1
Department of Quranic Sciences and Jurisprudence, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2
Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
Abstract
Theft is one of the most common crimes across societies, and various legal systems have historically prescribed different punishments for it. Among the conditions frequently mentioned in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and legal texts as a component of theft's nature or a prerequisite for specific types of punishment is "Khafīyyah" (meaning secrecy or concealment). However, there is no consensus on its precise meaning or how it is realized. Islamic jurists from different schools of thought and Iranian legal scholars have interpreted the concept of khafīyyah differently, and the Iranian legal framework does not explicitly address this issue. The primary focus of this research is to explore the concept of khafīyyah in the crime of theft. To achieve this, eight prominent perspectives are critically studied, including: being hidden from all people; being hidden from the owner or their substitute; concealment as perceived by the thief; fraudulent conduct and the thief's act of concealment. Based on the findings, the interpretation that defines khafīyyah as "the thief's act of concealment" emerges as the most defensible. Although this interpretation is not explicitly articulated in classical Islamic jurisprudence from either Imᾱmī and Sunni traditions, evidence suggests that some jurists from both traditions have implicitly considered it. The data for this research were collected through library methods, drawing from Shi'a and Sunni jurisprudential sources as well as legal texts. The analysis was conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach.
hamidi, M. , Eshaghi, M. and Javidi, M. (2024). Revisiting the Concept of "Khufyah" in the Crime of Theft in Islamic Jurisprudence and Iranian Law. Comparative Studies on the Schools of
Jurisprudence and its Principles, 7(2), -. doi: 10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
MLA
hamidi, M. , , Eshaghi, M. , and Javidi, M. . "Revisiting the Concept of "Khufyah" in the Crime of Theft in Islamic Jurisprudence and Iranian Law", Comparative Studies on the Schools of
Jurisprudence and its Principles, 7, 2, 2024, -. doi: 10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
HARVARD
hamidi, M., Eshaghi, M., Javidi, M. (2024). 'Revisiting the Concept of "Khufyah" in the Crime of Theft in Islamic Jurisprudence and Iranian Law', Comparative Studies on the Schools of
Jurisprudence and its Principles, 7(2), pp. -. doi: 10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
CHICAGO
M. hamidi , M. Eshaghi and M. Javidi, "Revisiting the Concept of "Khufyah" in the Crime of Theft in Islamic Jurisprudence and Iranian Law," Comparative Studies on the Schools of
Jurisprudence and its Principles, 7 2 (2024): -, doi: 10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
VANCOUVER
hamidi, M., Eshaghi, M., Javidi, M. Revisiting the Concept of "Khufyah" in the Crime of Theft in Islamic Jurisprudence and Iranian Law. Comparative Studies on the Schools of
Jurisprudence and its Principles, 2024; 7(2): -. doi: 10.22034/mfu.2025.143025.1524
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