DOI: 10.12730/is.1736306 ISSN: 1309-1786

Multilingualism in Family Law According to Shāfiʿī Madhhab

Davut Eşit
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Several factors have made Arabic an important language for Muslims. From an Islamic law perspective, in addition to being the language of worship, Arabic has long been the established language of instruction in madrasahs (colleges) for the teaching of Islamic legal sciences. It is also the language of works written in the field of Islamic law and the language that a mujtahid (independent jurist) who will engage in jurisprudential (fiqh) activity, a qāḍī (judge) who will adjudicate, or a muftī (Islamic jurisconsult) who will issue fatwás (legal opinions) must know. In fact, some Islamic jurists have described Arabic as the language of Sharīʿah (Islamic law). Since the early periods, many communities of different races and languages have embraced Islam. This situation has led to debates regarding the use of non-Arabic languages in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). The aim of this study is to present these discussions specifically within the Shāfiʿī madhhab (school of fiqh). The limitation of the research to family law is due to the fact that after the issues related to worship, the discussions on the use of languages other than Arabic in Islamic jurisprudence are mostly concentrated in this field. The reason for limiting the study to the Shāfiʿī madhhab, in addition to its focus on family law, lies in the fact that al-Shāfiʿī (d. 204/820) is known for insisting that every Muslim should possess a level of Arabic sufficient to perform basic acts of worship and he strongly emphasizes the importance of Arabic for understanding the naṣṣ (textual proof). Owing to these views, he has been accused of Arab nationalism and literalism. From this perspective, identifying the views of al-Shāfiʿī and the Shāfiʿī madhhab on the use of non-Arabic languages in the context of family law is of particular importance. This study demonstrates that the Shāfiʿī madhhab adopts a pluralistic approach in family law that balances adherence to the naṣṣ with the practical and functional requirements of the law and highlights its flexible attitude in recognizing the validity of legal expressions formulated in foreign languages for individuals who do not know Arabic.

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