What is the difference between sabab (cause) and 'illah (effective cause)?
Most Usuli scholars believe that '' (reason/cause) and 'illah' (effective cause/legal cause) are synonymous, while others differentiate between them.
'Illah' (effective cause/legal cause) linguistically means: that which necessitates change. In technical terms, it refers to three things: 1. That which definitively necessitates a ruling, being composed of the ruling's exigency, its condition, its object, and its subjects. 2. The 'illah' whose condition is lacking or whose impediment is present. 3. The wisdom (hikmah), which is the meaning for which a description became an 'illah'.
'Sabab' (reason/cause) linguistically means: everything by which something is reached. Among jurists, it refers to four things: 1. That which is opposite to direct action, such as the instigator and the direct actor. 2. The 'illah' of the 'illah'. 3. The 'illah' whose condition is lacking. 4. The legal 'illah' itself, which is the opinion of most Usuli scholars.
Thus, it becomes clear that there is a general and specific relationship between 'illah' and 'sabab' from one perspective, as they converge in some meanings, while each is specific to certain other meanings.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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