Lesson 2: Overview, Importance and Development of Fiqh Flashcards
Difference between Usul al Fiqh/Qawaid usuliyyah and Fiqh?
- Fiqh tackles and deals with** أدلتها التفصيلية**, detailed evidence. It is more specific, so when you learn about tahara, you aren’t learning about Salah until you move on to it.
- Usul Al fiqh/qawaid usliyya- deals with الأَدِلَّةُ الإِجْمَالِيَّةُ, that is general or overall evidence. What is meant by general evidence are principles, and these principles themselves are the evidence, and this can be applied into salah, hajj, jinayat, muamalat etc, it isn’t specific and has a broad reaching. So you learn principles that you can apply everywhere, so its general.
What are some subjects people conflate with Fiqh?
- Usul al Fiqh/Qawaid usuliyyah
- ‘Uloom al Hadeeth
- Fiqh Al-Muqaaran
- Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah
- Al-Furooq Al-Fiqhiyyah
- Ad-Dawaabit Al-Fiqhiyyah (الضوابط الفقهية)
And others like
- الأَشْبَاهُ وَالنَّظَائِرُ
- الفَتاوَى الفِقْهِيَّة
- النَّوَازِلُ الفِقْهِيَّة
- تَخْرِيجُ الفُرُوعِ عَلَى الأُصُولِ
Difference between ‘Uloom al Hadeeth and Fiqh?
- The objective behind Hadeeth is to prove the evidence exists, it brings the evidence if it exists, if it doesn’t it rejects it. So, in this science, you distinguish the false narrations from the narrations which are accepted, right etc, what the prophet said, what he did, what he approved etc. However, the scholars of Hadith, Dont extract rulings from it, this is the Job of the Fuqaha, the scholars of Fiqh.
- They scholars of Fiqh extract from the Quran and sunnah, so anyone who wants to use something as an evidence must come with 2 things, إثبات الأدلة- establishing the evidence, and اِسْتِنْبَاطُ الأَدِلَّةِ, extracting and deucing the ruling from the evidence, and this is learnt in usul al fiqh, and Fiqh.
Statement of ‘Amash on the Muhaditheen and Fuqaha
** عن عُبَيْد اللَّهِ بْن عَمْرٍو قَالَ كُنَّا عِنْدَ الْأَعْمَشِ رحمه الله وَهُوَ يَسْأَلُ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ عَنْ مَسَائِلَ وَيُجِيبُهُ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ الْأَعْمَشُ مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا فَيَقُولُ أَنْتَ حَدَّثْتَنَا عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِكَذَا وَحَدَّثْتَنَا عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ بِكَذَا فَكَانَ الْأَعْمَشُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْفُقَهَاءِ أَنْتُمُ الْأَطِبَّاءُ وَنَحْنُ الصَّيَادِلَةُ
**
- ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Amr reported: We were with Al-A’mash, may Allah have mercy on him, while he was asking Abu Hanifa about legal issues and Abu Hanifa answered him. Al-A’mash said to him, “From where did you get this?” Abu Hanifa said, “You narrated to us from Ibrahim as such. You narrated to us from Al-Sha’bi as such.” Al-A’mash said at that, “O scholars of Fiqh, you are the doctors and we are the pharmacists.”
- Source: Naṣīḥat Ahl al-Ḥadīth 2626 نصيحة أهل الحديث للخطيب البغدادي
What is Fiqh al muqaaran?
This is used to be called Fiqh al khilaf فقه الخلاف, comparative fiqh, but they are the same thing. When there are multiple opinions of different jurists in a specific matter, in which you try to strengthen one opinion over another by using evidence from the Quran and sunnah, revising in how each part extracted the ruling, etc. This is a high level
What is Qawaid al Fiqhiyyah?
Principles that are learnt, which are taken directly from the Quran and Sunnah. These principles are then applied on subsidary issues. Like الأُمُورُ بِمَقَاصِدِهَا-Matters are determined by their intentions, and this is taken from the hadith إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ.
The difference between this and القواعد الأصولية will be explained when we reach the Qawaid fiqhhiyyah lessons.
What is Furooq al Fiqhiyyah?
The beauty of Islam is that it observes the difference between two things that seem similar.
So, this subscience Looks at differences between things that appear similar to some people, which then causes the rulings to become different when difference is established
For example, the difference between قَضَاء and a فَتْوَى, a judgment and a verdict. In this case, the difference is the Fatwa is not binding, while the قَضَاء is binding. So, when the Judge makes the descion, you have to follow it, like if you steal you will be punished. While the Fatwa is just the verdict of an issue, it might be something you think is wrong so you don’t follow it.
