Islamic jurisprudence

Islamic jurisprudence is the scholarly interpretation of Islamic sources into legal principles and rulings. It includes methods for deriving law and traditions of disagreement about their application.

Quran: The central scripture of Islam, regarded by Muslims as revelation to Muhammad. Jurists treat its text as a primary source of legal guidance.
Ijtihad: Independent juristic reasoning used to derive a ruling when no decisive text settles the issue. It describes the effort through which jurists formulate rulings from legal evidence.
Sharia: The divinely grounded path in Islam, encompassing religious guidance and norms of conduct. Jurisprudence interprets sources to articulate human understandings of this broader normative path.
Hanafi school: A Sunni school of Islamic law founded on the teachings of Abu Hanifa and developed by his students. Its doctrines illustrate one influential approach to legal reasoning and precedent.
Abu Hanifa: An eighth-century Muslim jurist whose teachings became the basis of the Hanafi school. His legal opinions and teaching circle helped establish an enduring juristic tradition.
Sunnah: The normative example of Muhammad, conveyed chiefly through reports about his words and actions. Its reports help establish rulings where the Quran is not explicit.
Taqlid: Following an established juristic authority or school without independently deriving the ruling from its sources. It contrasts with independent derivation while remaining a major mode of legal practice.
Fiqh: The human understanding of Islamic law developed through scholarly interpretation of its sources. The term names the body of doctrine produced by juristic interpretation.
Maliki school: A Sunni school of Islamic law associated with Malik ibn Anas and the tradition of Medina. Its distinctive use of Medinan practice demonstrates variation among Sunni methods.
Malik ibn Anas: An eighth-century Muslim jurist and hadith scholar associated with Medina and the Maliki school. His work and regional tradition shaped one of the earliest major Sunni schools.

Linked from 82 pages