The Unrestricted (mutlaq) and the Restricted (muqayyad)

Definition of the mutlaq
• Linguistically: the opposite of the muqayyad (restricted).
• Technically: a wording that denotes the very essence of a matter without any qualification, as in the Almighty’s words, “the freeing of a slave before the couple touch one another” (al-Mujādilah 58:3).
– By saying “that denotes the essence,” we exclude the general (‘ām), for the latter indicates universality, not merely the bare essence.
– By saying “without any qualification,” we exclude the muqayyad (restricted).

Definition of the muqayyad
• Linguistically: something to which a fetter (qayd) has been fastened, such as a camel that is tied.
• Technically: a wording that denotes the essence together with a qualification, as in His words, “the freeing of a believing slave” (al-Nisāʾ 4:92).
– By saying “with a qualification,” we exclude the mutlaq (unrestricted).

Ruling on acting upon the mutlaq
One must act upon an unrestricted text in its unqualified form unless there is evidence that limits it, for it is obligatory to implement the Qur’an and Sunnah according to the purport of their wording until proof to the contrary is established.
If an unrestricted text and a restricted text are both transmitted, the unrestricted must be confined by the