Associate Professor, Department of Fiqh and Foundations of Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372
Abstract
The principle of proportionality is one of the fundamental rules of international humanitarian law governing conduct in armed conflicts. In assessing a specific attack, it concerns the relationship between expected incidental harm to civilians and the expected concrete and direct military advantage. Despite its established legal status, its application involves difficulties in assessing military advantage, incidental harm, and the excessiveness of such harm, and therefore cannot be reduced to a simple mathematical calculation. This study examines how the normative foundations and constraints governing the use of force in the Qur’an can be articulated and, with reference to Imami Shi'a jurisprudence, formulated within a teleological theoretical framework. Using a descriptive-analytical method, thematic interpretation, and normative legal analysis, the study examines the Qur’an, selected exegetical works, Imami Shi'a jurisprudential sources, and international humanitarian law instruments and literature. The findings indicate that the Qur’an does not present the “principle of proportionality” as an independent technical rule under this specific designation. Nevertheless, concepts such as transgression, equivalence, justice, equity, repulsion of aggression, prohibition of injustice, and peace provide a basis for restricting the use of force. Accordingly, the proposed framework is formulated at three levels: the cause and context of defense, defensive conduct, and ends and continuation. Its novelty lies in this coherent three-level formulation.
fallah tafti, F. (2026). A Qur’anic Theoretical Framework for Teleological Proportionality in Armed Conflicts, with Emphasis on Imami Shi'a Jurisprudence. (e21918). Journal of Quranic Knowledge, (), e21918 https://doi.org/10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372
MLA
fallah tafti, F. "A Qur’anic Theoretical Framework for Teleological Proportionality in Armed Conflicts, with Emphasis on Imami Shi'a Jurisprudence" .e21918 , Journal of Quranic Knowledge, , 2026, e21918. doi: 10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372
HARVARD
fallah tafti F. (2026). 'A Qur’anic Theoretical Framework for Teleological Proportionality in Armed Conflicts, with Emphasis on Imami Shi'a Jurisprudence', Journal of Quranic Knowledge, (), e21918. doi: 10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372
CHICAGO
F. fallah tafti, "A Qur’anic Theoretical Framework for Teleological Proportionality in Armed Conflicts, with Emphasis on Imami Shi'a Jurisprudence," Journal of Quranic Knowledge, (2026): e21918, doi: 10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372
VANCOUVER
fallah tafti F. A Qur’anic Theoretical Framework for Teleological Proportionality in Armed Conflicts, with Emphasis on Imami Shi'a Jurisprudence. J Quran Knowl. 2026;():e21918 (In Persian). doi: 10.22054/rjqk.2026.94116.3372