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| Ahmadiyya Mosque, Trinidad |
For quite some time Jack Frost- a student with a passion for the NBA- has contributed extensive research and editorial advice to the admins of this blog. However, as he has admirably studied both Islam, and Arabic in his own spare time, we have asked him to share some of his knowledge with us. He has agreed to offer a seven part series on the basics of Islamic Shari'ah. We intend to publish the articles over the coming weeks. The seven editions will cover the following subjects: 1- Introduction to Shari'ah and it's Terminology. 2- Usul al-Fiqh. 3- Hanafi School. 4- Maliki. 5- Shafi'i. 6- Hanbali. 7- The Promised Messiah and Fiqh. This week's edition:
What Is Shari'ah?
Literally in Arabic, Shari'ah means “path to the water-well” indicating the path towards spiritual life. Religious Shari'ah refers to those doctrinal, practical and dispositional regulations which Allah has legislated through one of His Messengers. Islamic Shari’ah refers to the law regulated by the Prophet Muhammadsa and Allah in the Qur’an.
What are the Differences between Islamic Shari'ah and Man Made Systems?
1. Divine origin vs. Human origin.
2. Consequences in this world and the Hereafter vs. This world only.
3. Development of personal accountability to Allah vs. Mere loyalty to the law of the land.
What does the term 'Fiqh' mean?
Fiqh, or jurisprudence, is the practical individual implementation of shari’ah through its human understanding. It is necessary for all Muslims (including Ahmadi Muslims) to know thoroughly.
What does the term 'Madhahib' mean?
Madhahib means schools of thought of Islamic fiqh. There are four main schools of fiqh for Sunni Muslims: Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafi'i and Maliki. Shi’is have their own schools of fiqh, such as the Ja’fariyyah school (based on the fatwas of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiqrh).
An Ahmadiyya persepctive on the Sunni Madhahib
The Promised Messiah a.s. said: “The four schools of thought Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali constitute the four walls of the House of Islam.” This can be understood to mean that the Promised Messiah a.s. understood that any of the four madhahib are valid to practise, as can be seen in his companions and followers as well, such as Khalifa-tul-Masih I, who trained as a Hanafi, but later adopted the Hanbali school of thought after returning from his studying Islam in Makkah and Madinah. Khalifa-tul-Masih I used to do rafa’a yadayn (raising of the hands during Qiyam in Salat), which is a distinctly Hanbali practise, and the Promised Messiah a.s. clearly said that you are allowed to do this and never rebuked Khalifa I for doing so. The Promised Messiah did however believe one of the schools of jurisprudence to be superior to the rest and this will be discussed in a later edition of this series.
Categories of Actions in Islamic Shariah
Fard (Compulsory)
Fard `Ayn – Individual (ie. 5 times Salat)
Fard Kifayah – Community (ie. doing Janazah prayer for deceased, doing Tabligh)
Wajib (Necessary) – ie. Witr prayer
Sunnah – ie. Sunnah prayer, drinking water while sitting down
Sunnah Mu'akkadah – Emphasized Sunnah
Sunnah Ghayr Mu’akkadah – Less emphasized Sunnah
Mustahabb – Recommended
Mubah – Neutral (not good or bad)
Makruh – Allowed but Disliked
Makruh Tanzeeh – Slightly Disliked
Makruh Tahreem – Extremely Disliked
Haraam – Forbidden
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