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This section includes articles on Islamic law, legal history, and the principles of jurisprudence.

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Articles in Usul al-Fiqh

The Special Characteristics of the Maliki Madhhab The Special Characteristics of the Maliki Madhhab

By Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ta’wīl
Scholar and Teacher at Al-Qarawiyyīn Central Mosque Fes, Morocco
Translated by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali
7 Ramadan 1425 / October 21, 2004

The following translation has been adopted from the annual Ramadan lectures delivered in the …

Understanding the Four Madhhabs: The Problem with Anti-Madhhabism Understanding the Four Madhhabs: The Problem with Anti-Madhhabism

By Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad
The ummah’s greatest achievement over the past millennium has undoubtedly been its internal intellectual cohesion. From the fifth century of the Hijra almost to the present day, and despite the outward drama …

Why Muslims Follow Madhhabs Why Muslims Follow Madhhabs

By Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller
This essay developed from a lecture given in the United States, Canada, and England in 1994 and 1995. On each occasion, questions were taken, some of the most frequent …

Approaching Doubtful Matters and Exercising Precaution: An Explanation of a Hadith on Halal and Haram Approaching Doubtful Matters and Exercising Precaution: An Explanation of a Hadith on Halal and Haram

Answered by Kamil Uddin
Question:
“The halal is clear and the haram is clear. Between the two there are doubtful matters concerning which people do not know whether they are halal or haram. One who avoids them …

The Dislike of the Salaf with Regards to Giving Religious Verdicts The Dislike of the Salaf with Regards to Giving Religious Verdicts

By Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
This is similar to the hatred of the Salaf al-Salih (the Pious Predecessors) that a person should put himself forward to give religious verdicts (fatawa) and to crave them, and to …

Bid’ah and the Salaf’s Worship Bid’ah and the Salaf’s Worship

By Imam Abu ‘l-Hasanat ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi
“Bid‘ah and the Salaf’s Worship” by Imam Abu ’l-Hasanat ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Laknawi (d.1504 AH). Edited and revised with explanatory notes by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah
Chapter 1
The practices of …

An Important Principle for Saving Islamic Activists from Exaggeration and Clashes An Important Principle for Saving Islamic Activists from Exaggeration and Clashes

By Shaykh ‘Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi

The body of Din which has reached us can be divided into two kinds. One kind is that which has reached us in a particular state and form; it is …

Following an Imam in Matters of Islamic Law Following an Imam in Matters of Islamic Law

By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Question:
There are some people who say that taqlīd, following the madhhab of one imam, is haram (prohibited) in the Shari‘ah. They insist that only the Qur’an and Sunnah should be …

Definitions of the Principles of Fiqh (Islamic Law) Definitions of the Principles of Fiqh (Islamic Law)

By Shaykh Zahir Mahmood
Fard and Wajib
While the majority of jurists regard fard and wajib as synonymous, the Hanafis draw a clear distinction between the two. Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Shashi, in defining the two, states, “Linguistically …

The Concept of Bid’ah in Islam The Concept of Bid’ah in Islam

By Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad al-’Uthmani
Translated by Zameelur Rahman

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to me: ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn ‘Abd al-Majid narrated to us: from Ja’far ibn Muhammad: from his father: from Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, …