An Analysis of the Capacity of Shi’ite Political Jurisprudence in Prioritizing Jurisprudential Principles

Based on inferences from narrative resources and statements by Imāmiyah jurists, the present study aims to explain the significance and position of three important principles in the realm of politics and government, and also display their priority over some other principles in this regard. The method of study is descriptive analysis and the results showed that in juristic heritage, there are some regulations to set the hierarchy of principles compared to one another and although each of them per se cannot be determinative, a set of them can lead us to some criteria. Besides, in Shi’ite political jurisprudence, three principles named maintenance of the epicenter of Islam (Beyzat al-Islam), maintenance of Islam, and maintenance of blood and life have priority over some other ones in the realm of governance; however, the first mentioned principle is dominant over the two others. Although there are some regulations for the prioritization of principles, time and place circumstances and requirements in some levels can have profound impact on this hierarchy.