What is Ad-Dawaabit Al-Fiqhiyyah (الضوابط الفقهية)
Often الضوابط الفقهية is conflated with Al Qwaid al Fiqhiyyah. They are the same, the difference is just that الضوابط الفقهية deals with a specific باب-Chapter, rather than an entire book. It does not cover everything, so it’s restricted to salah for instance, so you can restrict it only to a certain chapter in Fiqh.
How does fiqh relate to what Allah said and what he intended? give an example
Fiqh is coming with what Allah intended
For example, you might say, Allah said
** …يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
**O you who have believed, do not approach prayer…
And stop without finishing the verse, one can’t deny Allah said that, but this isn’t what Allah intended.
So, all these subjects help us in understanding this main point, which is what Allah intended by what he said.
Other names for an Introduction to Fiqh
- تَارِيخُ الْفِقْهِ
- اَلْمَدْخَلُ لِدِرَاسَةِ الْفِقْهِ
- تَارِيخُ التَّشْرِيعِ الإِسْلَامِيِّ
All of these are synonyms
Importance of studying an intro to Fiqh
- تَعَلُّقُهُ بِالْفِقْهِ-It’s connection with FiqhIt is connected to Fiqh, and we already mentioned the virtue of Fiqh, such as the statement of Allah> ۞ وَمَا كَانَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا۟ كَآفَّةًۭ ۚ فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌۭ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
- And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn [i.e., advise] their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.
- The famous hadith:
مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ
Narrated Muawiya:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion
--- Also, the hadith
**
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «النَّاسُ مَعَادِن كَمَعَادِن الذَّهَب وَالفِضَّة، خِيَارُهُم فِي الجَاهِلِيَّة خِيَارُهُم فِي الإِسْلاَم إِذَا فَقُهُوا، والأَرْوَاحُ جُنُودٌ مُجَنَّدَة، فَمَا تَعَارَفَ مِنْهَا ائتَلَفَ، وَمَا تَنَاكَرَ مِنْهَا اخْتَلَفَ».
**
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:**
I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “People are like gold and silver; those who were best in Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance) are best in Islam, if they have religious understanding; and the souls are like recruited soldiers, they get mixed up with those similar with them in qualities and oppose and drift away from those who do not share their qualities”.
---
- So, because this subject serves and strengthens Fiqh the virtue we mentioned for Fiqh applies to it as well
- اِرْتِبَاطُهُ بِزَمَنِ الْوَحْيِ-its connection to the time of revelationIt bonds/connects you to the time the revelation came, as this is when this subject started.
- الْوُقُوفُ عَلَى نَشْأَةِ أَسْبَابِ الْخِلَافِ الْفِقْهِيِّ-understanding the origins of the causes of juristic disagreement.We will understand the root cause of why there is khilaf, why hanafiyya, haabilah shafi’iyyah exist etc. Not only will we understand the core reason they disagreed, but see their perspective where they came from, and the events that went around it.
- الْوُقُوفُ عَلَى مَبَادِئِ وَنَشْأَةِ اصْطِلَاحَاتِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ-understanding the principles and origins of the terminologies of scholarsWe will understand and learn the terminologies of each of the madhahibs for instance. So, by studying this, we will understand their terminologies and what they meant by what they said.
- الِاطِّلَاعُ عَلَى مَسَالِكِ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْمُجْتَهِدُونَ فِي الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ-understanding the methods of the scholars of Ijtihad in derivationWe will learn the roots and paths that the great scholars of Islam took to extract rulings from the Quran and Sunnah. Like this verse came down and was applied on this particular situation. The history of how this happened, like Shafiee gave a fatwa on an issue because of a situation that happened in his time
- الْوُقُوفُ عَلَى طَرَائِقِ الْفُقَهَاءِ فِي تَعَلُّمِهِمْ وَتَعْلِيمِهِمْ-understanding the methods of the jurists in their learning and teachingThe methods the scholars took to study and to teach. How they took the knowledge and passed it on and the effects it had on their students.
- الْوُقُوفُ عَلَى هَدْيِ الْفُقَهَاءِ-understanding the guidance of the juristsWe will take the guidance of the Jurists of Islam, their levels, their orders, their ranks, who’s the student and who’s the teacher, etc.
- فَهْم وَتَقْدِير الحَضَارَة الإِسْلَامِيَّة-Understanding and Appreciation of Islamic CivilizationYou will appreciate how this science was even used by non muslims, and how it became constitutions in countries like the Ottoman empire.
