Matin Research Journal

Matin Research Journal

Jurisprudential Inference of the Insolvent Debtor’s Ruling from the Infallibles’ (A.S.) Practical Tradition: Emphasis on Imam Khomeini's Fatwas

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mostafa Shadman Fakhrabadi 1
Abbas Ali Soltani 2
Hossein Saberi 3
1 PhD in Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Law, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Law, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Law, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22034/matin.2021.263312.1795
Abstract
In all legal and religious systems, debtors are obligated to repay their debts. However, the ruling concerning insolvent debtors (those unable to fulfill their obligations) requires nuanced jurisprudential analysis. This study employs an analytical-descriptive methodology, drawing on library resources to examine the fatwas of Imami jurists regarding the practical tradition of the Infallibles (AS) (their behavioral precedents with legislative intent), with particular emphasis on the perspective of Imam Khomeini.
The findings reveal the the majority, including Imam Khomeini, advocate granting respite to insolvent debtors to enable repayment through work, while a minority argue for surrendering debtors to creditors to enforce repayment via work. This disagreement stems from differing interpretations of narrations derived from the Infallibles’ (A.S.) practical tradition, each addressing specific historical and social contexts. Nonetheless, all narrations unanimously affirm the obligation of debt repayment.
The study concludes that a thorough understanding of the rationale behind the Infallibles’ (A.S.) actions, combined with an examination of textual and practical evidence, allows jurists to derive more comprehensive rulings. Imam Khomeini’s fatwa, which opposes surrendering debtors to creditors under any circumstances and rejects distinctions between employed and unemployed debtors, emerges as the most aligned with the Infallibles’ (AS) tradition.
This research underscores how attention to the practical tradition can resolve jurisprudential disagreements, offering a refined approach to contemporary financial ethics in Islamic law.
Keywords
Debtor
Insolvency
Imprisonment
Practical Tradition
Imam Khomeini

Subjects

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Matin Research Journal
Volume 27, Issue 106
Spring 2025
Pages 31-55