The jurisprudential colleges

Authored by Nasser Abdullah Al-Maiman The Jurisprudential Generalities: A Theoretical Foundational Study In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions all together. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, whom He sent with guidance and the clear Book. Allah guides by it those who follow His pleasure to the ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness into light by His permission, and guides them to a straight path. To proceed: There is no doubt that the jurisprudential generalities hold great importance and a distinguished status in the fields of ijtihad, fatwa, and judiciary. They are the best aid in facilitating jurisprudence, organizing its scattered parts, and consolidating its fragments. Memorizing and studying them is more beneficial than memorizing numerous branches and details that fall under them. Despite the prominent position that jurisprudential generalities occupy in the realm of jurisprudence and Islamic sciences, I have not seen among the early or contemporary scholars anyone who has studied and established them independently. Although some have briefly referenced them within studies related to jurisprudential rules, I saw the urgent need for a scientific study that uncovers the theoretical aspect of this noble science. Since jurisprudential generalities are a type of jurisprudential rules and principles, and their study cannot be separated from them, this research heavily relies on books written on jurisprudential rules. Research Plan: The research consists of an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion. The first chapter is titled: Definition of "Kull," its meanings, and rulings, and includes four sections: Section One: Definition of "Kull" and its meanings in language. Section Two: "Al-Kull," "Al-Kulli," and "Al-Kulliyyah," and their meanings in the terminology of logicians. Section Three: The meanings of "Kull," and its rulings according to the scholars of usul and grammarians. The second chapter is titled: Some principles related to jurisprudential generalities, and includes the following sections: Section One: Clarification of the meaning of jurisprudential generality and its relation to jurisprudential rules and principles. Section Two: The difference between jurisprudential generality, logical generality, and usulian generality. Section Three: The importance of jurisprudential generalities and the benefit of collecting and studying them. The third chapter is titled: Sources of jurisprudential generalities, and contains three sections: Section One: The Noble Book and the Sunnah. Section Two: The آثار (sayings or actions) stopped upon the Companions and the Tabi‘un. Section Three: The sayings of the Imams of the schools and the ijtihad of other jurists. The fourth chapter is titled: Types of jurisprudential generalities, their authority, and the books written about them, and includes three sections: Section One: Types of jurisprudential generalities. Section Two: The authority of jurisprudential generalities. Section Three: Books written on jurisprudential generalities. Following this, the conclusion presents the most prominent results I have reached through this research and the most important recommendations I see worth highlighting in this regard. I do not claim to have fully covered the subject, but it is enough that I have entered this field, and every diligent scholar has their share. I ask Allah, the Almighty, to guide my steps, inspire me with righteousness and correctness in speech and action. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and followers. Written by Nasser bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Maiman Prepared in Mecca – May Allah protect it.