Three propositions, no more: Every Qiyas Iqtirani is built from exactly three propositions — no more, no fewer. The first two are known, given, accepted.
New knowledge from two knowns: The third is the new knowledge that emerges from combining them. The complete syllogism, visualised: "Every human is mortal" · "Zayd is a human" · "Therefore Zayd is mortal" — Kubra (major) → Sughra (minor) → Natijah (conclusion).
- Al-Kubra (major premise) is the more general proposition — it establishes a universal rule. The Kubra contains the major term (Hadd al-Akbar — the predicate of the conclusion) and the middle term (Hadd al-Awsat — the connector). It answers: what is the general rule or principle? Examples: "Every human is mortal" — a general rule about all humans; "All wine is Haram" — a general Fiqh ruling; "No created thing is eternal" — a general theological principle; "Every intoxicating substance is forbidden" — a Kubra from Hadith. In Fiqh, the Kubra is always the general Islamic ruling derived from Quran and Hadith.
- Al-Sughra (minor premise) is the more specific proposition — it connects a particular case to the general rule. The Sughra contains the minor term (Hadd al-Asghar — the subject of the conclusion) and the middle term. It answers: how does this particular thing connect to the general rule? Examples: "Zayd is a human" — a specific identification; "This drink is wine" — a specific identification of the case; "This universe is a created thing" — a specific application of "created"; "This beverage is an intoxicating substance" — a specific case under the Kubra. In Fiqh, the Sughra is always the specific case being analysed — "this act is of this type".
- Al-Natijah (conclusion) is the new proposition that necessarily emerges — it is not stated in either premise alone. The Natijah contains the minor term (Hadd al-Asghar) as subject and the major term (Hadd al-Akbar) as predicate. The middle term disappears — it served its purpose as connector and is now gone. It answers: what necessarily follows from these two propositions? Examples: "Zayd is mortal" — necessarily follows from Kubra + Sughra; "This drink is Haram" — the legal ruling on the specific case; "This universe is not eternal" — the theological conclusion; "This beverage is forbidden" — the specific Fiqh ruling issued by the Mujtahid.
Example
The Mujtahid's three steps: The Mujtahid's logic in three steps: Kubra — general Fiqh principle from Quran/Hadith. Sughra — "this specific case is of this type".
Every fatwa follows this structure: Natijah — "therefore this specific case carries that ruling". Every fatwa in history follows exactly this three-step structure.
Key Terms
- Qiyas (القیاس) — syllogism
- Qiyas al-Iqtirani (القیاس الاقتراني) — categorical syllogism
- Kubra (المقدمة الکبری) — major premise
- Sughra (المقدمة الصغری) — minor premise
- Natijah (الننتیجة) — conclusion
- Hadd al-Akbar (الحد الأکبر) — major term
- Hadd al-Asghar (الحد الأصغر) — minor term
- Hadd al-Awsat (الحد الأوسط) — middle term
Quran or Hadith
None quoted on this slide.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: A three-step flow diagram: Kubra (general rule) → Sughra (this case) → Natijah (ruling on this case), with the middle term shown disappearing in the last step. To be drawn in Project Desk colours.
- Every Qiyas Iqtirani is built from exactly three propositions — no more, no fewer.
- The Mujtahid's logic in three steps: Kubra — general Fiqh principle from Quran/Hadith. Sughra — "this specific case is of this type".
- Al-Kubra (major premise) is the more general proposition; Al-Sughra (minor premise) is the more specific proposition; Al-Natijah (conclusion).