Where is an Intro to Fiqh taken from?
- علوم القرآن- This subscience of Intro to Fiqh started when the revelation started, as the Quran is القُرْآنُ هُوَ المَصْدَرُ الأَوَّلُ بِالتَّشْرِيعِ- The Primary source of evidence
- علوم الحديث- Al madkhal ila ilm al fiqh is taken from this because the second source is the Sunnah, because the Sunnah explains the verses which are unclear and ambiguous as Allah said
وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
…And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’ān] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.
and also
مَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْقُرَىٰ فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ كَىْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةًۢ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَغْنِيَآءِ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
And what Allāh restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allāh and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives1and orphans and the needy and the [stranded] traveler2- so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is severe in penalty.
> وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍۢ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ ۗ وَمَن يَعْصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۭا مُّبِينًۭا
It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allāh and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allāh and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.
and many other verses like this show that our messenger is a source of evidence.
- السير ة النبوية-The seerah is where we learn and understand the stages of Fiqh, and the first stage is the Prophet, and this carries on today
- أصول الفقه-Especially in أَسْبَابُ الِاخْتِلَافِ الفُقَهَاءِ
- أُصُولُ الأَدِلَّةِ عِنْدَ المَذَاهِبِ- The fundamental evidence in eachmadhab and these are taken from the books of Usul al Fiqh
- الفقه itself and this does not need an explanation
- كُتُبُ الفَتَاوَى وَالقَضَايَا وَالنَّوَازِلِ-Books of fatwas, cases, and contemporary issues
- كُتُبُ التَّارِيخِ--Like the lands, governments that came
- كُتُبُ التَّرَاجِمِ وَالتَّبَقَاتِ-“Books of Biographies and Classes (like classifying the scholars in time periods, madhab etc
- كُتُبُ مَنَاقِبِ الأَئِمَّةِ وَالِانْتِصَارِ لِمَذَاهِبِهِمْ- Books of the virtue of the Imams and the defense of their school of thought- like how the madhabs believe they are the best etc
- كُتُبُ الفَهَارِسِ وَالبَرَامِجِ وَالأَثْبَاتِ وَالمَعَاجِمِ-Books of indexes, programs, certificates, and dictionaries
What were the 3 ways the subject of Intro to Fiqh was organized in books and courses?
- العِشَارَةُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ فِي مُقَدِّمَةِ الكِتَابِ عَامّ-the reference to that in the general introduction of the book so there is a general fiqh book, but before delving into Fiqh he will mention it at the beginning of his book like what does fiqh mean, its names, its virtues different sciences first to write on it etc
- إفراد كتاب الخاص- dedicating a book to a specific topic, in this case for the history of Fiqh, the scholars, it’s stages etc. and this is a method that came after the first as the importance of the introduction to Fiqh was more important
- Dedicated books to it, like in universities, and courses like here in AMAU
Books written العِشَارَةُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ فِي مُقَدِّمَةِ الكِتَابِ عَامّ-the reference to that in the general introduction of the book in each of the madhabs
- Ibn Abidin (1252) رد المحتار على الدر المختار شرح تنوير الابصار (حاشية ابن عابدين)
- أبو العباس أحمد بن عبد العزيز الهلالي السجلماسي, a maliki scholar wrote “نور البصر في شرح المختصر”
- Ahmed beek Al Husyani (1332 AH) أحمد بك الحسينى wrote مرشد الأنام لبر أم الإمام and in this he explains the work of Imam Ash shafi’ee in 29 volumes, he was rich and a lawyer and spent a lot of his wealth in knowledge. In the beginning of it, he talks about the history of the Shafiee madhab, the historical development of it.
- ‘Ala ad deen al mirdawi علاء الدين المرداوي (885) he has a book called الإنصاف في معرفة الراجح من الخلاف Sh ibn uthaymeen would do ‘Itkiaf while reding this book.
Books written إفراد كتاب الخاص- dedicating a book to a specific topic (in this case History of fiqh, etc) in each Madhab
- Ibn ‘aabideen has a work called عقود رسم المفتي
- Ibn farhoon ابن فرحون has a work called كشف النقاب الحاجب من مصطلح ابن الحاجب
- Alawee As siggaaf Ash shafi’ee علوي السقاف الشافعي has a work called الفوائد المكية فيما يحتاجه طلبة الشافعية من المسائل والضوابط والقواعد الكلية
- Ibn Badraan ابن بدران has المدخل إلى مذهب الإمام أحمد بن حنبل المؤلف
