1) What is qiyas?

Qiyas means measuring or ascertaining the length, weight or quality or something and Qiyas
also means comparison with a view to suggesting equality or similarity between two things. In
terms of terminology, the definition of qiyas is the extension of a Shariah value from the original
case/asl to a new case, because the latter has the same effective cause as the former.

Qiyas is the application to a new or current case on which the law is silent, the ruling of an
original case, because of the effective cause which is in common to both.

2) There are four pillars of qiyas. State those pillars.

There are four pillars of qiyas:

1. The original case/asl on which a ruling is given in the text and which analogy seeks to
extend to a new case.
2. The new case/far on which a ruling is wanted.
3. The effective cause/illah which is an attribute of the original case/asl and is found to
be in common between the original and the new case.
4. The rule/hukm governing the original case which is to be extended to the new case.

3) Give one example of qiyas.

For example, in the case of wine drinking, the prohibition is to be extended by analogy to
the drug due to the same effective cause which is the intoxicating effect.

Original case: wine drinking

New case: taking drug

Effective cause: intoxicating effect

Ruling: prohibition

State either True or False in the following questions:

1) One of the conditions of the original case is it must not be covered by the text or ijma'. (           
FALSE        )     

2) Effective cause(‘illah) is an attribute of the new case. (          FALSE        )

3) The effective cause must be constant attribute which is applicable to all cases regardless of
circumstantial changes. (                TRUE            )

4) Analogy of inferior means that the effective cause of the original case is more evident and
obvious compared to the effective cause of the new case. (         TRUE                 )

5) An attribute does not qualify as an effective cause (‘illah) if it does not bear a proper
relationship to the ruling (hukm). (             TRUE                      )

6) The wine is prohibited because of its taste. (             FALSE                   )

7) The effective cause of analogy must be applicable to the original case in the same way as

the new case. (                   TRUE                ) FALSE

8) Qiyas is to extend the rule from the new case over the original case by reason of an effective
cause which is common to both cases. (            TRUE                ) FALSE

9) The ruling/hukm must be rational in the sense that human intellect is capable of
understanding the cause of its enactment. (                                       )

10) The ruling /hukm must not represent a departure from the general rules of qiyas. (                   
)