1) Allah Ta'aala ya aiko Manzon Allah Muhammad ﷺ da Musulunci zuwa ga dukan bil'adama. Ya fara ne da Larabawa, domin an saukar da Alkur'aani Mai girma a cikin harshensu. Saukarsa ta zo ne a lokacin da harshen Larabci ya kai ga kololuwarsa, ma'ana zamanin zinariya na wannan harshe. A lokacin ne kabilun Larabawa suka kafa kasuwannin fasaha na musamman, don su baje wakokinsu da yin gasa da juna game da kwarewarsu da jarumtakarsu.

1) Allah Ta’Aalaa sent the Messenger Muhammad (saw) with Islaam to mankind in its entirety. So he began with the Arabs whilst the Qur’aan Al-Kareem had been revealed in their language. Its revelation came in the age when the Arabic language was at is ripest and indeed in the golden age of this language. This was at a time when the Arab tribes had established special arts markets so that they could present their poetry and compete with one another in respect to their skills and prowess.

Larabawa sun fahimci Alƙur'ani da Hadisi saboda harshen da Ayoyi da Hadisai suka zo da shi wani baiwa ce ta dabi'a, halin da aka halitta da shi, da kuma ɗabi'a ta haihuwa da aka ba su. Suna iya fahimtar ma'anonin kalmomin da aka furta sosai, kuma sun fahimci salon harshensa. Saboda haka, kowannensu zai ɗauki Hukuncin Shari'a da yake bukata ba tare da wahala ba.

The Arabs understood the Qur’aan and the Hadeeth because the language which the Aayaat and Ahaadeeth came in represented a natural talent, trait and inborn disposition which they were endowed with. They could fully take in the meanings of its worded expressions and understood its styles. Consequently, each of them would take the Hukm Ash-Shar’iy that he required without difficulty.

Yanayin Musulmi ya ci gaba da kasancewa haka a zamanin Sahabbai da Tabi'um har zuwa farkon karni na biyu na Hijira.

The situation of the Muslims then continued like that in the era of the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een until the beginning of the second Hijri century.

2) Bayan haka, Daular Musulunci ta fadada, kuma al'ummai da dama sun shiga Musulunci, kamar Romawa, Farisawa, Hindawa da Barbarawa. Sai Larabawa suka gauraya da su ta fuskar inda suke zama da kuma ta fuskar harshensu. Sakamakon haka, harshen Larabci ya yi rauni saboda shigowar kalmomi, furuci na yau da kullum da salon da asalinsu ba Larabci ba ne. Wannan ya haifar da raunin fahimtar nassosin Shari'a a tsakanin mafi yawan Larabawa. Saboda haka, sun bukaci ka'idoji da dokokin harshe domin fahimtar Ayoyi da Hadisai kamar yadda musulmi na farko suka fahimce su. Malamai sun mayar da martani, suka yi kokari wajen kafawa tare da samar da Minhaj (tsari) da zai bayyana yadda ake fitar da hukunce-hukuncen Shari'a masu amfani daga Littafi da Sunna.

2) After that, the Islamic State had expanded and many other nations had entered into Islaam like the Romans, the Persians, Hindus and Berbers. The Arabs then mixed with them in terms of where they resided and in respect to their speech. As a result, the Arabic tongue weakened due to the insertion of expressions, colloquialisms and styles of a non-Arabic origin. This led to the weakening of the understanding of the Shar’iyah texts amongst the majority of the Arabs. As a result, they became in need of linguistic controls and principles in order to understand the Aayaat and the Ahaadeeth as the first Muslims had understood them. The scholars responded and made efforts to put down and provide a Minhaaj (methodology) to explain the manner of how to deduce the practical Ahkaam Ash'Shar’iyah through the Kitaab and the Sunnah.

3) Daga cikin jimlar wadannan ka'idoji da dokokin harshe da na Shari'a (Dawaabit) ne aka samar da ilimin Usul ul-Fiqh, kuma farkon wannan ilimi ya kasance a karni na biyu na Hijira.

3) From the host of these linguistic and Shar’iy principles and controls (Dawaabit) the ‘Ilm of Usool ul-Fiqh was formed and the beginning of this ‘Ilm was in the second Hijri century.

4) Mutum na farko da ya tattara wasu daga cikin ka'idojin wannan ilmi a cikin littafi shi ne Al-Imaam Abu Yusuf (rh), abokin Al-Imaam Abu Haneefah (rh), kamar yadda Ibn un-Nadeem ya ambata a cikin littafinsa 'Al-Fihrist'. Sai dai wannan littafi da Abu Yousuf ya rubuta bai kai gare mu ba.

4) The first to gather together some of the principles of this ‘Ilm within a book was Al-Imaam Abu Yusuf (rh) the companion of Al-Imaan Abu Haneefah (rh) as was mentioned by Ibn un-Nadeem in his book ‘Al-Fihrist’. However, this book written by Abu Yousuf did not reach us.

Shi'a sun ce wanda ya fara rubuta maudu'in Usulul-Fiqhi shi ne Al-Imam Ja'far Muhammad Al-Baaqir, sai dai wannan magana ba ta da hujja da za ta goyi bayanta.

