Fiqh-us Sunnah - Introduction

English Translation by Muhammad Sa'eed Dabas, Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo, Abdul-Majid Khokhar & M. S. Kayani.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah was written by Sayyid Saabiq (1915-2000 C.E.), may Allaah have mercy on him. The following information is taken from his obituary in the March 2, 2000 Daily News of IANA Radionet.

"...Sabiq's most famous book was the three-volume Fiqh As-Sunnah, which in the first writing of its kind brought the four major madhahib together, in a comprehensive treatment of Fiqh matters. The book has since been translated into dozens of languages and is used by Muslims throughout the world. Sabiq wrote Fiqh As-Sunnah in the 1940s when he was only 30 years old. He wrote the book at the request of Ustadh Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Every Fiqh ruling in the book goes back to the Qur'an and Sunnah and Sabiq dealt with all four madhahib objectively, with no preferential treatment to any. Sabiq also wrote the book, "Islamic Theology," along the same lines: simplification and avoidance of overphilosophization or getting involved in disputes on arcane topics. Besides his academic work, Sabiq was a noted Islamic activist.

Fiqh-us Sunnah - Background

As we strive as Muslims to remain on the straight path, we need to discern the right from the wrong in every aspect of our life. The Shari`ah (sacred law) and the Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) provide us with the rulings in different matters. In the following sections, simple definitions of shari`ah and fiqh are given.