A brief introduction to the meaning of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), its principles, and The Leading Fiqh Scholars such as Abu Hanifah, Malik, Al-Shafi'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. It includes all the practical rules that every Muslim, man or woman, should know, citing their bases in the Qur’an and the Sunnah in an easy and simple way.
Islamic Law (Fiqh)
Definition of Fiqh: Linguistically speaking, the Arabic term ‘Fiqh’ has several meanings, including ‘understanding’ and ‘profound and accurate understanding’. In an Islamic context, it means ‘knowledge of Islamic rulings on practical matters based on detailed evidence.’[1]
The subject matter of Fiqh is the description of different forms of worship and transactions and their Islamic rulings: obligation, prohibition, recommendation, reprehension and permissibly. These apply to all that a person does including prayer, fasting, zakat, commercial transactions such as selling, hiring, letting, gifting or mortgaging, killing, theft, jihad, etc.
Compared with man-made codes of law, Islamic Fiqh has a number of special features and qualities that make it unique and superior to all codes. We can identify these qualities by looking at the sources of Islamic law.
references
- 'Abd al-Rahim ibn al-Hasan, Nihayat al-Sul, vol. 1, p. 24.