Reconstructing the Concept of Istiḥālah of Najāsah in a Contemporary Context through a Layered Methodology within the Integrity of Science Paradigm

Abstract

Classical debates on istiḥālah of najāsah typically focus on juristic classification, particularly the extent to which the transformation of an impure substance results in purity and permissibility. In contemporary products—processed foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and industrial bioprocesses, the central problem is not only classificatory but also evidential and accountable. Claims of “transformation” must be normatively justified and empirically traceable at the levels of process, residue, and final product. Therefore, this study aimed to reconstruct istiḥālah of najāsah through the Integrity of Science paradigm, which requires coherence among the ontology of the object, multi-horizon epistemology, proportionate methodology, and an axiological commitment to halālan-ṭayyiban. A conceptual-doctrinal approach was adopted with a layered methodology comprising five layers. These include (i) ontological mapping of the object and supply-chain processes, (ii)normative boundary-setting grounded in scriptural reasoning and maqāṣid orientation, (iii) uṣūlī formalization into operational criteria of istiḥālah and its distinction from istihlāk, (iv) scientific-verification interface through evidence packages involving markers, residues, detection limits, and uncertainty, (v) halal governance evaluation through traceability and cross-contamination control. The reconstruction produces a testable normative-inferential toolkit consisting of an operational definition, criteria set, epistemic thresholds, and a halal-status decision matrix. This toolkit is important due to the ability to convert istiḥālah from an abstract juristic category into an auditable framework for contemporary halal assessment. It differs from previous approaches that tend to isolate juristic classification, laboratory authentication, or certification procedures but instead integrates the factors into one accountable inferential chain. The academic contribution is grounded in bridging uṣūl al-fiqh, scientific verification, and halal governance within one accountable inferential chain, thereby strengthening fatwa argumentation, certification audits, and integrity-based halal studies.