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Draft:Shari'a Trust

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Shari'a Trust (Arabic:الأمانة الشرعية) is a jurisprudential term denoting property that comes into a trustee's possession without the owner's permission, by the ruling of the Lawgiver. The placement of such property in the hands of the trustee (the amīn) must be without oppression and non-aggressive (ghayr ʿudwānī). This stands in contrast to owner's trust, exemplified by deposit and lease, where possession is granted with the owner's permission. Both Shari'a trust and owner's trust are classified as types of trusts.

Jurists have delineated various instances of Shari'a trust, including property that unintentionally reaches a person via wind or flood, or property taken into possession without the owner's permission to prevent its destruction, such as found items or property reclaimed from a usurper.

In certain circumstances, an owner's trust converts into a Shari'a trust. This occurs, for example, when the trust-giver or the trustee passes away or becomes insane, or when a lease period expires but the property remains in the trustee's possession. In such cases, the property is classified as a Shari'a trust until it is restored to the owner.

Some jurists consider informing the owner and returning the property to be an immediate obligation; others, however, deem its return contingent upon the owner's request. Safeguarding the property until its delivery is among the trustee's duties, and in cases of negligence resulting in damage, the trustee is held liable (ḍāmin).

Introduction

Shari'a trust is a jurisprudential term[1] that is distinguished from owner's trust.[2] It refers to property placed in an individual's possession without the necessity of the owner's permission, a possession deemed permissible by the Shari'a.[3] In certain legal texts, this concept is termed "legal trust,"[4] based on the view that the authorization to hold the property is granted to the trustee by the law itself.[5]

Shia jurists define a Shari'a trust as applicable where an individual's control over property is devoid of oppression or the use of force.[6] Furthermore, this control must occur without the owner's volition, permission,[7] or even awareness.[8] This is contrary to owner's trust, which is established through mechanisms such as deposit and lease with the owner's consent or knowledge.[9] Owner's trust is also referred to as "contractual trust."[10]

Instances

Jurisprudential texts enumerate numerous instances of Shari'a trust,[11] covering cases where possession is acquired unintentionally as well as those where it is taken consciously.

  • Property acquired through natural phenomena, such as items delivered into one's possession by wind or flood.[12]
  • Merchandise transferred to another without the owner's awareness; for example, when a seller unintentionally provides a buyer with more than the purchased amount,[13] or a buyer mistakenly pays a surplus to the seller.[14]
  • Items consciously taken into possession to prevent their destruction, such as found property.[15]
  • Property belonging to others that is reclaimed from a usurper.[16]
  • Property belonging to a child or an insane person, taken into possession for the purpose of preservation.[17]
  • The maintenance and care of an animal that has a specific owner but is in danger of perishing.[18]

Jurisprudential Rulings of Shari'a Trust

Shari'a trust carries specific rulings in Islamic jurisprudence which, in certain aspects, differ from those of owner's trust.

Necessity of Protecting the Shari'a Trust

The trustee is duty-bound to safeguard the entrusted property until the time of delivery[19] and is permitted to utilize it only to the extent necessary for its return to the owner.[20] Should the entrusted property be destroyed without negligence, the trustee bears no liability;[21] however, in the event of negligence—even if the trustee did not directly cause the destruction or damage—they are held liable (ḍāmin).[22]

Necessity of Delivering the Trust to the Owner

A Shari'a trust must be restored to the original owner. In cases where the owner, their executor (waṣī), or agent (wakīl) cannot be accessed, the trust must be delivered to the religious authority (ḥākim).[23] Shia jurists present two perspectives regarding the trustee's obligation in this regard:

One group maintains that the proactive return of a Shari'a trust is not mandatory; rather, the obligation is limited to ensuring the owner has access to the property[24] and informing them of its existence if they are unaware.[25] Imam Khomeini in Tahrir al-wasila cited this view as a possibility, regarding it as a strong probability.[26]

Another group holds that the possessor of a Shari'a trust is obligated to return it to its owner. Within this group, there is disagreement regarding immediacy. Some argue that the property must be delivered immediately to the owner or their representative,[27] without waiting for the owner's demand,[28] even if doing so entails difficulty for the trustee.[29] They contend that any delay in returning or announcing the property renders the trustee a usurper.[30] This contrasts with owner's trust, where the return of property is contingent upon the owner's demand.[31] Other jurists, however, do not subscribe to the requirement of immediacy in returning a Shari'a trust.[32]

