Principles & Ethics of Ifta

A Study of Usul al-Ifta and Analysis of Contemporary Fatawa

Course Overview

This module is an extended two-year course that aims to cover the principles and ethics when researching, drafting and issuing fatwas. The first year will provide a foundational understanding of usul al-ifta outlined in Shaykh Akram’s recent publication, ‘ Al-Mu’tamad fi Usul al-Fatwa‘ whilst also exposing students to other writings on the methodology of issuing new legal rulings. These writings include selections from ‘Sharh Rasm al-Mufti’ by Ibn Abidin, ‘I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in’ by Ibn al-Qayyim, ‘Hujjat Allah al-Baligha’ by Shah Wali Allah, ‘Al-Muhalla’ by Ibn Hazm and Izz bin Abdul Salam’s ‘Qawaid al-Sughra’. The second year will consist of an analysis of classical and contemporary fatawa and case studies of original ijtihad that are of key interest to students of fiqh and ifta. These will be taken from classical works as well as Shaykh Akram’s book, ‘Fatawa wa Abhath Fiqhiyya Mu’asira‘, a selection of contemporary fatawa.

This course will provide a foundation for trainee muftis as they progress in their studies and research.

This module is part of our Ifta Specialisation Programme, which is also available to audit for advanced students of knowledge.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

Understand the basic theoretical and ethical principles of iftā’
Gain an understanding of how different scholars have viewed iftā’
Develop an appreciation of exemplary fatwas
Gain an understanding of the academic and ethical qualities expected of a muftī

Key Information:

Study Mode: LIVE Online
Day: Every Thursday
Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm (UK)
Class Dates: Thursday, 10th October 2024
Duration: 2 years (48 weeks over 6 terms)
Registration deadline: Tuesday 8th October

First Year:
Usul al-Ifta and Adab al-Mufti
Second Year:
Fatawa wa Abhath Fiqhiyya

Course Fees:
£500 in a single instalment (for 2 Academic Years)
£600 in three instalments (£200 payable in 3 instalments via bank transfer only. please contact admissions@alsalam.ac.uk by email for further details on payment options.)

(includes livestream + recorded access to classes for the duration of the course)

Module Outline

Course Breakdown
Week 1	Course Introduction & Overview
Week 2	Ibn al-Qayyim’s Iʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn
Week 3	Ibn al-Qayyim’s Iʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn
Week 4	Ibn al-Qayyim’s Iʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn
Week 5	Ibn al-Qayyim’s Iʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn
Week 6	Sharḥ ʿuqūd rasm al-muftī, pp.65-102
Week 7	Sharḥ ʿuqūd rasm al-muftī, pp.103-146
Week 8	Sharḥ ʿuqūd rasm al-muftī, pp.147-185
Week 9	Break
Week 10	Break
Week 11	Muʿtamad: Intro & chapter 1
Week 12	Muʿtamad: chapter 2
Week 13	Muʿtamad: chapter 3
Week 14	Muʿtamad: chapter 4
Week 15	Muʿtamad: chapter 5
Week 16	Muʿtamad: chapter 6 & khātima
Week 17	Ibn Ḥazm’s al-Muḥallā: Introduction
Week 18	Advice on iftā by al-Qarāfī
Week 19	Break
Week 20	Break
Week 21	Ḥujjat Allāh al-bāligha, I/44-65
Week 22	Ḥujjat Allāh al-bāligha, I/423-435
Week 23	Qawāʿid ṣughrā, pp.31-85
Week 24	Qawāʿid ṣughrā, pp.85-157
Week 25	al-Qawl al-mufīd
Week 26	ʿIqd al-jīd
Week 27	al-Būṭī on women
Week 28	al-Būṭī on women
Week 29	Break
Week 30	Break

Bibliography

Core Books	Details
Al-Nadwī, Akram	al-Muʿtamad fī uṣūl al-fatwā. Dār al-Muqtabas, Damascus, 2024.
Secondary Reading	Details
Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Muḥammad Amīn	Sharḥ ʿuqūd rasm al-muftī. Isam, Istanbul, 2020.
al-ʿIzz bin ʿAbd al-Salām	al-Fawā’id fī ikhtiṣār al-maqāṣid. Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, 1996.
Ibn al-Qayyim	Iʿlām al-muwaqqiʿīn. Dār ʿĀlam al-Fawā’id, Makka, 1437.
Ibn Ḥazm	al-Muḥallā bi ’l-āthār fi sharḥ al-mujallā bi ’l-ijtiṣār. Dār Ibn Ḥazm, Beirut, 2016.
Al-Qarāfī	al-Iḥkām fī tamyīz al-fatāwā. Maktab al-Maṭbūʿāt al-Islāmiyya, Ḥalab, 1995.
Shāh Walī Allāh	Ḥujjat Allāh al-bāligha. Dār Ibn Kathīr, Damascus, 2020.
Shāh Walī Allāh	ʿIdq al-jīd fī aḥkām al-ijtihād wa ’l-taqlīd. Dār al-Fatḥ, Sharja, 1995.
al-Shawkānī	al-Qawl al-mufīd fī adillat al-ijtihād wa ’l-taqlīd. Dār al-Kitāb al-Maṣrī, Cairo, 1990.
al-Būṭī	al-Mar’at bayna ṭughyān al-niẓām al-gharbī wa laṭāfāt al-tashrīʿ al-rabbānī. Dār al-Fikr, Damascus, 1996.

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