Regulation of Scarcity and Abundance by One-Third in Juridical Estimates: “A Foundational and Applied Study in Maliki Fiqh”

-, Delilah Braff

doi:10.34278/aujis.2026.190989

	Regulation of Scarcity and Abundance by One-Third in Juridical Estimates: “A Foundational and Applied Study in Maliki Fiqh”
Anbar University Journal of Islamic Sciences
Article 6, Volume 17, Issue 1, March 2026, Pages 171-224 PDF (8.56 M)
DOI: 10.34278/aujis.2026.190989
Author
Delilah Braff -
University of Sharjah/ College of Sharia and Islamic Studies
Abstract
This research addresses an important jurisprudential issue in Maliki fiqh, namely the determination of the boundary between scarcity and abundance in legal estimations by a third. Its significance lies in facilitating the implementation of religious obligations and resolving numerous legal issues where clear doctrinal guidelines are absent, necessitating an approach based on ijtihad. Therefore, this study aims to establish the theoretical and practical foundations of determining scarcity and abundance by a third through Islamic legal evidence, identifying the justifications for this estimation, its regulations, and providing its applications within the Maliki jurisprudence. The study employs both inductive and analytical methodologies, leading to several key findings, including: 1. The third represents a dividing line between scarcity and abundance in several legal areas according to the Maliki school, considered either through analogy (qiyas) or juristic preference (istihsan), depending on the nature of the issues and their underlying objectives. 2. Justifications for determining scarcity and abundance by a third in legal estimations include: preventing assignments of the unknown, facilitating the implementation of Islamic law, and bridging the gap between ijtihad and contemporary societal realities. 3. The third is considered in the context of abundance in cases where the action is not forgiven or excused, such that its attainment leads to a change in the original ruling, reversing it to the opposite. This is commonly applied in matters related to the core principles of legal rulings, their reasons (illa), public affairs, cases involving conflict among individuals, or in legislation introduced for alleviation, where the goal is to preserve rather than annul the alleviation. The third is considered in the context of scarcity in cases where the action is forgiven or excused, without leading to a change in the original ruling. This is typically found in rulings established for facilitation, in situations where there is no conflict among individuals, or where the issue follows a matter that does not involve conflict, ensuring the stability of actions, easing compliance.
Keywords
abundance; scarcity; third; estimation; Maliki fiqh

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