Prohibition of Following a Suspicion; Critical Analysis of Shi'ite Scholars’ Epistemological Opinions in Interpreting the Relevant Verses of the Quran

Many Shi'ite jurists, adhering to some Quranic verses known as “the verses prohibiting any action based on a suspicion” attempted to prove that invalidity of suspicion is the primary principle. The principle reads: “Following a suspicion to inference and comply with Islamic law is prohibited.” By accepting this principle, the validity of some kinds of suspicions such as a suspicion arising from a single transmitter and from the superficial meaning of the words of the Quran and Islamic traditions known as “specific suspicions” on which the inference of many Islamic laws depend, faces some challenges. Every scholar of principles of jurisprudence has a specific way to tackle this challenge which is discussed in this article. The main purpose of this article is to show that the scholars of principles of jurisprudence have interpreted and understood these verses wrongly and that the mentioned principle has no Quranic basis. The verses prohibiting suspicion, based on the audience and verses context, mean “believing without reason and witness” but not a mental state opposite to certainty. As a result, all kinds of suspicions which there is a reason for their validity and based on which the wise act, are not included specifically in the verses prohibiting suspicion.