Reading Adab as Fiqh: al-Ǧaḥiẓ’s Singing-Girls and the Limits of Legal Reasoning (Qiyās)

Al-Ǧāḥiẓ’s epistle on singing-girls (Risāla fī al-qiyān) can be read in the light of early Abbasid polemics concerning the interpretation of Islamic law. We will study the relation of al-Ǧāḥiẓ with legal experts such as al-Šāfiʽī, and the role played by legal and hermeneutical debates in the structure of al-Ǧāḥiẓ’s epistle, by discussing the notions of istiḥsān and qiyās, and the dichotomy between ʽamal and niyya. This analysis will allow us to outline the discourse on law that underlies the Risāla fī al qiyān and to propose a possible explanation of its relation with the discourse on passions.