What does Al-astfsar mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-astfsar

Discover the meaning of the term Al-astfsar (استفسار) in Islamic vocabulary.

Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition Al-astfsar

Al-astfsar according to Mu'jam al-Mustalahat al-Fiqhiyya

Linguistically: masdar of istafsartuhu: when one asks him to explain it to me. Technically: it is said in the Muntaha al-Wusul: the request to expound the word's signification when it is sweeping or strange. The qadi said: whatever is established to admit ambiguity admits questioning. Al-Manawi said: requesting the stating of the word's meaning where there is strangeness, obscurity, or sweepingness. It is said in the Hudud al-Aniqa: requesting the word's signified, strange through equivocation or sweepingness. The istifsar of the usulists is narrower than that of the linguists and the jurists; with the jurists it is the request for exposition unrestrictedly (Muntaha al-Wusul, p. 192; al-Tawqif, p. 59; al-Hudud al-Aniqa, p. 84; Ghayat al-Wusul, p. 140; al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya 4/57-59).

Al-astfsar according to At-Tawqif (Al-Munawi)

Requesting the stating of the word's meaning where there is strangeness, obscurity, or sweepingness.

Related terms: Al-astfsar

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Sun 7 Rabi' al-Thani
الأحد 7 ربيع الآخر
التربيع الأول First Quarter Day 8.3 / 29.5
Illumination 60%
Full moon in 6 days
اللهم صل على محمد O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad