The authority of qiyas explains why analogy has a place among legal proofs. Its validity asks whether a particular analogical inference is sound.
Authority: Where higher evidence does not resolve a case, valid analogy is a legitimate method of legal deduction.
Examples: The pilgrimage/debt comparison, bodily contact, and comparable dower illustrate using established rulings or precedents to reason about another case.
Five conditions: No opposition to a text; no alteration of the textual rule; a rationally identifiable cause; a legally grounded rather than merely linguistic cause; and no direct text already governing the new case.
These controls prevent qiyas from becoming arbitrary legislation or a hollow exercise in resemblance. It remains structured inference within established legal authority.