What does Al-saaʾil mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-saaʾil

Discover the meaning of the term Al-saaʾil (سَّائِل) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-saaʾil

Al-saaʾil according to Dustur al-'Ulama (Al-Ahmadnagari)

In lexicology, it is the seeker of the lower degree from the higher one. In customary usage, it is the seeker of the discovery of realities and subtleties for the sake of benefit and not for the sake of examination. In the terminology of dialectics, it is one who has set himself up to deny the ruling claimed by the claimant without establishing a proof. According to this, the questioner applies to the objector by detailed contradiction only, and it is sometimes applied to anyone who speaks about the claimant's proof, broadly speaking, whether he is an obstructer, an opponent by global contradiction, or a disputant, and the intelligent person understands from here the meaning of the question.

Al-saaʾil according to Maqalid al-'Ulum (As-Suyuti)

That whose nature is for its parts to extend downwards.

Al-saaʾil according to At-Ta'rifat al-Fiqhiyya (Al-Barkati)

According to the speculative theologians, one who has set himself up to deny the ruling claimed by the claimant without establishing a proof for it, thus in the Rashidiya.

Related terms: Al-saaʾil