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Introduction to Islamic Legislation

Course Description: This course covers five themes, including the concepts, principles, and characteristics of Islamic jurisprudence, its development from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the present day, the progression of jurisprudence during the era of the Companions, the Successors, and the era of jurists (Mujtahideen), and the movement of jurisprudence in the contemporary era. It also includes a study of the well-known jurisprudential schools of thought, which are the four Sunni schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali.

Credits: 2

Objectives of the course :

Preliminary statement on the constitutional status of Arabs before Islam.
2 - Clarification of the most prominent terms and concepts of Islamic Sharia, Fiqh, and the schools of Fiqh.
3 – A statement on the origins and stages of Islamic jurisprudence from the era of prophecy to the present day.
4. Identifying the stages of jurisprudential codification and the nature of codification in each stage.
5. The Study of Juristic Schools: Their Origin, Characteristics, and Principles.
6- Identifying the reasons for the differences among jurists.

Course outputs :

Knowledge and understanding:
1- To define the most prominent terms and concepts of jurisprudence and the jurisprudential schools.
2. To explain the stages of the emergence and codification of Islamic jurisprudence.
3. To describe the characteristics of the jurisprudential schools of thought and the principles of each school.
Skills:
To compare the jurisprudential schools of thought and their principles.
To analyze the reasons for scholarly differences in jurisprudential matters.
3. Prepare a report on one of the course topics using scientific research methodology and modern technological tools.
Values, autonomy and responsibility:
1. Adherence to Islamic morals, social, professional, and academic values, etiquette in disagreement, and commitment to the values of loyalty and belonging to the homeland and its leadership.
2- Bear responsibility for tasks assigned in individual and group work with professionalism and independence.
3- Work collaboratively and effectively as a team.

Additional information:

Course Topics:
Principles and Characteristics of Islamic Jurisprudence.
The Impact of the Prophetic Era on the Establishment of Jurisprudence, Sources of Legislation in the Prophetic Era, Gradualism in Legislation.
The Impact of the Era of the Companions and Followers on Fiqh, Sources of Legislation in their Era, Causes of Jurisprudential Differences Among the Companions and Their Method of Addressing Them, and Their Etiquette in That and Examples Thereof, the Hadith and Ray Schools, the Stage of Independent Codification of Fiqh.
The development of Fiqh during the era of independent jurists, the principles of legal interpretation during the era of independent jurists, a comparison between the codification of Fiqh in this era and the preceding one, prominent jurists of this era other than the four imams of the established schools of thought, Al-Awza'i, Al-Thawri, Al-Layth, Dawud al-Zahiri, and Al-Tabari, and examples of their jurisprudence.
The path of jurisprudence after the era of the Imams, the reasons for a group of scholars calling to close the door of ijtihad during this period and its effects on jurisprudence, models of jurisprudential texts of the schools of thought, examining the differences between the codifications of this era and the previous one, and the new methods of authorship such as commentaries, marginalia, and versifications, the phenomenon of sectarian fanaticism and its impact on jurisprudence and ways to avoid it.
The movement of fiqh in the present era, jurisprudential renewal in teaching and authorship, introduction to jurisprudential councils, Sharia-compliant bodies, and fatwa centers, the importance of clear formulation of fiqh to make it accessible to people, reviewing some renewed models represented by encyclopedias, dictionaries, and jurisprudential theories.
Features of the Hanafi School, the biography of Imam Abu Hanifa and the circumstances influencing the distinctiveness of his jurisprudential approach, the most prominent characteristics of his school in general, the most prominent terminology used in the Hanafi school and its sources, the most prominent scholars of the Hanafi school, and the relied-upon sources for the Hanafis in transmitting the school and issuing fatwas.
Features of the Maliki School of Thought, biography of Imam Malik and the circumstances that influenced the distinction of his legal methodology, the most prominent characteristics of his school in general, the most prominent terms in circulation in the Maliki School of Thought and their sources, the most prominent scholars of the Maliki School of Thought, and the relied-upon sources for the Malikis in transmitting the school and issuing fatwas.
Features of the Shafi'i School of Thought, the biography of Imam Al-Shafi'i and the circumstances that influenced the distinction of his jurisprudential methodology, the most prominent characteristics of his school in general, the most prominent terms used in the Shafi'i school and their sources, the most prominent figures of the Shafi'i school, and the authoritative sources relied upon by Shafi'is for transmitting the school and issuing fatwas.
Landmarks of the Hanbali School, the biography of Imam Ahmad and the circumstances influencing the distinctiveness of his jurisprudential methodology, the most prominent features of his school in general, the most prominent terms used in the Hanbali school and their sources, the most prominent figures of the Hanbali school, the authoritative sources for the Hanbalis in transmitting the school and issuing fatwas.

Last updated: May 22, 2026