A Study of the Documentaries about Public Interest in Shi’ite Political Fiqh

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to identify and explain the documentaries about public interest in Shi’ite political Fiqh (jurisprudence) using a descriptive-analytical method. In this regard, the generic and particular documentaries about the principle of public interest involving the Qur’anic verses, traditions, Sirah (biography of the Prophet), and so on were surveyed. Furthermore, with a practical outlook on the principle of public interest, its regulations in politics were discussed. The results showed that common sense with emphasis on the purposefulness of Shari’at (religious guidelines of Islam), holds that the goal of Godly legislations is to provide public interests; and that Islam as a religion responding to all individual, social, and political issues, cares about changeable rules as well as material and spiritual interests and corruptions, in addition to the fixed rules. Besides, the study of documentaries about public interest determined its firm relation to the performance of Islamic government in solving political, security, and economic problems.

Keywords

• public interest
• shi’ite political fiqh (jurisprudence)
• shari’at (religious guidelines in islam)
• government