Uṣūl al-fiqh () is a term which literally translates to the roots of the law and refers to the study of the origins, sources, and practice of Islamic jurisprudence.

The Four Major Sources

In classical Islam, there are four major sources of jurisprudence: the Qur'an, the Sunnah, ijma', and qiyas.

The contribution of al-Shafi'i

Abu 'Abd Allah ash-Shafi'i (767-819) systematized the usul, developing a cohesive, systematic procedure for legal reasoning. He raised the Sunnah to a place of prominence and restricted its legal use. According to as-Shafi'i, only practices directly passed down from Muhammad were valid, eliminating the legitimacy of practices of Muhammad's followers. Prior to as-Shafi'i, legal reasoning was based on personal reasoning and thus suffered inconsistency.

External links

• Usul al Fiqh: Methodology for Research and Knowledge in Islamic Jurisprudence An online textbook teaching usul al-fiqh from the International Institute of Islamic Thought

Islamic law