Foundations of Islamic Law

• Survey the four main sources of Islamic law—the Qur'an, the Sunna, analogy, and consensus—and understand how these four sources are used to determine legal rulings
• Investigate the transmission and preservation of the Qur'an and Sunna
• Explore the history of Islamic law, from the time of the companions until the time of the mujtahid imams, along with how the schools of Islamic law emerged and their legal methodologies were established
• Address issues related to answering the important question: can Islamic law deal with the challenges of our times?

• There are no required prerequisites.
• Estimated Commitment Per Week: 3-4 hours for core requirements
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• LESSON 1
  The Need for Religion & Law
  • the purpose of religion
  • the need for law
  • the reason law needs to be Divine
• LESSON 2
  Divine Revelation: The Qur'an
  • the reality of revelation
  • how we know the Qur'an is from Allah
  • central themes of the Qur'an
• LESSON 3
  The Prophetic Sunna
  • the need for the sunna
  • the sunna as proof
  • the central themes of the sunna
• LESSON 4
  The Preservation and Transmission of the Qur'an and Sunna
  • how the Qur'an was memorized, written, and preserved
  • the various modes of the transmission of the Sunna
  • the text of the Qur'an
  • the reliability of hadith
• LESSON 5
  The Question of Transmission: How the Meanings of the Qur'an & Sunna were Preserved and Explained
  • establishing a methodology for the transmission of religion
• LESSON 6
  Early Islamic Law
  • Islamic Law in the generation of the Companions, Followers, and Early Muslims (salaf), until the Age of the Mujtahid Imams
• LESSON 7
  The Sunni Schools of Law
  • the emergence of the Four Schools
  • the methodology of the Four Schools
  • Why did only four schools remain?
• LESSON 8
  Secondary Sources of Law: Analogy and Consensus
  • how rulings are derived for matters not dealt with in the primary texts
  • the conditions for sound legal analogy
  • consensus (ijma') - its reality, role, benefit, and scope
• LESSON 9
  The Principles of Textual Interpretation and the Examples of Difference of Opinion
  • how meanings are derived from the primary texts
  • how differences in interpretative methodology lead to differences in rulings
  • the need for interpretative methodology and its conditions
  • valid and invalid differences in interpretation
• LESSON 10
  The Purpose of Law & the Need for Qualified Scholarship (Taqlid)
  • the religious benefit of seeking qualified scholarship
  • the legal need for following qualified scholarship
  • the legal and religious conditions of scholars of scholars whose legal opinions are taken
• LESSON 11
  Living the Law in the Modern World
  • understanding the purpose and spirit of the law
  • principles by which rulings may change with changing times, societies, cultures, and circumstances
  • Muslims as minorities
• LESSON 12
  Dealing with the Challenges of Modernity
  • human rights
  • pluralism
  • women's rights

The Western media is obsessed with Islamic law and its application in the modern world. Issues such as the Shariah's perceived incompatibility with democracy and human rights, or criticism of the seemingly harsh punishments for theft, adultery, and apostasy, are commonly discussed and written about. So what is the truth behind these claims? How was Islamic law developed? How do we know that the Shariah as we understand it today is indeed Divine law as taught through Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him? Is Islamic law compatible with modernity?

Foundations of Islamic Law will address and expand upon these questions. This fascinating course will survey the four main sources of Islamic law—the Qur'an, the Sunna, analogy, and consensus—and explain how these four sources are used to determine a legal ruling. The transmission and preservation of the Qur'an and Sunna will be investigated. The history of Islamic law, from the time of the companions until the time of the mujtahid imams will also be explored, along with how the schools of Islamic law emerged and their legal methodologies were established. Finally, the application and relevance of Islamic law to us as individuals, communities, and societies in the modern world will be examined.

By the end of this course, you will understand the need for religion and divine law. You will comprehend the basis for the Qur'an being the Book of God, including how we know it is from God, how it was preserved, and its key themes and teachings. You will also recognize the importance of the Sunna as law, and how we know the Sunna has been reliably transmitted. In addition, you will understand how the teachings and meanings of the Qur’an and Sunna were applied and systematized. You will learn about the historical development of the schools of Islamic law and their legal methodologies. Finally, you will appreciate the need for qualified scholarship, as well as understand the legal and religious conditions of reliable scholarship. Through learning about these issues, you will also be able to answer the important question: can Islamic law deal with the challenges of our times?

Some of the many questions addressed in this course are:

• Why do laws need to be divine?
• Was the text of the Qur'an ever changed?
• How do we know that the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, were reliably transmitted?
• What are the conditions of sound legal analogy?
• How does consensus between scholars work?
• Did the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, establish a methodology for the transmission of religion?
• How did the four Sunni schools of law emerge, and why did only these four remain?
• Why are there differences of opinion on the meaning of the same verse from the Qur'an?
• How do we apply Islamic law in the modern world?
• Can Islam deal with the challenges of modernity? What about the many common criticisms of Islamic law as backward, anti-woman, harsh, and rigid?

• Pre-recorded lessons and weekly live sessions will be conducted by Sh. Faraz.
• All live lessons will be recorded, so that you can hear lessons you miss or review key concepts.
• Printable course slides will add structure to lessons.
• Self-study drills help you retain key lesson points.
• Two review assignments solidify your understanding of the material.
• Related readings and resources will be provided for each lesson, such as Ulum al-Qur'an, The Probativeness of the Sunna, Authority of the Sunna, Usul al-Fiqh, and The Reader on the Way of Sunni Islam.
• You can post questions and engage in discussion in the course forum.
• Sh. Faraz will hold weekly office hours.

• Taken this course? Submit a review.
• "I would recommend this particular course to others because it really helped provide a structured and focussed introduction to the foundations of Islamic Law."
  Syed Ahmed, 30
  Software Architect, Sydney, Australia
• "Alhamdulillah, the course benefited me a lot. I was hoping to strengthen my foundations and the course did help me do that to a great extent. I had a lot of questions due to the lack of background knowledge , and the course answered most of them...Shaykh Faraz (may Allah preserve him) possesses great treasures of knowledge and it was an honor being his student. Not only does he teach the content of the course, but he would go above and beyond and relate certain instances and share stories, pertaining to the course material."
  Maria Iqbal, 22
  Pharmacy Technician, Calgary, Canada