Origins, Conflicts and Agreements between the Shi'a and the Sunni on the Types of Goals of the Islamic Law

What is called “the goals of Islamic law” by the Sunni and “refinement of the basis of the ruling” (tanqīḥ manāṭ) by the Shi'a is neither the nature nor the reason of the ruling, but they are the goals and expedience-seeking wisdoms behind the scenes of introducing the rules, which help the jurists make correct and right decisions. The pioneering role of Sunni scholars in the field of goal-oriented Islamic jurisprudence has allowed them to create foliage from the sturdy tree of “expedience and corruption”, to depict a whole variety of the goals of the Islamic law and to draw from each of them scientific works and practical solutions. Taking an analytical approach and using applied theorization based on written sources, the research finds that the two jurisprudential branches namely Shi'a and Sunni find the origins of the goals of the Islamic law in the duality of expedience and corruption, and, when it comes to “minor goals”, they are in agreement both in theory and practice, that is, they settle minor problems about which no instructions can be found in the clear text by means of minor goals or refinement of the basis of the ruling, although Shi'ite jurists have not taken a serious stance regarding other goals, especially “general” and “particular” goals.