The Ruling on Qiyās (Analogical Deduction) in Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Taken from Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
What is the ruling on qiyās (analogical deduction)?
Answer:
Qiyās (analogy) and ijtihād are considered the fourth source of Islamic rulings. If a matter is not explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an, Hadith, or ijmāʿ, then ijtihād through qiyās is applied.
- In matters of ʿaqīdah (beliefs), such as the Names and Attributes of Allah, qiyās is not permissible because these are tawqīfī (restricted to revelation).
- In non-explicit legal rulings (aḥkām sharʿiyyah), qiyās and ijtihād are valid.
The evidence for qiyās is found in the Qur’an, Hadith, and the ijmāʿ of the Ummah.
Qur’ānic Evidence
Allah Almighty says:
وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ ۖ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ [Sūrat al-Nisā’: 83]
“When there comes to them news of security or fear, they broadcast it. But if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, then those who can draw correct conclusions would have known it.”
This verse directs the Ummah to refer matters to the people of knowledge who can derive rulings (istinbāṭ). It establishes that ijtihād is not for everyone, but only for qualified scholars. As for laymen, they should follow scholars in obedience to Qur’an and Sunnah. Seeking guidance from the mujtahid Imāms is not blind imitation (taqlīd).
Statement of the Scholars
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (رحمه الله, d. 463 AH) said:
لا خلاف بين فقهاء الأمصار وسائر أهل السنة، وهم أهل الفقه والحديث فى نفي القياس فى التوحيد وإثباته فى الأحكام
“There is no difference of opinion among the jurists of the cities and the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah — the fuqahā’ and the muḥaddithūn — that qiyās has no place in matters of tawḥīd, but it is valid in legal rulings (aḥkām).”
[Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm wa Faḍlihi: 2/887]
Conclusion:- Qiyās is not valid in ʿaqīdah (beliefs, Names, and Attributes of Allah).
- Qiyās is valid and accepted in Sharīʿah rulings when the Qur’an, Sunnah, and ijmāʿ do not explicitly mention the issue.
- It is a foundational principle of ijtihād, recognized by Qur’an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus.
