Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Peaceful Settlement Is Permissible in Cases of Necessity, Not Under Coercion or Duress

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Peaceful Settlement Is Permissible in Cases of Necessity, Not Under Coercion or Duress
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The daily scholarly session of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Husayni al-Shirazi was held on Monday, 18 Jumada al-Awwal 1447 AH.

As in previous sessions, the Supreme Marja responded to various jurisprudential questions raised by attendees.

Addressing the Islamic legal ruling on reconciliation (sulh) in matters of debt, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi explained that classical jurisprudential texts, including Sharh al-Lum‘a, state that sulh is permissible whether the amount owed is precisely known or not.

He elaborated with an example: “If a person owes another one thousand dinars but agrees to settle the debt for eight hundred dinars, and the creditor accepts this arrangement, such a settlement is valid.”

The Grand Ayatollah further emphasized that “reconciliation (sulh) is permissible in situations of necessity, but not under compulsion or coercion. A settlement reached through force or duress is invalid and does not discharge one’s obligation.”