رفعِ تعارض کے اصول: ایک اصولی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Principles for Resolving Contradictions: A Juristic and Analytical Study

Abstract

In the study of Sharīʿah texts, particularly the Prophetic traditions (Aḥādīth Nabawiyyah), situations sometimes arise where an apparent contradiction or conflict (taʿāruḍ) seems to exist between authentic narrations. This issue constitutes not only a critical concern within the discipline of Ḥadīth studies but also represents one of the most fundamental and sensitive areas of ijtihād in Uṣūl al-Fiqh. Whenever two sound legal evidences appear to be in opposition, the foremost responsibility of scholars is to strive for reconciliation between them, a process technically referred to as taṭbīq bayna al-riwāyāt (harmonisation of narrations). This methodological approach ensures the coherent derivation of Sharīʿah rulings and facilitates their practical implementation in real life. This subject is regarded as one of the most intricate and challenging domains in Ḥadīth sciences, as its significance intensifies when no viable path for reconciliation or preference (tarjīḥ) can be established between conflicting narrations. In such cases, the deduction of legal rulings and their practical application become exceedingly problematic, if not entirely impossible. Since the ultimate objective of Sharīʿah texts is to guide human conduct and regulate practical life, any perceived mutual negation among these texts undermines this essential purpose. Therefore, the principles governing contradiction and reconciliation occupy a central and indispensable position in Uṣūl al-Fiqh, serving as a foundational framework for preserving the integrity, coherence, and applicability of Islamic legal reasoning.