Description:
The term qarīna in Islamic legal discourse represents a central technical concept whose multifarious meanings have not been adequately explicated in the authoritative technical dictionaries. While the qarīna plays an important role in the linguistic interpretation of the texts-thus partaking in the very process of defining the language of the law-it is of no less significance in the epistemic evaluation of Prophetic traditions. The various technical connotations of the term qarīna in these spheres of legal theory, as well as in positive and substantive law are the main concerns of these notes.