The Shee’ah have said that the first to put the subject of Usool ul-Fiqh into writing was Al-Imaam Ja’far Muhammad Al-Baaqir however this statement has not been supported by evidence.

Malamai kafin Ash-Shafi'i sun kasance suna magana game da batutuwan Usulul-Fiqh, suna yin istinbadi da kuma ƙin-yarda, amma ba su da cikakkiyar hanya (manhaji) da aka rubuta a takarda wadda za a iya komawa zuwa gare ta.

The ‘Ulamaa before Ash-Shaafi’iy used to speak about the issues of Usool ul-Fiqh, make deductions and objections however they did not have a complete methodology that was put down on paper that could be referred back to.

5) Littafin farko da ya isa gare mu a fannin Usul ul-Fiqh shi ne 'Ar-Risaalah' na Al-Imaam Muhammad Bin Idris Ash-Shaafi'iy (rh), wanda ya rasu a shekara ta 204 bayan Hijrah. Ya yi bayani kan Adillah Al-Ijmaaliyyah cikin tsari da shiryawa; Kitaab, Sunnah, Qiyaas da Ijmaa'. Haka kuma ya yi magana kan ka'idojin harshe da yadda ake amfani da su wajen fitar da Ahkaam Ash-Shar'iyah. Saboda haka, ilimin Usul ul-Fiqh da Ash-Shaafi'iy ya bayar ya zama ma'auni mai tsari da ake sanin daidaitattun ra'ayoyi daga kuskuren, da kuma ma'auni madaidaici na sanin abin da yake daga Shari'a da abin da ba daga Shari'a ba.

5) The first book that reached us in the subject area of Usool ul-Fiqh was ‘Ar-Risaalah’ of Al-Imaam Muhammad Bin Idrees Ash-Shaafi’iy (rh) who passed away in the year 204 after Hijrah. He discussed the Adillah Al-Ijmaaliyyah in an ordered and organised manner; the Kitaab, the Sunnah, Qiyaas and Ijmaa’. And he also dealt with the linguistic principles and how to use them to deduce the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah Therefore, the ‘Ilm of Usool ul-Fiqh that Ash-Shaafi’iy provided represented a disciplined yardstick to know the correct opinions from the incorrect ones and a precise measure to know what is from the Shar’a and what is not from the Shar’a.

Ash-Shaafi'iy ya takaita kansa ga wannan Minhaaj (hanyar bincike) wajen Istinbaat (fitar da hukunce-hukunce) na Ahkaam Ash-Shar'iyah, kuma ya gina Madh'habinsa, wanda aka sani da Madh'hab Shaafi'iy a cikin Fiqh, a kansa, wanda aka rubuta shi a littafinsa 'Al-Umm'.

Ash-Shaafi’iy restricted himself to this Minhaaj (methodology) in his Istinbaat (deduction) of the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah and based his Madh’hab, known as the Shaafi’iy Madh’hab in Fiqh, upon it which was recorded in his book ‘Al-Umm’.

A cikin littafinsa "Al-Muqaddimah" yayin da yake magana kan ilimin Usul al-Fiqh, Ibn Khaldun ya ce: "Mutumin farko da ya rubuta a cikinsa shi ne Ash-Shafi'i, Allah ya yarda da shi. Ya yi bayani a cikinsa (a fagen wannan ilmi) a cikin sanannen littafinsa "Ar-Risalah", kuma a cikinsa ya yi magana kan umarni da hani, al-Bayan, al-Khabar, An-Naskh (soke hukunci), da hukuncin 'illah wadda ta zo a cikin nassi dangane da Qiyas..." (Al-Muqaddimah, shafi na 455).

In his ‘Muqaddamah’ when discussing the ‘Ilm of Usool ul-Fiqh Ibn Khaldoon said: “The first who wrote in it was Ash-Shaafi’iy, may Allah be pleased with him. He dictated in it (the subject area) in his famous ‘Risaalah’ and in this he spoke about the commands and forbiddances, the Bayaan, the Khabar, An-Naskh (abrogation) and the Hukm of the ‘Illah that has come in the text in respect to Qiyaas...” (Al-Muqaddamah p455).

A cikin littafinsa "Ar-Risaalah", Ash-Shaafi'iy ya tsara matakan Adillah Al-Ijmaaliyyah, ya kuma sanya su a wuraren da suka dace: "Muna yanke hukunci bisa ga Littafi da Sunnah, wanda kan su aka cimma yarjejeniya a kai, babu sabani a cikinsa, kuma matsayinsa yana da muhimmanci, domin ba ya halatta a koma ga Qiyaas alhali kuwa Khabar (watau Sunnah) tana nan." (Historical study of Fiqh and its Usool – Dr. Mustafa Sa'eed, shafi na 181, Juzu'i na 1)

In his ‘Risaalah’ Ash-Shaafi’iy ordered (graded) the levels of the Adillah Al-Ijmaaliyyah and placed them in their positions: “We judge (or pass verdict) in accordance to the Kitaab and the Sunnah upon which a consensus has been formed, in which there is no difference and its position is essential, because it is not Halaal to resort to Qiyaas whilst the Khabar (i.e. Sunnah) is present” (Historical study of Fiqh and its Usool – Dr. Mustafa Sa’eed p181 Vol 1)