Understanding Usul al-Fiqh: the principles behind Islamic rulings
Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence) provides the methodical framework jurists use to extract practical legal rulings from the Quran and Sunnah.
This primer breaks down key legal concepts such as Qiyas (analogical reasoning), Ijma (scholarly consensus), and Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of law).
1. The four primary sources of Shariah
All orthodox schools of law agree on four foundational sources: the Quran, the Sunnah, Consensus (Ijma), and Analogical Deduction (Qiyas).
Understanding how jurists weight these sources prevents misunderstandings regarding differences among the major Madhhabs.