Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 963 [Read full issue]
Fiqh of Faith
"If God wishes to elevate someone, God grants him knowledge (fiqh) of the faith." [Bukhari]
Knowledge (fiqh) is not only about the judicial rulings pertaining to the practical rituals and social aspects of the faith. In principle, fiqh refers to the deep understanding and full comprehension of Islamic law and its different rulings.
In Islamic law, there are principles (usul) and secondary issues (furu). Principles have priority over secondary issues. There are obligations and optional good deeds. Obligations have priority over optional deeds. There are major sins and minor sins. Avoiding major sins takes priority over avoiding minor sins. The action of the heart is more important than the action of other organs of the body, and thus has a higher priority. The sin committed in the heart is more dangerous than the sin committed by the other organs. And so on. Be aware of those differences and their implications; otherwise, one may be following a whim and not a proper understanding of Islamic law. Without a knowledge of priorities, one may follow outward appearances. For example, if you have some money by which you can either perform the pilgrimage or help in improving the building of a mosque, a proper understanding entails that you perform the pilgrimage first. The pilgrimage is an obligation and one of the pillars of Islam, and thus it has to be performed first, whereas improving or beautifying the building of a mosque is optional and in fact not required.
However, if this money is needed for medication for an elderly parent, for example, then you should spend this money on them and delay the performance of pilgrimage. Taking care of one's parents is an immediate obligation, while pilgrimage is an obligation that can be delayed. Doing the opposite is a sign of following one's whims, not proper knowledge.
Unfortunately, in present-day societies and communities, some people claim that they follow the Prophet's (peace be upon him) way of life, that is, his way of dressing, his outward appearance, his way of sitting, the colour of his clothes, and so forth. Yet, the very same people may mistreat their parents, amass a fortune through corruption, misuse the public trust or resources, or curse and backbite against people. In other words, they fulfil the outward but miss the obligatory.
Compiled From:
"A Journey to God: Reflections on the Hikam of Ibn Ataillah" - Jasser Auda