Definitions

Shari`ah - Those doctrinal, practical and dispositional regulations which Allah has legislated through one of His Messengers.
Fiqh - The science of extraction of practical religious regulations from their detailed sources.
Fiqh is the practical implementation of shari`ah through its human understanding.

Differences between the Islamic Shari`ah and Man-Made Systems of Law

1. Divine origin vs. Human origin.
   
2. Consequences in this world and the Hereafter vs. This world only.
   
3. Development of personal accountability to Allah vs. Mere loyalty to the law
   
4. Absolute criteria providing for the benefit of creatures vs. Popular opinion which may or may not be beneficial.

Foundations of the Islamic Shari`ah

1. Consideration of the welfare of the servants, both in this world and the Hereafter.
   
2. Connection of regulations to their rationales, and persistence of the regulations in the presence and absence of the rationales.
   
3. Gradual, progressive legislation.
   
4. Preclusion of hardship.
   
5. Establishment of justice.
    

Categories of Actions

Fard
            Fard `Ayn
            Fard Kifayah
(Wajib)
Sunnah
            Sunnah Mu'akkadah
            Mustahabb
Mubah
Makruh (Tanzihi)
(Makruh Tahrimi)
Haram
 

Branches of Fiqh

Worship (`Ibadat)

Financial Transactions

Personal Relations

Penal Code

Sources of Fiqh

Primary Sources
            Qur'an
            Sunnah
Secondary Sources
            Consensus (Ijma`)
            Analogy (Qiyas)

Evolution of Fiqh

Fiqh at the time of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Fiqh in the time of the Sahabah.
The four Imams and their schools.
Imam Abu Hanifah an-Nu`man ibn Thabit al-Kufi, (80-150 A.H.).
Imam Abu `Abdillah Malik ibn Anas al-Yahsubi, (93-179 A.H.)
Imam Abu `Abdillah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi`i, (150-204 A.H.)
Imam Abu `Abdillah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani, (164-241 A.H.)
Agree on ~ 75% of material.

Necessity of following scholars
The Methodology of Acquiring Knowledge.
Taqlid.