The Impact of Jurisprudential Deduction on the COVID-19 Crisis: Theoretical and Applied Aspects 10.35781/1637-000-129-003

Abstract

This study aims to explore the concept of fiqh-based extrapolation (takhrīj fiqhī) and its importance in addressing contemporary legal incidents (nawāzil), using the COVID-19 pandemic as an applied model. It highlights the role of takhrīj as a scholarly method of deducing Sharia rulings by linking new occurrences to their analogues within Islamic jurisprudence, based on the principles of the four Sunni schools. The study focuses on key ritual-related issues raised by the pandemic, including the suspension of congregational prayer, physical distancing in prayer rows, early payment of zakat, exemption from fasting for COVID-19 patients, and the suspension of Hajj and ʿUmrah. These cases were extrapolated based on foundational legal maxims such as: “Public rulings are bound to public interest,” “When matters become constrained, they expand,” and “Greater harm is to be removed by lesser harm”. The findings reveal that fiqh-based extrapolation is an effective and flexible juristic method for addressing novel legal challenges by connecting them to established jurisprudential foundations. The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a rich model for applying such mechanisms, reflecting the adaptability of Islamic jurisprudence to evolving circumstances while maintaining the higher objectives of Sharia. The study recommends expanding the use of fiqh-based extrapolation in future medical and social contexts.