Introductory Sources of Fiqh

Read the bilingual lesson for Introductory Sources of Fiqh and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Four Foundational Sources of Fiqh

The Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma', and Qiyas are four foundational sources of Fiqh. Each source has its own distinct role.

A source shows a recognized foundation of juristic knowledge; words such as Farz and Wajib name categories of rulings.

2. The Qur'an

The Qur'an is the Book of Allah and a foundational source of Islamic rulings. Juristic scholarship seeks to understand its Shari'ah guidance through a reliable scholarly method.

Recognizing the Qur'an as a source of Fiqh does not mean that anyone may independently derive a new ruling merely by reading a translation.

3. The Sunnah

In the source context, Sunnah means guidance transmitted from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and it is included among the foundational sources of Fiqh.

The sentence “this act is Sunnah” uses Sunnah as a ruling category, while “the Qur'an and Sunnah are sources” uses it in the source sense.

4. Ijma'

Ijma' is the agreement of the Ummah's qualified Mujtahids in a given era after the Prophet's passing on a Shari'ah ruling.

Not every agreement within a group or meeting is Ijma'; the term involves the qualified Mujtahids of a given era and a Shari'ah ruling.

5. Qiyas

Qiyas is a recognized usuli method for understanding a Shari'ah ruling, used by a qualified and trained Mujtahid. It is not a personal guess based merely on noticing an outward similarity between two things.

Scholarly work through Qiyas requires qualification and training; knowing its name alone does not confer that qualification.

Practice questions

Question 1

Which set presents the four foundational sources of Fiqh?

  • Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma', Qiyas
  • Farz, Wajib, Mubah, Haram
  • Faqih, Mujtahid, Mas'alah, Fatwa

Question 2

Match each term to its correct introductory role.

Question 3

In “this act is Sunnah,” Sunnah is a ruling category, while in “Sunnah is a source of Fiqh,” the same word is used in the source context.

Question 4

Which statement about Qiyas is correct?

  • Anyone can perform Qiyas by noticing an outward similarity
  • It is a recognized usuli method for understanding a Shari'ah ruling, used by a qualified and trained Mujtahid
  • It means choosing an answer according to personal preference

Question 5

If a few students in a class agree on something, does that automatically count as Ijma'?

  • Yes; every group agreement is Ijma'.
  • No; Ijma' is the agreement of the Ummah's qualified Mujtahids in a given era after the Prophet's passing on a Shari'ah ruling.
  • Yes, if there are four students.

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