Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh
The fiqh paper is examined mainly on the Shafi'i school, with comparative questions across the four schools. Usul al-fiqh supplies the reasoning apparatus: how a ruling is derived from a text, and what the texts mean in their generality, specificity and command form.
Core rules and concepts
- Sources: Qur'an, Sunnah, ijma', qiyas; subsidiary proofs include istishab, masalih mursalah, 'urf and the fatwa of a Companion.
- Ahkam taklifi: wajib, mandub, haram, makruh, mubah. Ahkam wad'i: sabab, shart, mani', sahih, fasid, batil, rukhsah and 'azimah.
- Command and prohibition: amr yields obligation unless a context indicates recommendation; nahy yields prohibition unless a context indicates dislike.
- 'Amm, khass, mutlaq, muqayyad, and mafhum al-muwafaqah (analogical implication) versus mafhum al-mukhalafah (contrastive implication).
- Qiyas needs four pillars: asl (the textual case), far' (the new case), hukm (the ruling) and 'illah (the effective cause). The 'illah must be a clear, suitable attribute that can be extended.
- Wudu' and salah basics are heavily tested: the obligatory acts of wudu', the conditions of prayer, the pillars (arkan) of prayer, and what invalidates it.
Worked example
Question: is nabidh (date infusion) prohibited by analogy? Derivation: asl is the verse 'khamr is an abomination' (5:90); hukm is prohibition; far' is nabidh; 'illah is intoxicating power (iskar). Since the 'illah is present in nabidh when it ferments, the ruling extends. If the 'illah is absent, as with a small quantity that does not intoxicate, the analogy does not apply - which is why the reasoning matters more than the verdict.
Traps that cost marks
- Listing qiyas as the fourth source but then using it without naming all four pillars.
- Mixing mafhum al-mukhalafah with mafhum al-muwafaqah in questions on 'daf' al-haraj' and similar.
- Treating a fasid contract as batil; they carry different consequences.
- Naming the rukhsah as 'azimah when a dispensation is intended.