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Fully Qualified Jurist (Persian: فقیه جامع‌الشرائط, faqīh jāmiʿ al-sharāʾiṭ) is a jurist who possesses the scientific, practical, ideological, and ethical conditions necessary for religious authority (marja'iyya). The legitimacy of many jurisprudential acts, as well as discretion in financial, judicial, and political matters, is contingent upon his presence and command. In jurisprudential texts, characteristics such as personal justice, awareness of Islamic standards and regulations (jurisprudence), and good management of affairs are considered conditions for a fully qualified jurist; without these, it would not be possible to hold the offices and duties exclusive to such a jurist.

The duties of a fully qualified jurist span three areas: issuing legal opinions (ifta), judgment (qada), and guardianship (wilaya). However, jurists such as al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari and al-Akhund al-Khorasani consider political guardianship over the people to be outside the scope of a jurist's authority. In contrast, some jurists, such as Mulla Ahmad al-Naraqi and Imam Khomeini, citing verses, narrations, and rational arguments, believe in Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) and consider all the authorities and offices of the Prophet (s) and the Imams (a) to be established for the fully qualified jurist as well. According to them, matters related to the religion and worldly affairs of the people—including executing divine punishments, protecting the property of orphans, the insane, and the absent, discretion over the property of the Infallible Imam (a), and forming an Islamic government—fall within the sphere of the fully qualified jurist's duties.

Status and Definition

A fully qualified jurist or mujtahid is one who possesses the scientific, practical, ideological, and ethical conditions necessary for the position of a Marja' al-Taqlid.[1] It is also stated that a jurist who has the ability to derive Shari'a rulings from religious proofs[2] (possesses the faculty of ijtihad) and also possesses necessary conditions such as faith, personal justice, asceticism, and piety to hold the office of marja'iyya, is considered a fully qualified jurist.[3]

The term "fully qualified jurist" or "mujtahid" is frequently repeated across various chapters of jurisprudence, and jurists use it when discussing multiple issues such as Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil,[4] judgment,[5] ifta, ijtihad, and imitation (taqlid),[6] Friday Prayer,[7] Sighting the crescent,[8] undertaking hisba affairs,[9] Jihad,[10] guardianship in political matters,[11] and so forth, in their jurisprudential texts.

Regarding the fully qualified jurist, it is said that the legitimacy and validity of many jurisprudential acts, financial discretion, and judicial, political, and social actions are dependent on the presence of the "fully qualified jurist"; for instance, the non-verbal stages of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil[12] and also jihad during the era of occultation, require his permission.[13]

Difference with the Partial Mujtahid

Main article: Partial Mujtahid

The fully qualified jurist, based on the characteristics enumerated for him, differs from the partial jurist or partial mujtahid (mujtahid mutajazzi'). A partial mujtahid is one who has the ability to derive Shari'a Rulings in some sections of jurisprudence;[14] whereas the fully qualified mujtahid possesses the ability for absolute ijtihad, meaning derivation in all chapters of jurisprudence,[15] and in addition to possessing the power of ijtihad in all chapters, has actually derived many rulings in practice[16] and meets the necessary conditions for marja'iyya.[17]

Conditions for a Fully Qualified Jurist

Hossein Ali Montazeri, in the book Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, enumerates eight conditions for the ruler of the Islamic society (fully qualified jurist): sufficient intellect, Islam and faith, justice, awareness of Islamic standards and regulations (jurisprudence), ability and good management of affairs, being male, legitimate birth, and avoidance of base traits such as stinginess and greed.[18]

Jawadi Amuli does not consider merely studying jurisprudence or even having the faculty of derivation sufficient to be called a "fully qualified jurist" and considers three main characteristics essential for a fully qualified jurist:[19]

  • Absolute Ijtihad: Full awareness of the mujtahid of all roots and branches of religion, including acts of worship, contracts, rulings, unilateral acts (iqa'at), and Islamic politics.[20]
  • Absolute Justice: Perfection of the mujtahid not only in theoretical reason (understanding religion) but also in practical reason (correct implementation of religion in personal life and Islamic society) and not being submissive to carnal desires.[21]
  • Management Power and Leadership Talent: Having the correct insight regarding domestic and foreign political affairs and the necessary skill to manage them.[22]

Duties and Authorities of a Fully Qualified Jurist

Jurists have expressed various views regarding the duties and authorities of a fully qualified jurist:

