A ma'anar harshe, Fiqh na nufin fahimta (Fahm), kamar yadda Allah (SWT) yake cewa:

Linguistically, Fiqh means understanding (Fahm), as in the saying of Allah (swt):

"Ba ma fahimtar (ma nafqahu) da yawa daga cikin abin da kake fada ba." (TMQ Hud: 91) watau, ba mu fahimta.

“We do not comprehend (ma nafqahu) much of what you say.” (TMQ Hud: 91) i.e. we do not understand.

A matsayin kalma ta ilimin shari'a, Fiqh yana da ma'ana biyu:

As a juristic term, Fiqh has two meanings:

A. Malamai masu ilimin Usul irin su Amidi, al-Zarkashi, al-Baydawi da Shawkani sun bayyana fiqh da cewa, „sanin al'amuran shari'a masu amfani da ake samo su daga hujjojinsu da aka yi bayani dalla-dalla a kansu (al-ad'illah al-tafsiliyyah)‟.1

A. The Usuli scholars such as Amidi, al-Zarkashi, al-Baydawi and Shawkani have defined fiqh as, „the knowledge of the practical Shar‟ai matters that are derived from their elaborated evidences (al-ad‟Illah al-tafsiliyyah)‟.1

Misali, masanin fiqihu zai san hukuncin batun zubar da ciki; ban da haka, zai kuma san yadda aka cire wannan hukunci da kuma daga ina aka samo shi.

As an example, a Faqih would know the ruling for the issue of abortion; in addition, he would know how and from where this ruling was extracted from.

B. Dukkan dokokin Musulunci. Wannan ma'anar tana daidai da kalmar Shari'ah.

B. All the Islamic laws. This definition is synonymous to the term Shari‟ah.

Sanin dokokin Shari'a waɗanda musulmi yake da wajibi ya bi a rayuwarsa farilla ce ta ɗaiɗaikun kowane musulmi, domin an umarce shi da ya gudanar da dukkan ayyukansa bisa ga dokokin da Mahaliccinsa, Allah (SWT), ya saukar. Wannan kuwa saboda kiran taklifi (dora nauyi) da Mai shari'a (Ash-Shari'i) ya yi wa bil'adama, da kuma wa muminai, kira ne mai hukunci ga kowa ko yana game da akida (imani) ko kuma ayyukan ɗan adam. Allah (SWT) ya ce:

Knowing the Shari‟ah rules with which a Muslim is obliged with in life is an individual duty upon every Muslim, as he is commanded to undertake all his actions according to the laws revealed by his creator, Allah (swt). This is because the address of accountability (Takleef) with which the Legislator (Ash-Shar‟i) addressed mankind, and addressed believers, is a decisive address to anyone whether it was about the creed (Iman) or human actions. Allah‟s (swt) says:

“Ba ya halatta ga wani mumini, namiji ko mace, idan Allah da ManzonSa suka yanke hukunci a kan wani al'amari, ya zama yana da zabi a cikin al'amarin.” (TMQ Al-Ahzab: 36)

“It is not for any believer, male or female, to have any option in any matter upon which Allah and His Messenger have judged.” (TMQ Al-Ahzab: 36)

Duk wanda ya aikata nauyin zarra na alheri zai gan shi, kuma duk wanda ya aikata nauyin zarra na sharri zai gan shi.

) “Whoever performs a particle‟s weight of good will see it, and whoever performs a particle‟s weight of evil will see it.” (TMQ Al-Zalzalah: 7-8)

Ranar da kowace rai za ta fuskanci dukan alherin da ta aikata da dukan sharrin da ta aikata, za ta yi fatan da an sami babban nisa tsakaninta da (mugun aikinta). Amma Allah yana gargadin ku game da Kansa.” (TMQ Al-Imran: 30)

“The Day that every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done and all the evil it has done, it will wish that there was a great distance between it and (its evil). But Allah cautions you about Himself.” (TMQ Al-Imran: 30)

"Kowane rai zai samu sakamakon dukkan abin da ya aikata."

