Understanding the Conceptof Habs and the Feasibility of its Recognition as a Nominate Contract in Iranian Law

Among the contracts in law and jurisprudence, there are still contracts that, despite their applications, remain unknown and unused because they have not been properly introduced. One example of such contract is the Habs contract whose framework, which also defines it, is dealt with ambiguously and summarily. The ambiguity is easily noticeable in the conflicting opinions of jurisprudents, which baffle the readers and have led to jurists either ignoring it or touching upon it most briefly. The lack of literature on this concept has caused this useful contract not to receive the attention it deserves, and it is even classified as an innominate contract by some jurists, and summarily tapped into by legislators. Therefore in general, we face a challenge in knowing it, its rules and position and applying it. To respond to this challenge and establish a framework for the Habs contract, it is necessary to first explain the correct concept of Habs in jurisprudence and law and identify its position in the Iranian Legal System. Therefore, this paper intends to bridge a gap in law and jurisprudence, compensate for the brevity of law, resolve the ambiguity and obscurity, delineate the concept of Habs, and, finally, identify and stabilize the position of this useful contract in Iranian Law in terms of recognition of rules and effects in statutory laws. The current descriptive–analytical study first distinguishes different types of Habs contracts by categorizing various jurists’ and jurisprudents’ opinions in this area and criticizing them, and then arrives at a proper definition of Habs in common, general and particular senses. Afterward, using the insight gained about Habs and considering the requirements for a contract to be nominated, the position of the Habs contract is established in the Iranian Legal Systems as a nominate contract in the light of relevant rules and regulations.