Usul al-Fiqh for Beginners

Risālat al-Laṭīfah, a beginner-friendly study of the fundamental principles used in deducing Islamic rulings, offers an explanation of the work by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī. The text covers what is considered evidence in Islam, the various types of Islamic rulings, and the key principles scholars use to derive rulings from the Qurʾān, Sunnah, and other sources, providing an introduction to the tools and methodology employed in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and helping students understand how rulings are applied to various situations.

Taught by Shaykh ʿAbdulwāḥid Stephenson, the course focuses on guiding beginner students through the foundational framework of Islamic legal theory and methodology with clarity and precision.

Students will learn:

• What constitutes evidence in Islamic law, including the Qurʾān, Sunnah, ijmāʿ (consensus), and qiyās (analogy)

• The various categories of Islamic rulings such as obligatory, prohibited, recommended, and permissible

• The principles that scholars use to derive rulings from authentic Islamic sources

• An understanding of how rulings are deduced in fiqh and their relevance to daily life

• The importance of following sound scholarly methodology in interpreting Islamic texts

An ideal course for the beginner student of knowledge who wishes to understand the fundamental principles used in deducing Islamic rulings.