Fiqh

Fiqh (Arabic: فقه‎) is the Islamic jurisprudence, or legal theory, developed by Islamic scholars to interpret and implement the Sharia (Islamic law). It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran and the Hadith. Fiqh is distinguished from usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence), which are the methods used to interpret and apply the Sharia.

Etymology

The word Fiqh is an Arabic term meaning "deep understanding" or "full comprehension". Technically it refers to the body of Islamic law extracted from detailed Islamic sources (which are studied in the principles of Islamic jurisprudence) and the process of gaining knowledge of Islam through jurisprudence.

History

The history of Islamic jurisprudence is "customarily divided into eight periods": the first period ending with the death of Muhammad in 11 AH. From the 2nd to the 4th centuries, scholars were busy with the task of Islamic legal theory, and by the 5th century, the canon of Islamic law was essentially established.

Principles

Fiqh is based on the Quran and the Hadith, along with the consensus (ijma) of the Islamic community (Ummah), and analogical reasoning (qiyas). It is applied by the courts of Islamic law, the Sharia courts.

Schools of Fiqh

There are four major schools of Fiqh within Sunni practice, plus two (or three) within Shi'a practice. These are the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali, Ja'fari, and Zaidi schools.

See also

• Islamic law
• Sharia
• Usul al-Fiqh
• Islamic schools and branches
• Islamic ethics

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