Fiqh: the rulings of Islam with their evidence
The main rulings of worship, family and trade, each with the Quran verses and the hadith it rests on, and where the four schools differ, in plain words.
30 topics
Purification (Taharah)
Wudu, ghusl, tayammum and the rules of menstruation: the key to the prayer.
Prayer (Salah)
The five prayers, their times, how to pray, the congregation, Friday, travel and illness.
- The five daily prayers: why they are obligatory and their place in Islam
- The times of the five prayers
- How to pray: the pillars and the steps
- Praying in congregation: its reward and its ruling
- The Friday prayer (Jumu'ah)
- The prayer of a traveller: shortening and combining
- Missed prayers: how to make them up
- Prayer in illness
Zakat
Who must pay, the nisab and rates, who receives it, and zakat al-fitr.
Fasting (Siyam)
Ramadan, what breaks the fast, excuses and making up, and voluntary fasts.
Hajj and Umrah
Who must perform Hajj, the rites in outline, and Umrah.
Marriage and family
The contract, the rights of the spouses, divorce and khul'.
Trade and finance (Mu'amalat)
Riba, the conditions of a sale and the rules of debts.
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How these pages are written
Every ruling starts from the Quran and the authentic Sunnah. The verses are shown from the Quran text of this website, and each hadith is shown in Arabic, with the book, the number and a link to sunnah.com.
Hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are accepted by the scholars of hadith. For the Sunan books, the page shows the grades that named scholars gave, so you can see where they agree or differ.
Where the four Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) differ, the difference is stated and no school is preferred. A person follows a qualified scholar or the school of their country.
Only well-known rulings are covered. The words of each answer are written by us. They are not copied from any book or fatwa.
This is general learning and not a fatwa. Rulings can depend on details of your situation. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar or your local Islamic authority.
Sources
- The Quran, in Arabic with the translation of the page language.
- The hadith library of this website: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and the Sunan of Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah, with the grades of named scholars.
- The recognised opinions of the four schools of fiqh on each question.
Fiqh questions
What is fiqh?
Fiqh is the knowledge of the practical rulings of Islam, taken from their detailed evidence in the Quran and the Sunnah: how to pray, fast, give zakat, marry, trade and more.
Which school of fiqh should I follow?
The four Sunni schools are all accepted. Most Muslims follow the school common in their country, and ask a scholar who teaches it. If you travel or move, you can follow a reliable scholar of another school. Avoid picking the easiest opinion each time without a reason.
Why do the schools differ?
They differ in how they understand some verses and hadith, in the authenticity they give to some reports, and in how they combine different evidence. Most differences are in details, and all four schools agree on the main pillars of the religion.
Are these pages a fatwa?
No. They explain well-known rulings with their evidence for general learning. A fatwa is an answer to a specific person's situation by a qualified scholar.
How do I know a hadith is authentic?
Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are accepted by the scholars. For other books, the grade given by named scholars (sahih, hasan or daif) is shown next to the hadith. If scholars grade it differently, all grades are shown.