  • General Duties: Jurists such as Mulla Ahmad al-Naraqi and Imam Khomeini believe that a fully qualified jurist possesses all the authorities and duties of the Prophet (s) and the Imams (a) and is responsible for the religious and worldly affairs of the people, including executing divine punishments, protecting the property of the needy, discretion over the property of the Infallible Imam (a), and forming an Islamic government.[23]
  • Limited Authorities: In contrast, jurists such as al-Shaykh Murtada al-Ansari consider the sphere of a jurist's authority to be more limited and regard issues such as guardianship over property and lives as being outside his duties.[24][25]

Details of Duties

The duties of a fully qualified jurist are generally outlined in three areas: ifta, qada, and wilaya.[26] However, Jawadi Amuli believes that the most important duty of a fully qualified jurist, in addition to the three areas, is the preservation of the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Infallibles (a) from deviations.[27]

  1. Ifta: The primary duty of a fully qualified jurist is continuous ijtihad to extract Shari'a rulings from authoritative sources and present them to followers (muqallidin), without making changes in the rulings themselves.[28] Jurists do not consider it permissible to issue a fatwa or to follow a jurist who has not reached this level,[29] and they deem the superiority (a'lamiyya) of the fully qualified jurist in this field essential.[30]
  2. Judgment (Issuing Judicial Rulings): The duty of a fully qualified jurist is to issue judicial rulings to resolve people's disputes.[31] Authentic narrations such as the Maqbula of 'Umar b. Hanzala and the Mashhura of Abi Khadija also confirm that Imam al-Sadiq (a) referred Shi'as to qualified jurists for judicial matters.[32] Nevertheless, in case of a shortage of fully qualified jurists, the Shari'a ruler can appoint non-mujtahid individuals aware of judicial matters for judgment.[33]
  3. Wilaya: Among the duties of a fully qualified jurist is the oversight, control, and discretion of the fully qualified mujtahid in the affairs of others,[34] as well as the management of the Islamic society to implement rulings and religious values,[35] and during the occultation of the Imam of the Time (aj), the governance of the society falls upon him.[36]

There is disagreement regarding the political guardianship of the jurist:

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Husayni Tehrani, while accepting the necessity of Wilayat al-Faqih,[45] believes that because jurists are not infallible and the possibility of error exists for them, the authority of their word is restricted to the time of their life.[46]

