A Faqih is to pass verdicts within the rules of the Islamic Law namely Shariah.

The most famous scholars of Fiqh in the history Muslims are the founders of the four schools of thought in Islam: Imam Malik, Imam Ash-Shafi'i, Imam Abu Hanifah, and Imam Ahmad.

Anything or action in Islam falls within the following five categories of Fiqh:

1. Fardh (Must): This category is a must for the Muslim to do such as the five daily prayers. Doing the Fardh counts as a good deed, and not doing it is considered a bad deed or a sin.

   It is also called Wajib except for Imam Abu Hanifah who makes Wajib a separate category between the Fardh and the Mubah.

    

2. Mandub (Recommended): This category is recommended for the Muslim to do such as extra prayers after Zuhr and Maghrib. Doing the Mandub counts as a good deed and not doing it does not count as a bad deed or a sin.

    

3. Mubah (Allowed): This category is left undecided and left for the person, such as eating apples or oranges. Doing or not doing the Mubah does not count as a good or bad deed.

   Intention of the person can change Mubah to Fard, Mandub, Makruh, or Haram.

   Other things could also change the status of the Mubah. For example, any Mubah becomes Haram if it is proven harmful, and any necessary thing to fulfill a Fardh is a Fardh too.

    

4. Makruh (Hated): This category is a detested and hated such as growing very long fingernails or sleeping on the stomach. Not doing the Makruh counts as a good deed and doing it does not count as a bad deed.

    

5. Haram (Prohibited): This category is prohibited for the Muslim to do such as stealing and lying. Doing the haram counts as a bad deed and not doing it counts as a good deed.

    

"Fiqh literally means, the true understanding of what is intended. An example of this usage can be found in the Prophet Muhammad's [saaws] statement?: "To whosever Allah wished good, he gives the Fiqh (true understanding) of the deen". Technically, however, fiqh referes to the science of deducing Islamic Laws from evidence found in the sources of Islamic law. By extension it also means the body of Islamic laws so deduced." -Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips in: 'The Evolution of Fiqh'

1. Ascribing a hadeeth back to the one who said it - connecting the chain of narration, and
2. The chain of narrators which reaches back to the text - which is the same as "as-sanad"

1. That it be narrated by a large number of people. Scholars differ about the actual number required
2. That this number is found in every level of the isnaad
3. That it is impossible that they could have gathered together upon a lie

The difference between it and the Qur’aan - The most obvious differences are:

1. As for the Qur’aan, then its meaning and wording is from ALLAH and the hadeeth qudsee, its meaning is from ALLAH and its wording from the Prophet (saaws).
2. The Qur’aan is recited in Prayer as part of worship, but the hadeeth qudsee is not.
3. The Qur’aan is all mutawaatir and the hadeeth qudsee does not have to be.

Compilations of ahaadeeth qudseeyyah:

• "al-Ittihaafaatus-Saniyyah bil Ahaadeethil Qudseeyyah" - `Abdur-Ra’oof al-Manaawee, which contains 272 hadeeth.

The hadithwhose isnaad is connected through "just" (‘adl) and precise (daabit) narrators from beginning to end, not being shaadhdh or having a hidden defect (‘illah).

The five conditions :

1. ittisaalus- sanad - - That its isnaad is connected. That every one of its narrators heard it directly from the person he is narrating from, from the start of the isnaad to the end.
2. al-`adaalah - - That all of its narrators are ‘adl (just); i.e. Muslim, Of age (baaligh), Sane (‘aaqil), Not an open sinner (faasiq), and not having bad manners and habits (makhroomul maroo.ah).
3. 3) That all of its narrators are daabit (precise), which is of two kinds:
   • dabtus-sadr - (precision of the heart) - that he memorises it correctly and transmits it as he heard it and that he understands it if he is reporting its meaning.
   • dabtul kitaab - (precision of writing) - that he correctly writes it down, preserves it an makes sure that it is passed on correctly.
4. `adamush shuthooth - - That it is not shaadhdh. And the shaadhdh is when the reliable narrators contradicting those who are more reliable than him.
5. `adamul `illah - - That it does not contain (‘illah) hidden weakness. The ‘illah is a non-apparent factor which affects the authenticity of the hadeeth, whilst the isnaad appears to be free from it, e.g. a hidden gap in the isnaad.

