An Analysis of the Jurisprudential Fundamentals of Internet Addiction From the Perspective of Contemporary Shīʿite Jurists

Abstract

Internet addiction is one of the emerging issues that today in human societies is a chronic obsessive-compulsive state in people and it brings personal, social and psychological problems by creating an irresistible desire for reuse of it. The explanation of the view of the Holy Legislator in this field will help in order to prevent this damage. This article is going to collect and analyze the views of contemporary Shīʿite jurists in this field by descriptive analytical method and the religious law of addictive use of the Internet has been inferred and deduced based on the principles of Shīʿite jurisprudence. The results indicate that some contemporary jurists do not consider the use of the internet to be legally prohibited in itself but some others do not consider it permissible in cases of excessive use and considerable physical or mental harm or rational (reasonable or intellectual) harm and damage. According to the Holy Bok of Quran, Maʿṣūm’s tradition and rational demonstration (proof), since this fact is subject to titles such as oppression and causing harm to soul and excess, the ruling of its illegitimacy is stronger and more citable.

Keywords

• jurisprudential fundamentals
• addiction
• internet
• contemporary jurists
• oppression
• loss (harm)