaalih Al-Mursalah which were taken by Al-Imaam Maalik and that is because Al-Istihsaan represented the outweighing of the Qiyaas Khafiy over the Qiyaas Jalliy (apparent/evident analogy) due to the appearance of the Maslahah within the Qiyaas Al-Khafiy (hidden/concealed analogy). He also took a Maslahah Juz’iyah (partial interest) in opposition to a Qiyaas Kulliy (comprehensive Qiyaas).
2 – Al-Istihsaan in the opinion of Al-Imaam Ash-Shaafi’iy who declared it invalid and in the opinion of Al-Imaam Maalik who used it, incorporated and covered the Masaalih Al-Mursalah within it. Al-Imaam Maalik said: “Al-Istihsaan is nine tenths of Al-‘Ilm (knowledge)” and then said: “And Al-Istihsaan that is restricted to opposing the Qiyaas by the Maslahah counts for a negligible amount (of its usage)”.
3 – Al-Istihsaan and Al-Masaalih Al-Mursalah according to the view of those who used it as a proof is based upon Al-Qiyaas. That is because Al-Istihsaan represents the departure from a Qiyaas Jalliy to a Qiyaas Khafiy or the departure from Qiyaas to adopting based on the Daroorah (necessity) and the Maslahah (interest) to remove the hardship (Haraj). The Jins (type/kind) of Al-Masaalih Al-Mursalah is measured (analogised) upon the Jins (type) of the Masaalih Ad-Darooriyah (essential or necessary interests) that the Shar’a has mentioned like the preservation of the Nafs, Maal, Nasl, ‘Aql and Deen (life, property, progeny, mind and Deen).
4 – Al-Masaalih Al-Mursalah and Al-Istihsaan according to the definition of each of them are not based upon an explicit (Sareeh) text from the Sharee’ah texts but are rather based upon a semblance 256
(Shubhat) of a Daleel that the ‘Ulamaa have seen or perceived between the lines of the Sharee’ah texts.