Jurisprudence the Essentials of the Islamic Law

Jurisprudence the Essentials of the Islamic Law

Examining the conditions for applying o Disagreement with Sunni’s in preference

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Atiyeh Alizadeh Noori 1
Mohammadtaghi fakhlaei 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Shahid Motahhari Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22059/jjfil.2026.403456.669905
Abstract
According to the well-known perspective of Shi‘a Uṣūlī scholars, “opposition to the ‘āmmah” (i.e., the Sunni majority) is regarded as one of the significant and influential criteria in the process of resolving contradictions and establishing preference between conflicting narrations. In other words, whenever two oppositional reports are equivalent in terms of both chain of transmission and meaning, and no reasonable reconciliation between them is possible, the report that diverges from or contradicts the opinions and legal verdicts of the Sunni schools attains priority over the other. Thus, “opposition to the ‘āmmah” is recognized as a preferential advantage.
Accordingly, an accurate understanding of the true nature of this preferential criterion, as well as a clarification of the conditions, parameters, and limitations governing its application, constitutes a fundamental issue explored in this study. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, this research first explicates the conceptual meanings of "‘āmmah and contradiction with ‘āmmah," and through a careful comparison and distinction between the two notions of factor of preference and distinguishing factor, proceeds to examine the necessary conditions for the realization of contradiction with ‘āmmah as a legitimate criterion for preferring among conflicting reports.
The analytical investigation of these conditions, collected through extensive scrutiny of diverse juridical and Uṣūlī sources, reveals that many of them are not verifiably present in practical applications of contradiction with ʻāmmah. Consequently, serious doubts have arisen regarding the maximal employment of this criterion by jurists, underscoring the need for a renewed reading of the Shi‘a jurisprudential heritage in this regard.
Keywords
Disagreement with Sunni's
Conflicting Narrations
Preference Attribute of Issue
Ascribing to Reservation
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Jurisprudence the Essentials of the Islamic Law
Volume 59, Issue 1
Spring & Summer 2026
September 2026
Pages 59-83