The Jurisprudential Theory of Image (Fiqh al-Taswir): A Re-reading of the Relation between Truth and Falsehood in the Representation of Reality and Truth in Documentary Cinema

Document Type : Original Article

Author

M. A. in Production, Faculty of Radio and Television, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

In the contemporary era, where the image is the dominant language of perception and public communication, documentary cinema stands as one of the most significant arenas for the representation of reality. However, a gap exists between "objective reality" and "spiritual truth," which manifests as an ethical and epistemological question in various documentary methods – from scene reconstruction and selective editing to visual allegory and dramatization. The central question of this research is: In the logic of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), how is the boundary between truth and falsehood determined in visual representation, and can an image be truthful while being a reconstruction?
Employing an analytical-inferential approach based on Quranic sources, narrations (Riwayat), and principles of jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh), this article attempts to present a theoretical framework for jurisprudential judgment regarding the truth and falsehood of images. Accordingly, five possible states between reality and truth in representation are identified and aligned with the Quranic meanings of truth (Sidq) and falsehood (Kadhib). Ultimately, the research findings indicate that, in Islamic logic, truth is an intention-oriented, meaning-based, and existential matter. From this perspective, the jurisprudence of image (Fiqh al-Taswir) pertains to the relationship between the intention, meaning, and effect of the image and divine truth, not merely its correspondence with objective reality.

Keywords

References

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