If any of these five conditions are not fulfilled then the isnaad will not be saheeh.

The ruling regarding the saheeh hadeeth:

• It is obligatory to act upon it according to the consensus of the scholars of hadeeth and all those whose word is counted from the scholars of usool and fiqh. It is a proof in the sharee’ah and it is not permissible for anyone to leave off acting upon it.

The most authentic isnaads:

• In the view of al-Bukhaari the most authentic isnaad is: Maalik from Naafi’ from Ibn ‘Umar. [This isnaad is known as "silsilatudh-dhahab" (the chain of gold)].
• In the view of Ishaaq ibn Raahawaih and Ahmad the most authentic is: Az-Zuhree from Saalim from Ibn `Umar.
• In the view of Ibn al-Madeenee and al-Fallaas it is: Ibn Seereen from ‘Abeedah from ‘Alee.
• In the view of Ibn Ma’een it is: Al A’amash from Ibraaheem An-Nakha’ee from ‘Alqamah from `Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood.
• In the view of Ibn Abee Shaybah it is: Az-Zuhree from ‘Alee Ibn al-Husayn from al-Husayn from ‘Alee.

The first book written to include only the saheeh:

• "Saheehul Bukhaari" which was followed by "Saheeh Muslim". The more authentic of the two being "Saheehul Bukhaari".

Neither al-Bukhaari nor Muslim tried to gather all of the authentic ahaadeeth in their books:

• Saheehul Bukhaari contains 7,275 ahaadeeth including repetitions and about 4,000 without repetitions. Saheeh Muslim contains about 12,000 with repetitions and about 4,000 without.

Which of the hadeeth of al-Bukhaari and Muslim have the ruling of being definitely saheeh?:

• Only the hadeeth which they report with a connected isnaad are so counted. As for those which are reported with a narrator or narrators missing from the start of the isnaad, then they are termed mu’allaq. al-Bukhaari often does this in the chapter headings, but not within the text of his book. And these narrations are of two types:
  1. That which is reported with certainty, e.g. he said, he ordered, he mentioned - then that is judged to be saheeh from the person it is narrated from.
  2. That reported without certainty, e.g. it is said that, it is reported that (using the passive tense), then that does not carry the automatic ruling of it being saheeh.

Islam teaches that As-Salaf as-Saalih (or "Salaf" as sometimes referred to in short),are superior in their understanding of the Revelation of Al-Qu'ran. Generally speaking, the people present during any event (such as the revelation of the Quran) will understand it better than those who read about it later. 

• The Prophet, saaws, said: "I am leaving you two things and you will never go astray as long as you cling to them -- they are the Book of Allah and my Sunnah." [Reported by Al- Haakim - Sahih].
• "The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them (i.e. the first three generations of Muslims)." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim- Mutawaatir].
• "My Ummah will not unite upon error." [Reported by at-Tirmidhee and Haakim - Sahih]

2. A Muslim who is a student of knowledge. Even a new Muslim can be called a Sheikh if he is diligent in seeking the knowledge of Islam based upon Quran and authentic Sunnah. He is a Sheikh to those he can teach.

Not to be confused with an Alim (person of knowledge).

SUFI, (The Persian form of the plural being Sufiyan). A man of the people called Sufiyah who profess the mystic principle of Tasawwuf. There is considerable discussion as to the origin of this word. It is said to be derived (1) from the Arabic Suf , "wool," on account of the woollen dress worn by Eastern ascetics; (2) or from the Arabic Safu, "purity," with reference to the effort to attain the metaphysical purity (which is scarcely probable); (3) or from the Greek, meaning "wisdom"; (4) or, according to the Ghiyasu'l-Lughat, it is derived from the Su fah, the name of the tribe of Arabs who in the "time of ignorance," separated themselves from the world, and engaged themselves exclusively in the service of the Makkah Temple.