Conversion of Owner's Trust to Shari'a Trust

An owner's trust may occasionally convert into a Shari'a trust. This occurs, for instance, when the trust-giver or the trustee passes away or becomes insane. Under such circumstances, the classification shifts to Shari'a trust, necessitating its delivery to the owner, their guardian, or executor.[33] Similarly, if an owner's trust was held under a contract such as a pledge (rahn) or lease and that contract is rescinded or expires, the property in question converts to a Shari'a trust until it is restored to its owner.[34] While some consider this latter case to be a matter of dispute,[35] others maintain that the invalidation of any owner's trust precipitates its conversion into a Shari'a trust.[36]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 342.
  2. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, pp. 166–167.
  3. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 401; Sabzawārī, Muhadhdhab al-aḥkām, 1413 AH, vol. 19, p. 94; Shīrāzī, al-Fiqh: al-Qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya, 1417 AH, p. 199.
  4. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 342; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 166.
  5. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 342; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 166.
  6. ↑ Gulpāygānī, Hidāyat al-ʿibād, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 23; Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 167.
  7. ↑ Tarḥīnī ʿĀmilī, al-Zubdat al-fiqhiyya, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 287; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 166; Bihbahānī, Ḥāshiyat Majmaʿ al-fāʾida wa l-burhān, 1417 AH, p. 555.
  8. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 401.
  9. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, pp. 166–167.
  10. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 342.
  11. ↑ For example, see: Ṣadr, Mā warāʾ al-fiqh, 1420 AH, vol. 5, p. 23; Shahīd al-Thānī, Masālik al-afhām, 1413 AH, vol. 5, pp. 85–86.
  12. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644.
  13. ↑ Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 167.
  14. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 401.
  15. ↑ Sabzawārī, Muhadhdhab al-aḥkām, 1413 AH, vol. 19, p. 94; Ḥusaynī ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, 1419 AH, vol. 17, p. 194; Gulpāygānī, Hidāyat al-ʿibād, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 23.
  16. ↑ Sabzawārī, Kifāyat al-aḥkām, 1423 AH, vol. 1, p. 693; Wujdānī Fakhr, al-Jawāhir al-fakhriyya, 1426 AH, vol. 9, p. 170.
  17. ↑ Ḥusaynī ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, 1419 AH, vol. 17, p. 194; Tarḥīnī ʿĀmilī, al-Zubdat al-fiqhiyya, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 287.
  18. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 402; Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644.
  19. ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira, 1405 AH, vol. 21, pp. 413–414.
  20. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, pp. 402, 426.
  21. ↑ Mā warāʾ al-fiqh, vol. 5, p. 27; Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 2, p. 269; Ḥillī, Kanz al-ʿirfān fī fiqh al-Qurʾān, 1425 AH, vol. 2, p. 562.
  22. ↑ Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 168.
  23. ↑ Faqīhān-i Imāmī wa ʿarṣahā-yi wilāyat-i faqīh, vol. 1, pp. 77, 388–389; Shahīd al-Thānī, Masālik al-afhām, 1413 AH, vol. 5, p. 85.
  24. ↑ Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 2, p. 167.
  25. ↑ Ḥillī, Kanz al-ʿirfān fī fiqh al-Qurʾān, 1425 AH, vol. 2, p. 76.
  26. ↑ Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644.
  27. ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Ḥadāʾiq al-nāḍira, 1405 AH, vol. 21, p. 411; Ḥusaynī ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, 1419 AH, vol. 17, p. 194; Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 426.
  28. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 352; Shīrāzī, al-Fiqh: al-Qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya, 1417 AH, p. 199.
  29. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, pp. 402, 425.
  30. ↑ Ṭāhirī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, 1418 AH, vol. 4, p. 352.
  31. ↑ Mūsawī Khalkhālī, Fiqh al-Shīʿa-Kitāb al-ijāra, 1427 AH, p. 425; Shīrāzī, al-Fiqh: al-Qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya, 1417 AH, p. 199.
  32. ↑ Ḥusaynī ʿĀmilī, Miftāḥ al-karāma, 1419 AH, vol. 17, p. 195.
  33. ↑ Fiqh al-Ṣādiq (a) (li-l-Rūḥānī), vol. 19, p. 315.
  34. ↑ Gulpāygānī, Hidāyat al-ʿibād, 1413 AH, vol. 2, p. 23.
  35. ↑ Jamʿī az Pazhūhishgarān, Farhang-i Fiqh muṭābiq-i madhhab-i Ahl-i Bayt (a), 1426 AH, vol. 1, p. 654; Imām Khumaynī, Taḥrīr al-wasīla, 1434 AH, vol. 1, p. 644.
  36. ↑ Shīrāzī, al-Fiqh: al-Qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya, 1417 AH, p. 199.

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