Ma'anar harshen daleel ita ce mai nuna alama (daleel), kuma kalmar daleel za a iya amfani da ita ga abin da yake da nuni da shiryarwa, kuma wannan shi ne abin da ake kira daleel a cikin ma'anar da masana fiqhu suka gindaya, inda suka bayyana shi da cewa: wanda idan mai bincike ya yi nazari sosai a cikinsa, zai kai ga abin da ake nema da bayani (matloub khabari). Amma daleel a fagen usulul fiqh (tushen fiqhu), sun bayyana shi da cewa: abin da yake kai wa ga sani game da abin da ake nema da bayani, a wata kalmar kuma shi ne abin da ake ɗauka a matsayin hujja, (don tabbatar da) cewa abin da ake nema hukunci ne na shari'a.

The linguistic meaning of the (word) daleel is the indicator (daleel), and the word daleel can be used for what has indication and guidance, and this is what is named daleel in the definition set by the jurisprudents, as they defined it by: which the correct scrutinize in it leads to an announced request (matloub khabari). As for the daleel of the usoul (principals); they defined it by: what leads to the knowledge about the announced request, in another word it is that which is taken as evidence, (to prove) that what is searched for is a shari'ahi verdict.

Kowace hujjar shari'a tana nuna hukunci ko dai da tabbaci, ko kuma ba tare da tabbaci ba. Idan hujja tana nuna hukunci da tabbaci, saboda an isar da ita da tabbaci kamar Alkur'ani da hadisin mutawatir, kuma ma'anarta ma tana da tabbaci, to babu wata jayayya game da yin la'akari da ita. Idan kuma tana nuna hukunci ba tare da tabbaci ba, amma asalinta (isarwarta) tana da tabbaci kamar Alkur'ani da hadisin mutawatir, ita ma ana la'akari da ita. Idan asalinta ba shi da tabbaci kamar hadisin ahad (wanda mutum ɗaya ko fiye da haka suka ruwaito ba tare da yaɗuwa ba), to wajibi ne a tabbatar da shi, watau a tabbatar da ingancin hadisin kafin a yanke shawarar karɓarsa, kuma bai dace a karɓe shi ba tare da sharaɗi ba. Idan hadisin ya inganta (sahihi), to dole ne a karɓe shi koda ma ba shi da tabbaci, domin khabarin ahad wanda isarwarsa ta inganta ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin hujja, koda kuwa asalinsa ba shi da tabbaci. Tabbatarwar kuma ita ce sanin ingancinsa da kwanciyar hankali cewa Annabi (SAW) ne ya faɗe shi. Hujjojin shari'a suna da nau'i biyu. Na farko yana da alaƙa da kalmomi (maganganun) nassi da abin da ma'anarsu ta zahiri (mantouq) da ma'anarsu ta fahimta (mafhoum) ke nunawa. Na biyu yana da alaƙa da ma'anar hankali (ma'qoul) ta nassi, watau yana da alaƙa da illar shari'a (dalilin doka). Nau'in farko shi ne littafin Allah Ta'ala, da Sunnah, da Ijma'in Sahabbai. Nau'in na biyu kuwa shi ne Ƙiyas, wato auna ta malamai (kwatanci), wanda yana buƙatar illar shari'a da take bayyana a cikin nassin shari'a.

Every shari'ahi daleel indicates the verdict decisively or indecisively. If the daleel indicates decisively, for it is decisively transmitted like the Qur’an and the motawaatir hadeeth, and its indication is also decisive; there is no dispute over its consideration, and if it indicates the verdict indecisively, but its origin (transmission) is decisive like the Qur’an and the motawaatir hadeeth; it is also considered. If its origin is indecisive like the ahaad (individually narrated) hadeeth, then it is a must to verify it, i.e. making sure of the authenticity of the hadeeth before deciding to accept it, and it is not right to accept it unrestrictedly. If the hadeeth is veritable (sahih); it must be accepted even if it is indecisive, because the individually narrated (khabar) that has an authentic issuance is considered as an evidence, even if its issuance is indecisive, and the verification is to know the authenticity and to be tranquilled that it is issued by the prophet (SAW). The shari'ahi evidences are of two types: one of them is related to the expressions (words) of the text and what is denoted by their literal meaning (mantouq) and their connotation (mafhoum). The second type is related to the reasoned meaning (ma’qoul) of the text, i.e. related to the shari'ahi illah (reason of the legislation). As for the first type of the evidences: that is the book (of Allah Ta’ala), the Sunnah and the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah (consensus of the Sahaabah). The second type is the (Qyas) scholarly measuring (analogy), which needs the shari'ahi illah that is showed in the shar,i text.