Notes

  1. ↑ Maḥāmid, "Faqīh-i jāmiʿ al-sharāʾiṭ wa manṣab-i iftāʾ", published on Hawzah Information Base.
  2. ↑ al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Irshād al-adhhān, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 353.
  3. ↑ al-Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1404 AH, vol. 21, p. 399; al-Shaykh al-Anṣārī, al-Qaḍāʾ wa l-shahādāt, 1415 AH, pp. 229-231.
  4. ↑ al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Irshād al-adhhān, 1410 AH, vol. 1, pp. 352-353; al-Shahīd al-Awwal, Ghāyat al-murād, 1414 AH, vol. 1, pp. 505-511.
  5. ↑ al-Shahīd al-Awwal, al-Durūs al-sharʿiyya, 1417 AH, vol. 2, pp. 66-67; al-Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, Mafātīḥ al-sharāʾiʿ, Marʿashī Najafī Library, vol. 3, p. 248.
  6. ↑ al-Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, al-Fawāʾid al-Ṭūsiyya, 1403 AH, pp. 421-422.
  7. ↑ al-Muḥaqqiq al-Karakī, Rasāʾil al-Muḥaqqiq al-Karakī (Rasālat al-ṣalāt al-jumʿa), 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 137-171; al-Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1404 AH, vol. 11, p. 188.
  8. ↑ al-Khūʾī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, 1418 AH, vol. 1, p. 357.
  9. ↑ al-Baḥrānī, Ajwibat al-masāʾil al-Bihbahāniyya, 1406 AH, pp. 66-77; al-Khūʾī, Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-Khūʾī, 1418 AH, vol. 1, p. 360.
  10. ↑ al-Khūʾī, Minhāj al-ṣāliḥīn, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 366.
  11. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh wa fiqh al-dawla al-Islāmiyya, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 425; Mūsawī Khalkhālī, al-Ḥākimiyya fī l-Islām, 1425 AH, pp. 545-552.
  12. ↑ Imām Khomeinī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, Dār al-ʿIlm, vol. 1, pp. 476-482.
  13. ↑ al-Khūʾī, Minhāj al-ṣāliḥīn, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 366.
  14. ↑ al-Shaykh al-Anṣārī, al-Qaḍāʾ wa l-shahādāt, 1415 AH, pp. 231-232.
  15. ↑ Meshkīnī, Iṣṭilāḥāt al-uṣūl, 1416 AH, p. 19.
  16. ↑ Markaz-i Iṭṭilāʿāt wa Madārik-i Islāmī, Farhang-nāma-yi uṣūl-i fiqh, 1389 SH, p. 75.
  17. ↑ Imām Khomeinī, Tawḍīḥ al-masāʾil, 1424 AH, vol. 1, p. 13.
  18. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 407.
  19. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 136.
  20. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 137.
  21. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 138.
  22. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 139.
  23. ↑ al-Narāqī, ʿAwāʾid al-ayyām, 1417 AH, p. 536; Imām Khomeinī, Wilāyat-i faqīh, 1423 AH, pp. 50-51.
  24. ↑ al-Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, pp. 544-560.
  25. ↑ ʿAllāma Ṭehrānī maintains two general duties for the Wali al-Faqih: First: explaining the rulings that have reached him from the Shari'a, and issuing fatwas in what he performs ijtihad; Second: exercising guardianship in some matters (especially particular cases) and issuing a decree. He considers the issuance of a decree by him in such cases as creative (insha'i), because according to the psychic power and internal purity he has achieved, he has ascended the degrees of the soul and attained a realm of detachment and absolute authority, having the right to create a ruling. (Ṭehrānī, Wilāyat-i faqīh dar ḥukūmat-i Islām, vol. 3, p. 74)
  26. ↑ al-Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, p. 544; Sabzawārī, Muhadhdhab al-aḥkām, 1413 AH, vol. 1, p. 38; Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 2, pp. 106-107.
  27. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, pp. 242-243.
  28. ↑ al-Narāqī, ʿAwāʾid al-ayyām, 1417 AH, p. 542; Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 243.
  29. ↑ Shaftī Gīlānī, Tuḥfat al-abrār, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 103.
  30. ↑ Montaẓerī, Mabānī-yi fiqhī-yi ḥukūmat-i Islāmī, 1409 AH, vol. 8, p. 286.
  31. ↑ al-Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, p. 545; Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 145; Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh: wilāyat-i faqāhat wa ʿadālat, 1378 SH, p. 244.
  32. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 2, pp. 145-146.
  33. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 2, p. 175.
  34. ↑ al-Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, p. 545.
  35. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 11; Jawādī Āmulī, Wilāyat-i faqīh, 1378 SH, pp. 129 & 244.
  36. ↑ Fīraḥī, Niẓām-i siyāsī wa dawlat dar Islām, 1386 SH, pp. 242-243.
  37. ↑ al-Anṣārī, Kitāb al-makāsib, 1415 AH, vol. 3, pp. 544-560.
  38. ↑ Kadīvar, Naẓariyyahā-yi dawlat dar fiqh-i Shīʿa, 1387 SH, p. 36.
  39. ↑ Fīraḥī, "Shīʿa wa dīmūkrāsī-yi mushāwiratī dar Īrān", pp. 139 & 141.
  40. ↑ al-Narāqī, ʿAwāʾid al-ayyām, 1417 AH, pp. 529-530.
  41. ↑ Kāshif al-Ghiṭāʾ, Kashf al-ghiṭāʾ, 1422 AH, vol. 1, p. 207; Fīraḥī, Qudrat: dānish, mashrūʿiyyat dar Islām, 1394 SH, p. 313.
  42. ↑ al-Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1404 AH, vol. 21, pp. 395-396; vol. 22, p. 155, p. 195; Montaẓerī, Mabānī-yi fiqhī-yi ḥukūmat-i Islāmī, 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 47-48.
  43. ↑ Imām Khomeinī, Kitāb al-bayʿ, 1421 AH, vol. 2, pp. 638-642.
  44. ↑ Montaẓerī, Dirāsāt fī wilāyat al-faqīh, 1409 AH, vol. 1, pp. 11-12.
  45. ↑ Ṭehrānī, Wilāyat-i faqīh dar ḥukūmat-i Islām, vol. 37, p. 74.
  46. ↑ Ṭehrānī, Imām-shināsī, vol. 18, p. 220.

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