The General and the Specific in the Quranic Text and Prophetic Hadith: A Study in Light of the Methodologies of Hadith Scholars

Abstract

This study examines the concepts of general (ʿām) and specific (khāṣṣ) in the Qur’anic text and the Prophetic tradition through the methodological frameworks of Shiʿi Imami hadith scholars, considering them among the central principles of Islamic legal theory that directly influence the process of deriving legal rulings and understanding legislative discourse. The research aims to clarify the conceptual foundations of general and specific expressions and to analyze the methodological principles adopted by Shiʿi traditionists in specifying general Qur’anic and hadith texts, with particular emphasis on the role of the narrations of the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) in explanation and clarification. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, drawing on classical and contemporary sources in Imami jurisprudence and Qur’anic exegesis, especially the works of al-Sharif al-Murtada, Shaykh al-Tusi, al-Hurr al-ʿAmili, and al-Tabatabaʾi. The findings reveal that the Imami methodology is based on harmonizing general and specific texts through precise usulī principles that preserve the authority of the scriptural sources and resolve apparent contradictions without unwarranted abrogation or exclusion. The study further demonstrates that distinguishing between absolute and restricted generality, as well as between linguistic and legal generality, constitutes a decisive tool for achieving legislative coherence and accuracy in legal reasoning. The paper concludes that applying the principles of general and specific expressions represents a fundamental pillar in regulating juristic interpretation within the Shiʿi hadith tradition.