alFiqh

Al-Fiqh, literally meaning understanding or comprehension, is the Islamic science of jurisprudence that develops practical rules for worship and everyday life. It interprets divine guidance from the Qur’an and the Sunnah and translates it into legally binding rulings (ahkam) on matters such as prayer, fasting, transactions, marriage, and criminal matters. Fiqh positions itself as the human understanding and application of sharia, the broader divine law, within historical and social contexts.

The primary sources of fiqh are the Qur’an and the Sunnah, supplemented by consensus (ijma) among qualified scholars and analogy (qiyas). In many traditions, additional tools such as juristic preference (istihsan), local custom (urf), and considerations of public welfare (maslahah) may influence rulings. Fiqh is organized around two connected but distinct disciplines: usul al-fiqh, the principles and methodology for deriving rulings, and fiqh itself, the codification of those rulings into specific legal answers.

Historically, fiqh developed within Islamic legal schools (madhahib). The four major Sunni schools—Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali—each emphasize different methods while sharing core principles. In Shi’a Islam, the Ja‘fari school offers an alternative approach, including a greater role for reason (‘aql) in certain judgments. Other early approaches include Zahiri emphasis on textual evidence. In modern times, fiqh engages with new topics such as finance, bioethics, and technology, often through renewed ijtihad (independent reasoning) within established frameworks or through reform-oriented movements.