Ba a ɗaukar dalili a matsayin dalili na shari'a sai dai idan ya fito daga Manzon Allah ﷺ, ko dai ta hanyar nassi ko ta hanyar abin da nassi ya nuna, wanda yake da alaƙa da nassin; in ba haka ba, ba a ɗaukarsa dalili na shari'a ba. Dangane da nassi, tabbas dalili ne, ko an karanta shi, wanda aka saukar da shi a matsayin lafazi da ma'ana, kuma wannan shi ne Alkur'ani, ko ba a karanta shi ba, wanda aka saukar da shi a matsayin ma'ana, Manzon Allah ﷺ kuma ya bayyana shi ta hanyar maganarsa, aikinsa da amincewarsa, kuma wannan shi ne Sunnah. Dangane da abin da nassi ya nuna, ana ɗaukarsa dalili idan ma'anarsa tana da alaƙa da nassin kansa (ba da ijtihadi ba), kuma wannan shi ne Ijma'in Sahabbai da Kiyas. Dangane da Ijma'in Sahabbai, ana ɗaukarsa dalili na shari'a saboda yana nuna cewa akwai dalili daga nassi (Sunnah), kuma bayyanarsa tana sa dalilinsa ya kasance da alaƙa da nassin kansa. Haka kuma nassosin da suka fito daga Manzon Allah ﷺ sun nuna cewa ana ɗaukar Ijma'insu a matsayin dalili. Hakan ya faru ne domin a cikin Alkur'ani da Hadisi akwai abin da ya yabi Sahabbai a fili, kuma ya ƙarfafa koyi da su, kuma domin sun ga Manzon Allah ﷺ a cikin maganarsa, aikinsa da shirunsa (amincewarsa). Don haka, yarjejeniyarsu a kan wani al'amari tana nuna cewa sun ga dalili a kan wannan al'amari, kuma ya shahara a wurinsu, don haka suka yi ijma'i a kan hukuncin shari'a ba tare da sun ruwaito dalilin ba. Bisa wannan, Ijma'in Sahabbai ana ɗaukarsa hujja ta shari'a wadda za a iya dogara da ita, dangane da abin da nassin shari'a ya nuna a kansa, kuma dangane da hakan yana nuna cewa akwai dalili, don haka dalilin Ijma'i yana da alaƙa da nassin kansa. Dangane da Kiyas, dalilinsa yana da alaƙa da nassin kansa, domin nassosi ko dai suna ɗauke da illolin shari'a (dalilan hukunci) ko kuma ba sa ɗauke da su. Idan nassi ya ƙunshi illa, to illar tana zama hujja duk inda ta samu, kuma qiyas zai dogara a kanta, kuma wannan shi ne qiyas na shari'a. Idan nassi bai ƙunshi illa ba, to babu qiyas. Haka kuma nassosin da suka zo daga Manzon Allah ﷺ sun nuna cewa qiyas abin la'akari ne a matsayin dalilin shari'a; Manzon Allah ﷺ ya yi shiryarwa zuwa ga qiyas kuma ya amince da shi. Saboda haka, qiyas ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin dalilin shari'a da hujjar da za a iya dogara da ita wajen yanke hukunci, dangane da illar shari'a da ke cikin nassi. Don haka hujjar qiyas tana da alaƙa da nassin kansa, domin nassin shari'a ne ya nuna ta.

The evidence is not considered to be shari'ahi unless it came from The Messenger (SAW) either through the text or what the text denotes, which is related to the text, otherwise it is not considered to be shari'ahi daleel. As for the text, it is certainly a daleel, whether it is recited which was revealed as text and meaning, and that is the Qur’an, or not recited, which was revealed as meaning, and The Messenger (SAW) expressed it by His words, action and approval, and that is the Sunnah. As for what the text denoted, that is considered to be a daleel if its denotation is related to the text itself (not to the ijtihaad), and that is the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah, and the Qyas. As for the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah, it is considered to be shari'ahi daleel because it discloses that there is a daleel of the text (the Sunnah), and its disclosure makes the evidence for it related to the text itself, and also the texts which came from The Messenger (SAW) denoted the consideration of their Ijmaa’ as a daleel. That is because there came in the Qur’an and in the Hadeeth what explicitly praised the Sahaabah and considered imitating them, and because they saw the Messenger (SAW) in the state of His speech, deed and silence (approval). So their consensus on a matter denotes that they had seen a daleel (for that matter), and it became famous to them, so they had an Ijmaa’ on the shari'ahi verdict without narrating the daleel of it. Upon that the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah Is considered to be shari'ahi evidence and a proof which can be based on, with regard to the denotation of the shari'ahi text on it, and with regard to that, it discloses that there is an evidence, so the evidence for the Ijmaa’ is related to the text itself. As for the Qyas; its evidence is related to the text itself, because the texts are either containing ilal (reasons of the legislation) or not containing ilal. If the text contains illah, then the illah is considered to be a proof where ever it exists, and the Qyas will be based on it, and this is the shari'ahi Qyas. If the text does not contain illah, then there is no Qyas (analogy). Also the texts which came from the Messenger (SAW) denoted the consideration of the Qyas as shari'ahi evidence; the Messenger (SAW) had guided to the Qyas and approved it. Accordingly the Qyas is considered to be a shari'ahi daleel and a proof on which verdicts can be based, with regard to the shari'ahi illah contained in the text. So the evidence on the Qyas is related to the text itself, because the shari'ahi text denoted it.