Research Article

Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802

Number: 45 June 30, 2025
TR EN

Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802

Abstract

In the modern period, the concept of property has been the subject of many studies. Determining the philosophical and legal foundations of the concept of property in the contemporary period is essential for analyzing the development of the notion. Another important term that stands out in the studies on property is social function. The subject of this study is to examine the development of the theory of social function from the perspective of Islamic law in Article 802 of the Egyptian Civil Code and its aftermath. In fact, the concept of social function concerning property is identified with the French jurist Léon Duguit (d. 1928). Duguit claimed that property is not only an individual right but also involves duties to society. This approach emphasized the social aspect of property and suggested that property owners have particular responsibilities for the general social welfare. The social function was discussed at the codification stage in the Arab-Islamic world with ʻAbd al-Razzāq Ahmad al-Sanhūrī (d. 1971) and adopted by Muslim jurists. Sanhūrī presented comparative studies in modern and Islamic law and played an important role in drawing the property framework at the codification stage. Muhammad Abū Zahrah (d.1974) and ʻAlī al-Khafīf (d.1978) analyzed the social function theoretically and explained it from an Islamic perspective. Although Muhammad Abū Zahrah and ʻAlī al-Khafīf discussed the social function theory within an Islamic framework, this paper proposes that these explanations were a reaction to Duguit's theory. It shows that the theory is an object of debate in the context of both Western legal philosophy and Islamic law. A detailed theoretical and practical examination of social function concerning property in Islamic law has not been identified in contemporary literature. This paper aims to examine the introduction of the social function theory into Islamic law and its formulation in law-making and literature with respect to specific actors.

Keywords

Islamic Law, Property, Social Function, Codification, Léon Duguit, ʻAbd al-Razzāq Aḥmad al-Sanhūrī

Ethical Statement

This study is grounded on my master thesis titled “Approaches of Islamic Jurists to the Concept of Property in the Contemporary Period”, (Master Thesis, Marmara University Institute of Social Sciences, Istanbul, Türkiye, 2021). Also, this study is a developed and partially revised version of the unpublished paper titled “The Reflection of Leon Duguit’s Social Function Theory on the Codification of Islamic Law”, which was presented orally at the 1st International Symposium on Comparative Law (13–14 October 2023, Konya).

Thanks

I would like to thank the contributors of this study. I am indebted to Hasan Hacak for making me aware of Duguit. I am also grateful to Nail Okuyucu for supporting me in my work on this topic. I can't pass without expressing my thanks to Oğuzhan Tan, who read first version of my paper, and to Hakime Reyyan Yaşar, for reading the article from beginning to end and sending corrections. Also, I want to thank Paul Babie for his interest, for reading another version of the manuscript and for providing me his comments via e-mail.

References

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APA
İçen, H. (2025). Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi, 45, 85-114. https://doi.org/10.59777/ihad.1511838
AMA
1.İçen H. Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;(45):85-114. doi:10.59777/ihad.1511838
Chicago
İçen, Hüseyin. 2025. “Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802”. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi, nos. 45: 85-114. https://doi.org/10.59777/ihad.1511838.
EndNote
İçen H (June 1, 2025) Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi 45 85–114.
IEEE
[1]H. İçen, “Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802”, İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 45, pp. 85–114, June 2025, doi: 10.59777/ihad.1511838.
ISNAD
İçen, Hüseyin. “Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802”. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi. 45 (June 1, 2025): 85-114. https://doi.org/10.59777/ihad.1511838.
JAMA
1.İçen H. Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;:85–114.
MLA
İçen, Hüseyin. “Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802”. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 45, June 2025, pp. 85-114, doi:10.59777/ihad.1511838.
Vancouver
1.Hüseyin İçen. Social Function of Property in Islamic Law: Egyptian Civil Code Article 802. İslam Hukuku Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025 Jun. 1;(45):85-114. doi:10.59777/ihad.1511838