State Fiqh: Governing a State Utilizing Emerging Sciences (With a Focus on Defense Issues)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student in Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Fiqh and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran.

Abstract

Shi'a jurisprudence, as a valuable legacy of past jurists, seeks to derive the duties of the morally responsible agent (fi'l al-mukallaf), their execution, and their supervision based on the data of subsidiary religious evidence (al-adillah al-sharʿiyyah al-farʿiyyah), aiming to elucidate overarching and absolute rulings (al-aḥkām al-muṭlaqah). The Noble Prophet and the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them all), during their respective periods of messengership and imamate, articulated these primary and subsidiary rulings, guiding the Muslim community. However, over time and following the occultation of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be his ransom), the challenge of discerning the intent of God, the Blessed and Exalted, arose. This very challenge led Shi'a jurists to engage in ijtihād, striving to deduce divine rulings from the religious evidence. One such contemporary challenge is "State Fiqh" (Fiqh al-Ḥukūmah) and the utilization of emerging sciences. These include fields like computing, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum physics, and nuclear energy, which have no precedent in the traditional religious evidence, and whose application was not explicitly detailed in the statements of the Infallibles (upon whom be peace). This theoretical research, compiled using data from Islamic jurisprudence and law through an evaluative method, concludes that the Islamic State, for the defense, preservation, and protection of itself and God's believers, must not only empower itself through various sciences but also actively engage in the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. The discovery of new technologies and the advancement of such knowledge ahead of other nations is an undeniable obligation and a matter pleasing to the God.

Highlights

Conclusion  

Based on the points discussed, governmental jurisprudence (Fiqh-e Hukoomati) is one of the tools and methods of ijtihad (independent juristic reasoning) and managing an Islamic society. In an Islamic state, this discipline serves as an instrument to provide the government with what is beneficial for the Islamic community. Therefore, it is essential for jurists (fuqaha) to engage in this field and undertake ijtihad concerning it. It appears that the Islamic government should establish a working group on governmental jurisprudence and, with the involvement of the leadership (Rahbari) and the Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khobregan), select from among those who have attained ijtihad in governmental jurisprudence individuals who are aware of contemporary circumstances and sincerely devoted to the Islamic ummah to serve as advisors to the government.  

In any case, the scope of governmental jurisprudence is extensive, and it possesses the capacity to engage in various spheres of Islamic society. Among these are emerging fields of knowledge, where governmental jurisprudence should contribute to their development and elevation, establish specialized advanced courses (Dars-e Kharej) to clarify their relevance, and address the need of jurisprudence for them. Mastery of such knowledge generates diverse capabilities for the Islamic society and its government, including defending Islamic territories from existing threats in this domain. It is a religious (sharʿi) and rational (ʿaqli) obligation upon the Islamic ummah to acquire such knowledge and utilize it to preserve the Islamic system and assist the deprived and oppressed across the world.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 06 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 19 April 2025

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