From the very days of Muhammad, saaws, there have been always those who, whilst they called themselves Muslims, set aside the literal meaning of the words of Muhammad, saaws, for a supposed mystic or spiritual interpretation, and it is generally admitted by Sufis that one of the great founders of their system, as found in Islam, was the adopted son (sic) and son-in-law of the Prophet, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Sufis themselves admit that their religious system has always existed in the world, prior to the mission of Muhammad, saaws, and the unprejudiced student of their system will observe that Tasawwuf, or Sufism, is but a Muslim adaptation of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophers (sic), and which also we find in the writings of old academics of Greece, and Sir William Jones thought Plato learned from the sages of the East.

The Sufis are divided into innumerable sects, which find expression in the numerous religious orders of Darweshes or Faqirs; but although they differ in name and in some of their customs, as dress, meditations and recitations, they are all agreed in their principal tenets, particularly those which inculcate the absolute necessity of blind submission to a murshid, or inspired guide. It is generally admitted that, quite irrespective of minor sects, the Sufis are divided into those who claim to be only the Ilhamiyah, or inspired of God, and those who assert that they are Ittihadiyah, or unionist with God (sic).

Ibn Al-Jawzee (ra) said:

"Then a group of people came – meaning from the Sufis – and they began to speak to them concerning hunger, poverty, fantasies and illusions. And they authored books on that, such as was done by Al-Haarith Al-Muhaasibee. Then other people came after them and they revised the way of Sufism and they characterized themselves with attributes by which they distinguished it from its (original) state. Such attributes include wearing tattered and old clothing, hearing (music), bursting out in passionate emotions, dancing and clapping. And they specified themselves by exceeding in cleanliness and purification.

Then this matter did not cease to increase in the least, and their sheikhs began to fabricate many stories for them and speak about their mystical occurrences. And this asserted their remoteness from the scholars. Rather, this asserted for them, their belief that they possessed the most complete forms of knowledge, such that they named it the hidden knowledge (al-‘ilm-ul-baatin). And they placed knowledge of the Religion as being knowledge that is apparent (al-‘ilm-ud-dhaair).

From them, were those whose severity in hunger brought them to fancy detestable illusions. Thus they claimed strong love and passion for the truth. So it is as if they imagined a figure with a beautiful appearance and thus fell madly in love with it. And these people were caught between disbelief and innovation.

Then these people divided into various orders and their beliefs grew corrupt. So from them, were some who held the view that Allaah was incarnate in His creation (hulool) and there were some who held the view that the Creator and creation were in reality one existence (Ittihaad). And the Devil did not cease to speak to them about different types of innovations until they made them aspects of the Sunnah.

And then there came Abu ‘Abd-ir-Rahmaan As-Sulamee, who wrote a book for them entitled As-Sunan, and who compiled for them Haqaa’iq-ut-Tafseer. He mentioned in it, amazing things about them (i.e. the Sufis) concerning their interpretation of the Qur’aan, based upon the mystical occurrences that befell them, without tracing that back to any of the sources where knowledge is derived from. And indeed, what brought them to take such things and place them as their views was their state of daze, due to their strict abstinence of food and their love for talking at great lengths of the Qur’aan.

Abu Mansoor ‘Abd-ur-Rahmaan Al-Qazaaz related to us that: Abu Bakr Al-Khateeb informed us that: Muhammad Ibn Yoosuf Al-Qattaan An-Naisaburee said to me that: ‘Abu ‘Abd-ir-Rahmaan As-Sulamee is not reliable. And he did not used to hear anything except for a few sounds, due to deafness. So when the ruler Abu ‘Abdillaah Ibn Al-Bai’ died, he began to narrate hadeeth on the authority of Al-A’asam from Taareekh Yahyaa Ibn Ma’een as well as other similar things. And he used to fabricate ahaadeeth for the Sufis.’