Islamic Jurisprudence vs. Machiavellianism? Tazāḥum and Political Necessity
This essay contrasts the Islamic jurisprudential principle of prioritizing the more important obligation (al-ahamm wa-l-muhimm) with the Machiavellian logic of political necessity. While both seem to allow one value to give way during conflicts, Imami jurisprudence (tazāḥum) resolves practical conflicts within strict normative limits rather than letting necessity justify any means. By proposing a six-part analytical framework and applying it to the prohibition of torture in Iranian law, this article demonstrates that prioritizing an obligation differs fundamentally from unrestrained political expediency.
