Exploration into Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī's Jurisprudential Method in Referring the Sīra of the Apostle of Allah (S.A.W.)

Besides being applied in various fields such as ethics and history، Sīra of the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.) has been employed in jurisprudence and is referred to in jurisprudential impressions، as well. The degree of validity of the reports contained in books of sīra in view of the jurists and their rules and methodology of reference to reports of the sīra books is a topic that has attracted less attention of researchers. The present writing seeks to examine the instances of Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī’s (d. 676/1277) reference to the sīra of the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.) and، thereby، clarify hi jurisprudential method in employing the Prophetic sīra. Thus، by touching upon the works left behind by Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī، especially his Sharāyi‘ al-Islām and Al-Mu‘tabar، he has extracted and analyzed the instances of his reference to the Prophetic sīra. In his scrutiny of the conducts reported about the Apostle of Allah (A. S.)، Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī has been able to trust in and rely upon only some of them، which is due to his suspicion in the issuance of the traditions and the degree of the significance and validity of what had been set forth as the sīra of the Prophet. The uṣūlī rules that Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī has used to confirm the true sīra of the Prophet have made difficult and unreliable the maximal acceptance of what has been known as the Prophet’s sīra. His minimal approach to the reports of the sīra science is to be analyzed and measured from this perspective.