Usul al-fiqh — fiqh metodologiyasini, ya’ni fiqh hukmlarini chiqarish usullariga oid qoidalar majmuasidir. Ibn al-Hojib uni quyidagicha ta’riflagan: „Mujtahid tafsily dalillardan amaliy huquqiy hukmlarni chiqaradigan qoidalar.”2

Usul al-Fiqh is the collection of principles pertaining to the methodology for the extraction of Fiqh. Ibn al-Hajib defined it as, „the principles by which the mujtahid derives the legal rules of conduct from the specific evidences‟.2

Usul al-fiqh tushunchasi ilmiy tajriba o'tkazishda metodologiyaga rioya qilishga o'xshaydi. Xuddi shunday, fiqh (hukmlar) ni chiqarishda metodologiyaga rioya qilish usul al-fiqh deb ataladi. Bu metodologiya inson uchun Islomdagi qonunchilik manbalaridan islomiy hukmlarni chiqarish yo'lini ta'minlaydi.

The concept of Usul al-Fiqh is comparable to adhering to the methodology when conducting a scientific experiment. Similarly, adhering to the methodology in deriving Fiqh (rulings) is referred to as Usul al-Fiqh. This methodology provides a way for a person to derive Islamic rulings from the legislative sources in Islam.

Usul al-Fiqh bo'yicha qoidalarning to'plamlari ko'p. Quyidagi bo'limda ushbu qoidalardan bir nechtasi ko'rib chiqiladi.

The collections of principles related to Usul al-Fiqh are many. A few examples of these rules are discussed in the following section.

Huquqiy hukmlarni chiqarish uchun muayyan manbalarni qabul qilish usul al-fiqhning muhim mavzularidan biridir. Qur'on, Sunnat, Ijmo' as-sahoba (sahobalarning ijmo'i) va Qiyos (o'xshatish orqali xulosa chiqarish) islomdagi to'rtta manbadir va ularni deyarli barcha olimlar qabul qilgan. Biroq, Maslahai mursala (ommaviy manfaatlar) yoki Ijmo' al-ummah (ummatning ijmo'i) kabi boshqa qo'shimcha manbalar ham mavjud bo'lib, ular keng qabul qilinmagan.

Adopting specific sources to derive laws is a major subject in Usul al-Fiqh. The Qur‟an, Sunnah, Ijma‟ as-Sahabah (consensus of the companions) and Qiyas (analogical deduction) are four sources in Islam, which are accepted by almost all of the scholars. However, there are other additional sources such as Maslahah al Mursalah (public interests) or Ijma‟ al Ummah (consensus of the Ummah), which are not widely accepted.

Arab tilining qoidalari oyat yoki hadisning tuzilishini tushunishda muhim ahamiyatga ega. Arab tilining grammatik qoidalari oyat yoki hadisning ma'nosini belgilaydi. Shu sababli, grammatika qoidalarini va ularni qo'llashni bilish Usul al-fiqhda arab tilidan foydalanishning bir yo'nalishidir.

Within the Arabic language, there are rules for understanding the structure of an Ayah or a Hadith. The rules of grammar in the Arabic language define the meaning of the Ayah or Hadith. Therefore, understanding the rules of grammar and their application is one use of the Arabic language in Usul al-Fiqh.

Qur'on va Sunnat matnini to'g'ri tushunilmasa, undan hech qanday hukmni chiqarib bo'lmaydi. Qur'on va Sunnat matnining lingvistik tuzilishi bir uslubdan boshqasiga qarab farqlanadi. Bu lingvistik uslublarga misollar: zanniy (taxminiy matn), qat'iy (aniq matn), omm (umumiy matn), xos (xususiy matn), haqiqiy (to'g'ri ma'noli matn) va majoziy (ko'chma ma'noli matn). Bu uslublarni ajratish va farqlash qoidalari Usul al-fiqh fanining muhim mavzusidir.

Unless the text of the Qur‟an and Sunnah is correctly understood, no ruling can be deduced from it. The linguistic structure of the text in Qur‟an and Sunnah varies from one style to another. Some examples of these linguistic styles are: Dhanni (speculative text), Qata‟i (definitive text), „Aam (general text), Khass (specific text), Haqiqi (literal text), and Majaazi (metaphorical text). The rules to distinguish and differentiate between these styles are an important subject in Usul al-Fiqh.

Qur'on va Sunnat matnlarini tushunishda yana bir muhim jihat — Qur'on va Sunnatdagi hukmlarning nasxi (bekor qilinishi) masalalaridir. Nasx o'rganilganda quyidagi savollar ko'rib chiqiladi: nasx nimani anglatadi, uni boshqa oyatlar yoki hadislar bilan bog'liq holda qanday tushunish kerak va bu farqlarni qanday uyg'unlashtirish mumkin.

Another essential aspect involved in interpreting the text of the Qur‟an and Sunnah are issues surrounding abrogation of rulings from the Qur‟an and Sunnah. The study of abrogation involves issues such as, what constitutes abrogation, how to understand it in relation to other Ayahs or Ahadith, and how to reconcile these differences.

Ba'zi musulmonlar usul al-fiqhga hojat yo'q, deb da'vo qiladilar, ular Qur'on va Sunnat matniga to'g'ridan-to'g'ri murojaat qilib, hukmlarni o'zlari chiqarish mumkin, deb o'ylaydilar. Bunday da'vo aslida Islomni tushunishdagi jaholatni ko'rsatadi. Zarur vositalarga ega bo'lmasdan turib hukmlarni chiqarish mumkin emas. Bu vositalar Qur'on va Sunnat matnini tushunishga imkon beradi, matnni tushunmasdan turib esa hukmlarni ajratib olish mumkin bo'lmaydi.

Some Muslims claim there is no need for Usul al-Fiqh, thinking one can directly go to the text of the Qur‟an and Sunnah and derive laws. Such a claim really illustrates ignorance in understanding Islam. It is impossible to derive laws without being equipped with the necessary tools. These tools enable us to understand the text of the Qur‟an and Sunnah, and without understanding the text; one would not be able to extract laws.

Masalan, Qur’on va Sunnat matnini talqin qilishda arab grammatikasi qoidalarini bilmagan kishi, Ayat yoki Hadisdagi biror amal haqidagi buyruq harom (taqiqlangan) ekanligini yoki makruh (ma’qul bo‘lmagan) ekanligini ajrata olmaydi. Shu sababli hukmlarni chiqarish uchun Usul al-Fiqh zarur shartdir.