Understanding Usul Al-Fiqh by Abu Tariq Hilal - Abu Ismael al-Beirawi

الْيَ وْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتَْْمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِِ وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الِْْسْلََمَ دِينًا .

“Today have I perfected your Deen, completed my favour upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your Deen.” (TMQ Al-Ma‟ida: 3)

In this Ayah, as well as many others, Allah (swt) reminds the Muslim Ummah of the value and regard that He has for the message of Islam. This message is unique in comparison to the previous messages in several ways.

It is the last and final message for humanity from Allah. The followers of this message have the honour of implementing and carrying it to other nations without the presence of their Messenger Muhammad (saw).

In contrast, their respective Prophet or Messenger led the Ummahs before the Message of Muhammad (saw). This honour manifests itself in Allah‟s (swt) promise that the Muslim Ummah would be the first to enter Paradise. Therefore, the people who have entered this Deen are truly the fortunate ones.

The Muslim Ummah earned this honour by realising the necessity of implementing and maintaining Islam. They were its guardians even when they were under the brutal occupation of Mongols. In fact, during the occupation they were able to dramatically influence the occupiers with the Islamic ideology. This unprecedented event exemplifies the trust and the clear-cut understanding of Islam that Muslims possessed. What other nation was able to influence and change its conquerors, such that they would start carrying the Deen of the conquered?

It is with a feeling of regret and sorrow that today we witness Muslims, either leaving or only partially accepting Islam. Muslims have tried to mix its thoughts and values with that of other ideologies. Its laws are partially implemented along with those of other ideologies. Islam for the most part is generally known by its rituals to its followers and thus they convey it to other nations as such.

However, this Deen is still alive and intact in the Qur‟an and Sunnah. It is from these two sources that we will explain the nature of Islam and fundamental elements associated with its foundation of law (Usul al-Fiqh), Insha‟Allah.

Islam was not revealed all at once, and is not just a set of “do‟s” and “don‟ts” like any constitution or legal document. In contrast, Islam offered solutions to the day-to-day problems as they were encountered by the Prophet (saw) and the Sahabah (ra)

Islam provided a definite and clear vision to the Prophet (saw) on how to live up to its ideology. Islam did not only provide and explain its values and thoughts; moreover, it provides a comprehensive set of legal laws regarding all facets of human existence. The implementation of these laws brought unheralded tranquillity and justice in the society.

In essence, Islam can be defined as a composition of unique and unparalleled ideas, values, thoughts, guidelines, and laws which Prophet Muhammad (saw) expressed or applied during his (saw) life.

The „Aqeedah of Islam surpasses the “„Aqeedah” of capitalism / democracy, in that it makes the human being subservient to his Creator rather than to his own desires. The simplicity of Islam frees the human being from the slavery to anything other than Allah (swt). The „Aqeedah of Islam orients a person‟s thinking to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt) as opposed to self-benefit and material pleasure.

The laws of Islam are of the same nature as its „Aqeedah, in that they are both revealed by Allah (swt). The laws neither favour the working nor the elite class in the society. These are qualities of man-made laws, which the Shari‟ah transcends. Consequently, no Muslim, whether rich or poor, would feel any hesitation or regret in implementing the Islamic laws.

However, presently, hesitation and scepticism are prevalent at the Ummah level. We will examine and reflect on one of the major causes of such a decadent attitude, i.e. the lack of cohesive understanding of issues surrounding Fiqh (Islamic Laws).

It is with this purpose of developing a cohesive understanding of Usul al-Fiqh that we have put forward this effort.