Fiqh Archives - AlJumuah Magazine

The Inward Requirements of Fasting | Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

PRAISE BE TO Allah who has thwarted the hopes of Satan and frustrated his designs by making fasting a bulwark and a shield for his righteous servants; who taught them that the way of Satan to their hearts lies in secret lust;…

Learning Fiqh: Practical Steps | Abu Aaliyah Surkheel Sharif

ACCORDING TO IMAM Al-Nawawi (d.676 H/1277 CE), there are two opinions as to whether a lay person is obligated to follow a particular school of law (mathhab) or not. He stipulates: What the proof necessitates is that a layman is not required…

Contemporary Nullifiers of Fasting | Part 1

In recent decades many developments in medical testing and treatment have posed fiqh challenges and raised original legal questions for Muslim jurists across nearly all the sub-disciplines of Islamic Law. But this has been particularly true with regard to siyam, or fasting—especially…

Deconstructing Riba

DEEP DOWN INSIDE, we all want something for nothing. We love delicious fruits and vegetables, but don’t want to have to grow and pick them ourselves. We want a nice house, but don’t want to have to sweat for it. We want…

Qur’anic Interpretation | Part 2 | Tadabbur and the Need for Scholarly Explanation

IN PART ONE of this series, we addressed the basic misconceptions that cause Muslims to be deprived of the real message and infinite wisdom of the Quran. On the one hand, many self-proclaimed interpreters, denying the need for recourse to any classical…

Allowance for Movement in Salâh: An Explanation Based on Ibn Hajar Al-ʿAsqalâni’s Fath Al-Bâri

AL-AZRAQ IBN QAYS said: “We were in Al-A ḥwâz [a district near Al-Ba ṣra, between present day ʿIrâq and Iran] fighting the Harûrîyyah [the Khawârij, who fought against ʿAlî. They were called Harûriyyah because their initial base was in Ḥarûrâ’, a now…

Why Scholars Disagree? (2)

WE CONTINUE with issues resulting from the collecting and weighing of evidence and why scholars may rule differently based on the evidence they have, or have not, received—and their trust in it. 3. The scholar receives a hadith that, in fact, is abrogated and…

Rulings Regarding Zakat Al-Fitr: A Cleansing and Enriching Obligatory Charity (part 2)

We continue from Part 1, wherein was discussed the meaning and purpose of this pillar of Islamic faith, as well as modern equivalencies and who is required to pay Zakat Al-Fitr. When is the Zakat Al-Fitr Payment Due? Imam Shâfiʿi and Imam…

Seeking Cure with Ruqya and the Quran | (Part 2 of 2)

Various rulings about Ruqyah that is permissible and impermissible

Ṣalah: The Deep Reach of Islamic Prayer Part 3 of 3

Why Ṣalâh? What are the beneficial ends accomplished for the individual Muslim and for his community by their proper practice of Ṣalâh? Part III: Summary of the Comprehensive Benefits Accomplished by Ṣalâh: Spiritual, Physical, Social, and Personal Development The totality of benefits…