Al-Waadih Fee Usool ul-Fiqh by Muhammad Hussein Abdullah

As for the second methodology then it is the Tareeqah of Al Fuqahaa’ which the followers of Al-Imaam Abu Haneefah followed when placing down the Usool ul-Fiqh of their Madh’hab. They proceeded upon this method by looking at the effects of the Furoo’ (branches) and by explaining that Usool ul-Fiqh is to serve the branches and to affirm the soundness of the Ijtihaad in them. This Tareeqah establish the Qawaa’id Al-Usooliyah in light of what has been transmitted from the branches from their A’immah (Imaams) whilst claiming that these represent the Qawaa’id (principles) which those A’immah paid regard to when they extracted and deduced the branches which represent the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah. The principles therefore represent Usool which came after the presence of the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah and which came as a result of deduction made from the branches.

The following was mentioned in the book of Usool ul-Fiqh by Al Imam Abu Zahrah: “In this way the Hanafiyah Usool differs from the Shaafi’iyah Usool as the Usool Ash-Shaafi’iyah was a methodology for Istinbaat (deduction) and was controlling over it. As for the method of the Hanafiyah then it was not controlling over the branches after it was were recorded. This means that they deduced the Qawaa’id (principles) upon which their Madh’hab had been built upon and defended them. They therefore represent measures (Maqaayees) that have been established (Muqarrarah) and not measures that are controlling (Haakimah)”.

For this reason, they mention the Furoo’ (Branches) a lot in their books because in most cases they formulate the Usooliy Qawaa’id in accordance to what agrees to these branches. However, they then began to utilise these Qawaa’id (principles) to extract new Ahkaam for newly occurring problems.

After the Tareeqah of the Fuqahaa’ matured and became complete the followers of the other Madhaahib began to proceed in accordance to them in respect to their Usool ul-Fiqh and began to adopt this Usool for the deduction of the Ahkaam. Even the Shee’ah Al Imaamiyah and Zaidiyah followed the ‘Fuqahaa’ method after the Hanafiyah in respect to putting down the Usool of their Fiqh. Shihaab ud-Deen Az-Zanjaani Ash-Shaafi’iy who passed away in the year 656 AH wrote a book upon the methodology of this Tareeqah which he called: ‘Takhreej Al-Furoo’ ‘Alaa l-Usool’ Example:

The following is an example of how an Usooliy principle is put down upon the Tareeqah of the Fuqahaa ‘The Tareeqah of the Hanafiyah’:

The Fuqahaa arrived at the following Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah from their detailed evidences: 1) The skin of the dead animal (carrion) is purified if it is tanned. This Hukm was extracted from the Hadeeth of the Messenger (saw): “The Messenger of Allah (saw) passed by a dead sheep and then said: “If this hide is tanned (then) it has been purified” as related by Al Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh.

2) The Hukm of cutting the hand of the thief which was deduced from the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

And this was revealed in relation to the incident of the theft of the shield or cloak of Safwaan.

3) The Kaffaarah (expiation) of Azh-Zhihaar being the freeing of a slave and for the one who does not have that at his disposal, then fasting for two consecutive months. The Hukm for this was taken from the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

Until Aayah four from Soorah Al-Mujaadalah. And this was revealed in relation to Maslamah Bin Sakhr.

4) Mutual cursing (Al-Mulaa’anah or Li’aan) between a husband and wife, the Hukm of which is taken from the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:

Until Aayah 9 of Soorah An-Noor. This was revealed in relation to Hilaal Bin Umayyah.

The Adillah (evidences) for these Ahkaam came in general Alfaazh (worded expressions) in the order of: If the hide is tanned... And the male thief and female thief... Those who do Zhihaar... Those who accuse their wives...’ However, each Daleel (evidence) was revealed for a specific Sabab (cause) and these Asbaab (causes) were in the order of: ‘The sheep of Maymoonah (ra)... The cloak of Safwaan... Maslamah Bin Sakhr... Hilaal Bin Umayyah...’ However, the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een who came after them applied all of these Ahkaam upon every action (of these) that the Muslims did. As such they put down the Qaa’idah Al-Usooliyah (Usooli principle) of:

The ‘Ulamaa arrived at this Qaa’idah (principle) through the Tareeqah (method) of the Fuqahaa by examining the Ahkaam Ash Shar’iyah, the detailed evidences of which, were revealed for a specific cause but the worded expressions of the Daleel indicated generality.

Therefore, in relation to the Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah (saw):

If someone was to say that this is specific to the daughter of Kisraa who took over the Persian rule after her father in the time of the Messenger (saw) then we would say in response that: ‘The consideration (Al-‘Ibrah) is in the generality of the expressions and not the specificity of the cause’. That is because the expression: ‘Never will a nation succeed’ indicates generality because it is Nakirah (indefinite) in the context of negation (Nafy). Therefore, it is not permissible for a woman to assume any position of ruling in Islaam so as to become the Khalifah or a Waali.