The Interaction between Islamic Jurisprudence and Criminal Law in Line with the "Constitutionalization of Rights"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence and Law, Ilam University , Ilam, Iran (Corresponding Author)

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.

Abstract

The constitutionalization of rights whether criminal, administrative, or civil is one of the most critical contemporary legal discourses, particularly emphasized in recent years across European legal systems. The core premise asserts that all members of society, regardless of incidental characteristics such as color, race, or nationality, are entitled to a set of fundamental rights vis-à-vis each other and the governing authorities. These include the rights to liberty, equality, life, bodily integrity, protection against unlawful detention or arrest, the prohibition of torture, and more recognized explicitly in Chapter III of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The impact of such rights on state-individual relations often manifests in the form of restricting governmental powers and safeguarding individuals' rights during legal and criminal proceedings. In this context, criminal procedure law, as a branch of public law, provides a clear framework for the interface between individual rights and state authority, which functions as the guardian of public order. A close analysis of classical Islamic juristic discourse reveals implicit observance of constitutional principles within the realm of criminal law. Moreover, a review of Iran’s criminal procedure indicates an interaction between Islamic jurisprudence and criminal law aimed at upholding such principles. This study seeks to explore this interaction through the lens of defendants' social rights in criminal proceedings, addressing the question of how committed Shi'a criminal jurisprudence has been to the protection of defendants' fundamental rights.

Keywords

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Journal of Studies in Islamic Law & Jurisprudence
Volume 17, Issue 39
June 2025
Pages 189-222

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