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
Mutahhirat (Purifying Agents)
The agents and methods that purify impure things according to Shia fiqh.
Imam (Prayer Leader)
The person who leads the congregational prayer at the mosque.
Ashura (The Tenth of Muharram)
The tenth day of Muharram, the commemoration of Imam Husayn's martyrdom.
Munajat (Intimate Supplication)
Intimate, personal conversations with Allah, an important part of Shia prayer tradition.
Waqt (Prayer Time)
The specific time interval within which a prayer must be performed.
Tawhid (God's Oneness)
Islamic monotheism — belief in Allah's absolute oneness, the core of prayer.