01/05/2026
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The study of Islamic law and its jurisprudence is an obligation. It is, however, a communal obligation, which means that there must be some persons within the community who are skilled in the law and its jurisprudence. Al-Rāzī (544–606 A.H./1149–1209 C.E.) explains the obligation by saying that "the acquisition of this knowledge is an obligation. . . . It is not a universal, but a communal obligation (fard kifāyah)."¹ Al-Rāzī's goes into details to show that acquiring a knowledge of the law, its jurisprudence, is obligatory. He deems it obvious, because without such a knowledge it is not possible to follow the injunctions of the Lawgiver. This knowledge cannot be acquired without a proper methodology, and the methodology is called usūl al-fiqh.
We would like to widen this concept somewhat. In another work, we have stated that usūl al-fiqh is the queen of Islamic sciences.² This means that the subject is essential for understanding the law, its jurisprudence, the discipline called ahkām al-Qur'ān (laws derived from the texts of the Qur'ān), fiqh al-sunnah (laws derived from the texts of the sunnah), the discipline of tafsīr (interpretation of the texts of the Qur'ān, both legal and other), 'ulūm al-hadīth (the science of traditions), and even subjects like 'ilm al-kalām (dialectics).
The number of disciplines that need this subject today has widened considerably in the modern age. The economist needs a thorough grounding in this subject if he is to deal with issues of Islamic economics. The banker and the manager will need it too. The accountant will need this discipline if he has to devise accounting standards required by institutions giving or employing capital in accordance with Islamic norms. It can be readily seen that the discipline will expand in the modern world to assume roles that have hitherto not been assigned to it. Its true significance has to be realised. While our focus in this book will be on Islamic law and its jurisprudence, we believe that the students of other fields can also benefit from the description of the discipline.
Excerpt from "Outlines of Islamic Jurisprudence" by Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee, (2019), Advance Legal Studies Institute.
