Istihlal
/ˌɪstɪhˈlɑːl/noun
An Islamic legal term for declaring something religiously prohibited to be lawful or permissible.
Did you know?Istihlal derives from the same Arabic root as *halal*, but it refers to the act or claim of making something lawful rather than merely describing it as permissible.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
Ḥ-L-L
“A root associated with loosening, releasing, or making free; it developed several related Arabic meanings.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḥalla
“He loosened, released, descended, or became lawful, depending on the verbal context.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
istaḥalla
“He declared something lawful or treated it as permissible; this is the Form X verb.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
istiḥlāl
“The act of declaring something lawful, especially something normally prohibited.”
20th Century
English
istihlal
“An English scholarly transliteration of the Arabic Islamic legal term.”
Modern English
English
istihlal
“A specialized term used in discussions of Islamic theology, jurisprudence, and accusations of legitimizing prohibited acts.”