دلالۃ النص کا حنفی فقہ میں دائرۂ کار: اصولی تصور، عملی صورتیں اور استدلالی حیثیت کا تحقیقی جائزہ

The Scope of Dalālat al-Naṣṣ in Ḥanafī Jurisprudence: A Research Review of Its Conceptual Framework, Practical Forms, and Evidentiary Status

Abstract

This research presents a comprehensive analytical study of the concept of Dalālat al-Naṣṣ (textual implication) within Ḥanafī jurisprudence, examining its theoretical foundations, practical applications, and evidentiary authority in legal reasoning. While classical works of Uṣūl al-Fiqh generally present Dalālat al-Naṣṣ as a single mode of textual implication, this study argues that its application in the Ḥanafī tradition extends far beyond its conventional definition. By employing inductive and analytical methods, the research examines the discussions of leading Ḥanafī jurists, particularly al-Jaṣṣāṣ, al-Dabūsī, al-Sarakhsī, al-Marghīnānī, and Ibn al-Humām, and identifies six major forms of Dalālat al-Naṣṣ derived from their juristic discourse. It further demonstrates that these forms constitute a coherent methodological framework for legal interpretation and deduction rather than isolated juristic applications. The study also clarifies the distinction between Dalālat al-Naṣṣ and Qiyās, arguing that the former is based on meanings directly established through the linguistic and contextual implications of the revealed texts, whereas the latter relies on juristic identification of the effective legal cause (ʿillah). Furthermore, it explains that juristic disagreements regarding Dalālat al-Naṣṣ mainly concern the realization and application of its operative meaning rather than the principle itself. The study concludes that Dalālat al-Naṣṣ represents an independent and comprehensive interpretive principle in the Ḥanafī school and provides a broader framework for understanding textual interpretation and legal deduction in Islamic legal theory.