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Stratagem (ihtiyal)

احتيال

Ihtiyal means seeking a stratagem, which is skill in arranging affairs until one reaches the aim. ¹ Usage has narrowed it to hidden paths by which a person reaches an aim that few would notice, as Ibn al-Qayyim said. ¹ A stratagem is forbidden when it breaks the rules of the law: for example, drinking wine or a sedative when the time of prayer comes so that its time passes, or giving away one's wealth before the pilgrimage to escape it. ² The Malikis and Hanbalis forbid disposing of property before the year to escape zakat; the Hanafis differ, Muhammad disliking it and Abu Yusuf allowing it. ²

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Global / Diaspora
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Development of law, theology and institutions

Summary

Ihtiyal means seeking a stratagem, which is skill in arranging affairs until one reaches the aim. ¹ Usage has narrowed it to hidden paths by which a person reaches an aim that few would notice, as Ibn al-Qayyim said. ¹ A stratagem is forbidden when it breaks the rules of the law: for example, drinking wine or a sedative when the time of prayer comes so that its time passes, or giving away one's wealth before the pilgrimage to escape it. ² The Malikis and Hanbalis forbid disposing of property before the year to escape zakat; the Hanafis differ, Muhammad disliking it and Abu Yusuf allowing it. ²

People and things also explored

Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Justice and uprightness (adl)· Contagion (adwa)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God· Term, deadline (ajal)· Hired worker (ajir)· Stranger, outsider (ajnabi)

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.1750
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.1751

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Stratagem (ihtiyal)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/ihtiyal/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)

In the lexicon, add is gripping a thing with the teeth and holding it. If a person bites another without right and a wound results, the biter must pay the damages for the wound, assessed as a just award by experts. If one man bites another's hand and the bitten man pulls it free so that the biter's front teeth fall out, most jurists hold that there is no liability, relying on a prophetic judgement in such a case; the Shafi'is limit this to a bitten man who chose the easiest means of release, and the preferred Maliki view requires compensation.