Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
The Islamic legal science that derives practical rules from the Quran and Sunnah.
Fiqh literally means "deep understanding" and refers to Islamic jurisprudence — the systematic derivation of practical rules from the Quran, the Sunnah, ijma' (consensus), and qiyas (analogy). Fiqh covers all aspects of Muslim life, from worship ('ibadat) to social relations (mu'amalat).
Prayer rules (fiqh al-salah) constitute one of the most detailed parts of fiqh. They cover the prayer's conditions (shurut), pillars (arkan), obligations (wajibat), sunnah acts, and invalidating factors (mubtilat). Each school of law has its own detailed set of rules based on their interpretation of the sources.
Imam Abu Hanifah said: "Fiqh is knowing the soul's rights and obligations." Al-Shafi'i defined fiqh as "knowledge of the practical shariah rules derived from their detailed evidence." The great fiqh works such as al-Hidayah (Hanafi), al-Mudawwanah (Maliki), al-Umm (Shafi'i), and al-Mughni (Hanbali) are still studied today as foundational texts in Islamic jurisprudence.
Related terms
Tawakkul (Trust in Allah)
Total trust and reliance on Allah in all of life's matters.
Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Decree)
The most sacred night in Islam, when the Quran was revealed.
Sujud al-Tilawah (Prostration of Recitation)
A prostration performed when reciting or hearing specific Quranic verses.
Salat al-Ghufaylah (Prayer Between Maghrib and Isha)
A specially recommended prayer prayed between Maghrib and Isha in Shia Islam.
Madhhab (School of Law)
An Islamic school of law with its own methodology for legal derivation from the sacred sources.
Sahih al-Bukhari (Bukhari's Authentic Collection)
The most authoritative hadith collection in Sunni Islam, compiled by Imam al-Bukhari.