Re-reading the Conflict between Abu Dharr and the Rulers over the "Kanz" Verse as the Convergence of Two Rival Paradigms in Islamic Economic Jurisprudence

Document Type : پژوهشی

Authors

1 Graduated from the Department of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Theology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Postdoctoral researcher in Quran and Hadith sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (researcher at the Astan Quds Razavi Research Foundation), contact number: 09142353876, reza.mollazadehyamchi@alumni.um.ac.ir

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Islamic Azad University, Jiroft Branch

10.22034/nrr.2026.68642.1512

Abstract

Verse 34 of Surah At-Tawbah, with its emphatic prohibition against hoarding wealth, became a fundamental nexus in Islamic economic thought from the very beginning of Islam. This research goes beyond historical accounts to dissect the dispute between Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and the ruling authority concerning this verse. Its aim is to re-read this conflict not merely as the convergence of two rival economic paradigms, but also as a political battle over interpretive authority. The present study, employing a documentary method and an analytical-comparative approach, reconstructs the inferential reasoning of these two worldviews based on primary exegetical and narrative texts. The findings indicate that the ruling authority's "Conditional Permissibility Paradigm," by offering a duty-oriented definition of "kanz" (wealth on which zakat has not been paid), represented a jurisprudence focused on individual rights and political stability. In contrast, Abu Dharr's "Distributive Justice Paradigm," with its reading based on the psycho-ethical pathology of wealth hoarding and its social consequences (wealth beyond need), established a jurisprudence centered on public interest and distributive justice. Finally, this article introduces "Governmental Conditionality Theory" as a third reading, providing an analytical framework for understanding the dialectical capacity of Islamic jurisprudence to balance the two values of "property rights" and "social justice" based on the exigencies of the time.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics