Legal and Jurisprudential Review of the Independence of the Crime "Efsad fel-Arz" in Iranian Islamic Penal Code of 2013

In Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code of 2013, crime of Efsad fel-Arz (Corruption on Earth) has been recognized as an independent crime. It lead to a question in jurisprudential and legal circles, as to whether and to what extent this crime –with the definition and terms given in the article- is consistent with known fundamentals of jurisprudence and law.It seems that the Iranian legislature has paid no attention to the fundamental and inalienable bases of jurisprudence while establishing this article, and unlike the vast majority of prominent Shiite jurisprudents who opposed the independent criminalization of Efsad fel-Arz, has proceeded to give a made-up definition of this crime, violating Islamic law rules. Moreover, criminalizing the Efsad Fel-Arz is inconsistent with some legal principles such as the principle of maximum precision in definition of crimes. Present study aims to review and critique legal and jurisprudential foundations of this crime.