Diploma in Sunni Islam Usul al-Fiqh and Fiqh Studies explores the principles and the complexities of Islamic Jurisprudence in a way that is relevant to the modern context.
The main emphasis of this course is that for one to be competent in jurisprudence he or she has to be constantly researching, thinking and exploring, and that it is not enough to be just relying on certain set of books to formulate jurisprudential rulings. This is illustrated by the lives and works of the great jurists of Islam throughout the centuries. Many of these jurists are considered to be great thinkers who are independent and at the same time God-fearing.
This course is suitable for those who are looking for a holistic understanding of Usul al-Fiqh and Fiqh. It covers the principles using both modern and classical texts as well as exploring other classical texts of the fiqh and usul al-fiqh to understand the thinking of the authors in the context of their time. These works show how brilliant and advanced these imams were and how far we have lagged behind in our ways by just following the books without thinking. This course will help students to rekindle the spirit of intellectual rigour and scholarly integrity.
Modules
Introduction to Usul al-Fiqh (Mabadi book of Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi)
The Four Madhabs – Follow Them, Leave Them or Mix Them?
Kitab al-Risāla – Treatise on the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence (Imam Shafie) – Part 1
Kitab al-Risāla – Treatise on the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence (Imam Shafie) – Part 2
Kitab al-Muhallā bi’l Athār – The Adorned Treatise (Ibn Hazm)
al-Muwāfaqāt fī Uṣūl al-Sharī’a – The Reconciliation of the Fundamentals of Islamic Law (Shaatibi)