Skip to main content

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) | أصول الفقه

Categories: Arabic Track, Usul-ul-Fiqh
Wishlist Share
Share Course
Page Link
Share On Social Media

About Course

Saturdays | 2 pm to 4 pm
Starting September 13th!

This course explores the foundations of Islamic legal theory through a structured study of:

يدرس هذا المقرر أسس النظرية الفقهية الإسلامية من خلال دراسة منهجية تشمل ما يلي:

  1. Legal Rulings | الأحكام الشرعية
    واجب، مستحب، مكروه، حرام، مباح

  2. The Legislator | الشارع
    الكتاب، السنة، الإجماع، القياس، ومصادر أخرى

  3. The Act of the Mukallaf | المحكوم فيه
    مدى التيسير أو التعذر في تطبيق الحكم

  4. The Mukallaf | المحكوم عليه
    أهلية الإنسان للتكليف واعتبارات البلوغ والمسؤولية

Show More

What Will You Learn?

  • Understand types of rulings | فهم أنواع الأحكام
  • Differentiate: ركن، شرط، سبب، مانع، صحة، فساد، بطلان
  • Distinguish between ḥukm sharʿī and ḥukm ʿaqlī
  • Identify sources: الكتاب، السنة، الإجماع، القياس
  • Analyze contested tools: الاستحسان، المصالح المرسلة، العرف
  • Understand ijtihad | فهم عملية الاجتهاد
  • Study ahliyya | أهلية and maqasid | مقاصد الشريعة

Course Content

Week 1 | الأسبوع الأول

  • What is Usul al-Fiqh? | تعريف أصول الفقه وتاريخه
  • Categories of rulings | الأحكام: واجب، مستحب، مباح، مكروه، حرام

Week 2 | الأسبوع الثاني

Week 3 | الأسبوع الثالث

Week 4 | الأسبوع الرابع
Agreed-upon source: Qur'an – study the Qur'an as the primary source of Islamic law, its revelation, categories of rulings and interpretive principles such as literal and metaphorical meanings and abrogation.

Week 5 | الأسبوع الخامس
Agreed-upon source: Sunnah – examine the Sunnah as a source of Islamic law, its categories of sayings, actions and tacit approvals, classifications of mutawatir and ahad reports, methods of authentication, and its role in explaining and qualifying Qur'anic rulings.

Week 6 | الأسبوع السادس
Agreed-upon sources: Consensus & Analogy – study the role of scholarly consensus (Ijma’) and analogical reasoning (Qiyas) as sources of Islamic law, including conditions, pillars and methodology.

Week 7 | الأسبوع السابع
Review & Exam – Consolidate material from the first half of the course and prepare for the midterm or review assessment.

Week 8 | الأسبوع الثامن
Istihsan & ‘Urf – Study juristic preference (Istihsan) and customary practices (‘Urf) as disputed sources of Islamic law, and explore their conditions and applications.

Week 9 | الأسبوع التاسع
Maslaha Mursala & Sadd al-Dhara’i – Investigate public interest (Maslaha Mursala) and blocking harmful means (Sadd al-Dhara’i) as principles for deriving legal rulings in situations not explicitly covered by primary sources.

Week 10 | الأسبوع العاشر
Istishab & Laws of previous prophets – Explore the principle of presumption of continuity (Istishab) and examine how laws of previous prophets are applied in Islamic jurisprudence.

Week 11 | الأسبوع الحادي عشر
Legal obligation & hardship; conditional obligation & delegation – Examine the nature of legal obligation (taklif), its connection to hardship and ease, and the concepts of conditional obligations and delegated duties in Islamic jurisprudence.

Week 12 | الأسبوع الثاني عشر
Legal capacity & divinely imposed impediments – Understand the concept of legal capacity (ahliyyah), including age and intellect requirements, and explore divinely imposed impediments such as insanity, forgetfulness, and coercion that affect a person's ability to bear legal responsibility.

Week 13 | الأسبوع الثالث عشر
Non-divinely imposed impediments – Explore impediments to legal capacity arising from human actions or social conditions, such as bankruptcy, severe illness, slavery, or imprisonment, and examine how these factors restrict or limit a person's legal rights and responsibilities in Islamic law.

Week 14 | الأسبوع الرابع عشر
Higher objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid) – Study the objectives (Maqasid) behind Islamic legal rulings, focusing on the preservation of religion, life, intellect, progeny, and property, and how these objectives inform legal reasoning.

Week 15 | الأسبوع الخامس عشر
Ijtihad – Examine the concept of independent reasoning (ijtihad), the conditions and qualifications for a mujtahid, different forms of ijtihad, and its role in adapting Islamic rulings to new circumstances.

Week 16 | الأسبوع السادس عشر
Final review & exam – Conduct a comprehensive review of all course topics, clarify any remaining questions, and prepare students for the final examination with practice questions.

Earn a certificate

Add this certificate to your resume to demonstrate your skills & increase your chances of getting noticed.

selected template

Student Ratings & Reviews

No Review Yet
No Review Yet