“And each soul will be recompensed for all its actions.” (TMQ An-Nahl:111)

Takalifi (ɗawainiya) ya zo a cikin nassoshi a sarari, don haka Musulmi yana da alhakin ya takaita kansa ga dokokin Shari'a a duk lokacin da ya aikata wani aiki. Saboda haka, ya zama wajibi ga kowane Musulmi ya san dokokin Shari'a da yake ɗaure da su a wannan rayuwa. Amma neman ƙarin ilimi a sauran fannonin Shari'a farali ne na kifaya (wajibi na al'umma), ba farali na 'ayn (wajibi na kowane mutum ba), wato idan wasu mutane suka cika shi, to wajibi ya sauka daga sauran.

Accountability (Takleef) has come in a decisive manner in the texts, so a Muslim is accountable to restrict himself to the Shar‟a rules when he undertakes any action. Consequentially it becomes obligatory upon every Muslim to know the Shari‟ah rules with which he is bound by in this life. As for gaining further knowledge in other areas of the Shari‟ah this is a collective obligation (Fard ul Kifaya) not an individual duty (Fard ul Ayn) i.e. if some people fulfil this, then the obligation is lifted from the rest.

Wannan yana ƙarfafa abin da Anas bin Malik ya ruwaito, cewa: Manzon Allah ﷺ ya ce:

This is strengthened by what was narrated by Anas bin Malik who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

"Neman ilimi wajibi ne ga kowane Musulmi."(Ibn Majah)

“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.”(Ibn Majah)

Fiqh (ilimin fiqhu) wani bangare ne na dokoki wadanda musulmi yake daure da su a rayuwarsa, kamar ibadodi (Ibadat) da mu'amaloli (Mu'amalat). Saboda haka karatun fiqhu yana cikin abubuwan da suka wajaba ga musulmai. Akwai hadisai masu daraja da suke karfafa karatun fiqhu.

Jurisprudence (Fiqh) is part of the rules with which a Muslim is bound by in his life such as ritual worships („Ibadat) and social transactions (Mu‟amalat). Hence studying Fiqh is among the compulsory matters for Muslims. There are noble Ahadith encouraging the studying of fiqh.

An wallafa daga Mu'awiyya bin Abu Sufyan cewa Manzon Allah ﷺ ya ce:

It is narrated from Mu‟awiyya bin Abu Sufyan that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

"Wanda Allah ya nufa da alheri, Yana ba shi fahimtar addini." (Bukhari)

“The one for whom Allah wills good, He grants him fiqh in the deen.” (Bukhari)

Haka kuma Hazzam bin Hakeem ya ruwaito daga kawunsa, daga Manzon Allah ﷺ, wanda ya ce:

Also Hazzam bin Hakeem narrated from his uncle from the Messenger of Allah (saw) who said:

"Kuna cikin wani zamani da malamai masu fikihu suka yi yawa, masu magana kuwa kadan ne, masu bayarwa sun yi yawa, masu roƙo kuwa kadan ne; don haka aiki a wannan zamani ya fi ilimi falala. Za a yi kuma nan ba da jimawa ba wani zamani da malaman fikihu za su yi kadan, masu magana za su yi yawa, masu roƙo za su yi yawa, masu bayarwa kuwa kadan ne; don haka ilimi a wannan zamani ya fi aiki falala." Waɗannan hadisai a bayyane suke wajen nuna falalar fikihu da kuma ƙarfafa nazarinsa. An rawaito cewa Umar bin al-Khattab ya ce:

“You are in a time of many jurisprudents (fuqaha), few speakers, many who give and few who ask; so action in this time is better than knowledge. There will soon come a time of few jurisprudents, many speakers, many who beg and few who give; so knowledge in this time is better than action.” These ahadith are explicit in the virtue of fiqh and encouraging its study. It was narrated that Umar bin al-Khattab said:

"Mutuwar dubu ɗaya na masu ibada waɗanda ke yin salla da dare kuma suke bauta da rana ba ta da tsanani kamar mutuwar mutum ɗaya mai hankali, mai ilimi (Basir) na halal da haram na Allah." (Ahmad).

“The death of one thousand worshippers who pray at night and worships in the day is less serious than the death of one intelligent knower (Baseer) of the halal and haram of Allah.” (Ahmad).