The Fiqh & Heart of Worship (FQH 101)

NOTE: To receive credit for this course, you must attend at least 70% of the classes in-person (i.e. 10 lectures). Students who attend less than 10 lectures will be switched to auditors.

Course Description

“Whoever Allah wishes good for, He gives them a deep understanding [fiqh] of their Deen.”

– Bukhari
 
“It is neither the meat nor the blood [of sacrificial animals] that reaches God. Instead, what reaches Him is the piety [taqwā] from within you.” (al-Ḥajj, 23:37)
 
“The Law without the Truth is ostentation, and the Truth without the Law is hypocrisy.”
– ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī
 
In this course the students will learn the legal rulings pertaining to purification, prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage based on a classical primer in the madhhab of their choice: Ḥanafī or Shāfiʿī. They will also explore the spiritual dimensions of these acts of worship.

Course Objectives

  1. To learn what Islamic law is all about in general, and the fiqh of the schools of Imām Abū Ḥanīfa and Imām Shāfiʿī in particular
  2. To appreciate the complexity and precision of Islamic law, and the meticulousness of our scholars
  3. To admit our own ignorance, and the need for learning
  4. To understand the difference between legal validity and divine acceptance
  5. To appreciate the incredible benefits and spiritual secrets of the acts of worship
  6. To cultivate a desire to improve the quality of our worship

Textbooks

  1. For Ḥanafī students: al-Shurunbulali, Abu ‘l-Ikhlas, Ascent to Felicity. White Thread Press.
  2. For Shāfiʿī students: Furber, Musa, The Accessible Conspectus. Islamosaic.
  3. For all students: Ghazali, Abu Hamid, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship. The Islamic Foundation.
“Whoever Allah wishes good for, He gives them a deep understanding [fiqh] of their Deen.”
– Bukhari
 
“It is neither the meat nor the blood [of sacrificial animals] that reaches God. Instead, what reaches Him is the piety [taqwā] from within you.” (al-Ḥajj, 23:37)
 
“The Law without the Truth is ostentation, and the Truth without the Law is hypocrisy.”
– ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī
 
In this course the students will learn the legal rulings pertaining to purification, prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage based on a classical primer in the madhhab of their choice: Ḥanafī or Shāfiʿī. They will also explore the spiritual dimensions of these acts of worship.
  1. To learn what Islamic law is all about in general, and the fiqh of the schools of Imām Abū Ḥanīfa and Imām Shāfiʿī in particular
  2. To appreciate the complexity and precision of Islamic law, and the meticulousness of our scholars
  3. To admit our own ignorance, and the need for learning
  4. To understand the difference between legal validity and divine acceptance
  5. To appreciate the incredible benefits and spiritual secrets of the acts of worship
  6. To cultivate a desire to improve the quality of our worship
  1. For Ḥanafī students: al-Shurunbulali, Abu ‘l-Ikhlas, Ascent to Felicity. White Thread Press.
  2. For Shāfiʿī students: Furber, Musa, The Accessible Conspectus. Islamosaic.
  3. For all students: Ghazali, Abu Hamid, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship. The Islamic Foundation.