Matin Research Journal

Matin Research Journal

An Analysis of the Interpretive Methodology of Expansion and Contraction of "Man Balagha" Traditions with an Approach to Imam Khomeini's Views

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Zohreh Khani
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Jurisprudence and the Foundations of Law and Imam Khomeini’s Thought, Research Institute of Imam Khomeini and Islamic Revolution, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/matin.2024.465109.2274
Abstract
"Man Balagha" traditions are among the most frequently cited narratives in the process of ijtihad, which have given rise to fundamental disagreements regarding the principle of "Tasāmuḥ fī Adillat al-Sunan" (tolerance in the evidences for recommended acts). According to this principle, strict rijālī (biographical evaluation) standards are overlooked when accepting weak traditions indicating the desirability (istiḥbāb) of an act. In some interpretations, the scope of this principle has been expanded, extending this tolerance to other weak traditions, such as those concerning the virtues (faḍā'il) of individuals, Qur'anic chapters (suwar), merits (manāqib), and even traditions implying disapproval (karāhah). A more extreme view has generalized this tolerance from non-binding injunctions to binding ones (obligation and prohibition) and from weak traditions to other sources of conjecture (ẓunūn), such as consensus (ijmā') and renowned opinion (shuhrah). In contrast, the opposing intellectual current, while criticizing the arguments for generalization, emphasizes the limited scope of the principle. Imam Khomeini's innovative theory, which likens "Man Balagha" traditions to a "Ju'ālah" (reward offered for a service), presents a distinct approach aimed at restricting and delimiting these traditions.Following this interpretive conflict, an act deemed religiously legitimate and praiseworthy from the perspective of proponents of generalization is considered by critics as an instance of illegitimate legislation (tashrī') and innovation (bid'ah) in religion. Such fluctuation in jurisprudential opinions between reward and punishment, and between desirability and prohibition, reveals the necessity of investigating the validity of competing interpretations of "Man Balagha" traditions, ranging from expansion to contraction.This research, employing a descriptive-analytical method and a jurisprudential-inferential approach, while assuming the validity of the principle of tolerance itself, finds the restrictive view to be closer to correctness. Nevertheless, the author, in a general stance, questions the acceptance of tolerance concerning weak traditions that promise rewards.
Keywords
Man Balagha Traditions
Imam Khomeini
Principle of Tolerance (Tasāmuḥ)
Virtues of Deeds
Recommended Acts (Mustahabbāt)
Disapproved Acts (Makrūhāt)

Subjects

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Matin Research Journal
Volume 27, Issue 109
Winter 2025
Pages 29-59