l-Sha ̄fi’ı ̄ (d. 204/820) has been unreservedly credited as one of thedesigners, if not the “master architect,” ofuṣūlal-fiqh(Principles of Islamicjurisprudence). His most important scholarly work, Al-Risa ̄lah (The Epistle), clearlydemonstrates his cognitive creativity in this field. One of the methodologies for thedecision of cases under Islamic law that Al-Sha ̄fi’ı ̄ championed isqiyās(analogicalreasoning), which he equated withijtihād(legal reasoning). His balanced approachinvites further enquiry into the extensive use ofqiyāsin general and in criminal lawin particular. The extent to whichqiyāscan be applied to Islamic criminal lawdepends upon the degree or typology ofqiyāsbeing used, taking into account theIslamic theory of criminology. This article will analyse the position of al-Sha ̄fi’ı ̄inthis regard. It will critically examine al-Sha ̄fi’ı ̄’s complex views on the use ofqiyāsas a method for establishing culpability under Islamic criminal law. It will thenexplore how his position corresponds to the human rights paradigm in the con-temporary age. This article concludes that, while the use ofqiyāsin criminal law,especially in law of retaliation (qiṣāṣ) and predetermined punishments (ḥudūd)inaccordance with al-Sha ̄fi’ı ̄’s approach is tantamount to incriminating a person basedon less than certainty (yaqīn), it also represents the most promising way of pro-tecting the right of victim

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• Al-Shāfi’ī’s Position on Analogical Reasoning in IslamicCriminal Law: Jurists Debates and Human RightsImplications