STUDENT RESEARCH: Why Ordinary Muslims Should Comprehend Basic Concepts of Usul al-Fiqh by Ronney Abaza, M.D.

In addition to his studies at Mishkah, Dr. Abaza is a urologist who specializes in robotic surgery. He lives in Ohio and is married with 3 children.

The field of Usul al-Fiqh is unknown to most ordinary Muslims, meaning those other than scholars and students of knowledge.  While it is true that most Muslims do not require an in-depth understanding of Usul al-Fiqh because they will not be required themselves to make jurisprudential verdicts, there are benefits that everyday Muslims can derive from understanding the basic concepts of this field.

In contrast to Usul al-Fiqh, every Muslim requires a working knowledge of fiqh itself as it pertains to his or her practice of Islam.  Fiqh represents the rules of Islamic Law as derived from evidences in the primary sources of the Shari’ah, the Qur’an and Sunnah.  Therefore, Muslims must have a practical understanding of fiqh as it pertains to their daily practice and application of Islam in every aspect of their lives.  Since Usul al-Fiqh is the branch of Islamic knowledge that deals with the roots of Islamic law, meaning the principals and methodology by which the law (fiqh) is derived from its sources, it is not essential to the everyday practice of Islam and is beyond the purview of the typical Muslim’s concerns.  Nevertheless, while the ordinary Muslim will never undertake in contributing to or analyzing fiqh rather than being an “end-user” of fiqh, a basic understanding of the field of Usul al-Fiqh is still of great benefit for any Muslim as will be investigated and explained herein.