I still remember when a brother once upon a time told me to start attending a fiqh class that was about to start in our local area. I had no idea what the word ‘fiqh’ even meant then, and I still remember asking that brother, “What is fiqh akhee?” Certainly, never did I imagine back then that I would really love and appreciate this Islamic science, which I never knew or even heard about previously! All praise is for Allah (SWT), Who guides and teaches us.
Undeniably, studying and understanding the knowledge of the Deen is a lofty station. Knowing one’s Deen is definitely a sign of goodness, something which is loved by Allah (SWT). It is reported in an authentic hadith that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “If Allah wants good for a person He gives him fiqh [understanding] of the Religion.” [al-Bukhari]. The opposite is also true; there is a weak hadith which states that, “Whoever does not learn the fiqh of his Deen, Allah does not care about him...” – this hadith is weak but the meaning is correct. This means that the reverse understanding [maf’hoom] of the authentic hadith of al-Bukhari is this weak hadith, i.e. “Whoever does not learn the fiqh of his Deen, Allah does not care about him...” Generally learning and studying fiqh is a towering post, it is nobility, it leads to taqwa of Allah (SWT) – in this light, one of the pillars of the
“Learn! For learning is an adornment for one who possesses it, a virtue and a prelude to every praiseworthy action. Profit each day by increasing [your] learning and swimming in the seas of beneficial knowledge. Give yourself up to the study of jurisprudence [fiqh], for the knowledge of jurisprudence [fiqh] is the best guide to piety and the fear of God, and it is the straight path to the ultimate goal. It is the milestone leading to the ways of proper guidance; it is the fortress that saves [one] from all hardship. Indeed one godly person versed in jurisprudence [fiqh] is more powerful against Satan than a thousand [ordinary] worshippers.”
What a profound and an insightful statement this is! The asl of this statement is actually from a hadith attributed to the Prophet (pbuh). So many benefits can be derived from this, and it shows us the importance and virtues of fiqh. It is rather sad to hear sometimes from people, when they make statements about fiqh that are not praiseworthy in itself, such as: “Fiqh does not increase my emaan!” or they may say, “Fiqh is a bit dry to study!” Perhaps, these statements are made because of certain preventing factors, which prevent the person form attaining the benefits of studying fiqh.
So what is fiqh? Az-Zarnooji said, “Jurisprudence [fiqh] is the science of the fine points of knowledge.” Furthermore Imam Abu Hanifa said, “Jurisprudence is a person’s knowledge of his rights and duties.” Attaining the fiqh of the Deen is not just praiseworthy action but it required from everyone to some degree.
For one to attain the fruits of his action, one must know how to perform that action well. Similarly, it is not reasonable for one to worship Allah (SWT), by which, one prevents himself from entering Hell-Fire and attains admittance into
Comprehension of the Deen is important as it leads to useful knowledge upon which righteous actions depend. It is one of qualities of the seekers of knowledge to gain understanding of Islam by deriving the issues of fiqh by applying the [comprehensive] principles. This takes much exercise and by immersing oneself in the sea of knowledge under the supervision of the scholars; behind knowledge of the deen is gaining understanding. Gaining of understanding; regarding this, Bakr Abu Zayd said, “It is this characteristic in particular that gives you precise distinction and the correct gauge as to the extent of your acquisition [of knowledge], and the ability to derive [rulings]...”
We will end with a few of the many personal benefits that were attained from studying fiqh with a teacher who loves to teach fiqh also:
Having confidence, that the action performed was done in the best way and Insha-Allah it will be accepted.
It drives a person to keep away from performing an act heedlessly.
It gives tranquillity in the heart; free from satanic whispers and doubts.
Having hope that we are amongst the people that Allah (SWT) loves and not be among those people Allah (SWT) does not care about.
The understanding gives one the confidence to teach and help others.
The fiqh shows the great wisdoms behind the Shar’iah.
The One Who legislated the Shar’iah is Al-Aleem Al-Haakim [All-Knowing and All-Wise] about His creatures.
Fiqh actually increases one’s emaan! This especially occurs when a teacher can inter-link the fiqhi rulings with Allah (SWT), the ‘Aims of the Shar’iah’ and etc.
If the teacher has a passion for a subject, it derives the students to love that subject also.
It prevents one from thinking in ‘black and white’, anti-Dhahiri!!!
It gives one more of a dynamic mind frame.
Fiqh leads to learning of more detailed fiqh; it is never-ending.
Finally, to some extent, it starts to makes one wiser in the way one views things and one starts to attain some wisdom.
Subhan-Allah! Even the ways the classic fiqh books are arranged are full of wisdom. Initially, we start to study the ‘The Book of Purification’ as this is a pre-requisite for what comes next, ‘The Book of Prayers’, which is followed by the other acts of ibaadah. Mu’amalat [transactions] is studied after ibaadah – as it is ‘need’ for one to know about these matters, it is required in our daily lives. The fiqh books are arranged in such a manner that it is like a ‘process of life’ from the beginning to the end of the book. Straight after ibaadah, one studies ‘The Book of Trade’– which is a ‘need’ for our living, following this, comes ‘The Book of Marriage’, once we know about buying and selling we are able to move on to marriage because without the knowledge buying and selling we cannot deal with marriage. The fiqh books are arranged in this manner with wisdom. One scholar may vary from another scholar.
In conclusion, there is a lot of goodness in learning fiqh; one should immerse himself in the study of fiqh. It allows a person to build in ones deen and allows one organise his deen and dunya like the beads of a necklace. And Allah (SWT) knows best.
Abu Siyaam
