The fundamentalist approach of Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Junayd al-Iskafi

Abstract

    This research examines the Usuli approach of Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Junayd al-Iskafi, one of the most prominent Imami jurists of the fourth century AH. He is considered a pioneer of the deductive approach in Imami jurisprudence and one of the scholars who paved the way for the emergence of the Baghdad school of jurisprudence. The research aims to reveal the features of his Usuli methodology in deduction, clarify the nature of the evidence he relied upon in deriving legal rulings, and assess the extent of this methodology's influence on the development of Usuli and jurisprudential thought among the Imami school.

The research employs a comparative analytical approach, tracing his Usuli opinions as they appear in the books of jurisprudence and biographical dictionaries that transmitted his views, given the loss of most of his original works. These opinions are then analyzed and compared with the methodologies of later Imami jurists. The study focuses on a number of Usuli issues that formed the core of his ijtihad (independent reasoning) methodology.

The research concluded that Ibn al-Junayd al-Iskafi represented a significant stage in the development of Imami jurisprudence, as his methodology combined reliance on narrative texts with the application of rigorous rational analysis, thus contributing to the expansion of the scope of legal reasoning. The study also demonstrated that his approach had a clear impact on the development of the Baghdad school of jurisprudence.