The fundamentals of jurisprudence that the jurist cannot be ignorant of

Authorship: Prof. Dr. Yaiad bin Nami Al-Salimi Introduction Praise be to Allah, by whose praise good deeds are completed, and upon His blessings and favors I rely. I seek refuge in Him from His punishment and displeasure. 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, His chosen one among His creation. Allah sent him with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner, so he gave glad tidings and made things easy, and warned and cautioned, until He left us on the clear straight path, whose night is like its day; none deviates from it except the doomed. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance and walk in his footsteps until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows: Many of the brothers have requested me on various occasions to write a book on the fundamentals of jurisprudence that is moderate in size, comprehensive of the most important issues of this science, with clear language and examples that facilitate understanding and highlight its benefits for students of knowledge. I saw fit to respond to their request by composing a book that contains what a jurist cannot do without from the principles of jurisprudence, while avoiding lengthy discussions of differing opinions, and relying on the well-known sayings and their most important evidences. Special attention is given to clarifying the reality of the disagreement, correcting misunderstandings or misconceptions among those engaged in this science in elaborating and establishing issues and illustrating them. I have paid particular attention to the fruits of disagreement, addressing some complex issues, clarifying them, and making them easier to understand. I may differ from most of the fundamentalists in choosing a view or definition, not out of a desire to oppose, but to clarify what I believe to be the truth or to correct errors arising from misunderstandings or conflicting narrations from the imams of the fundamentals. I have strived to make the book comprehensive of the curricula taught in the colleges of Sharia and the fundamentals of religion in Saudi universities, hoping that students will be the first to benefit from it. The book covers all important issues in the principles of jurisprudence, divided into an introduction, six chapters, and a conclusion, as follows: - Introduction: An introduction to the fundamentals of jurisprudence. - Chapter One: The Islamic ruling. - Chapter Two: Evidence of the Islamic rulings. - Chapter Three: Indication of words. - Chapter Four: Contradiction and ways to resolve it. - Chapter Five: Ijtihad. - Chapter Six: Imitation. I have decided not to overload the book with footnotes and marginal notes, limiting myself to documenting information that is not repeatedly found in specialized books or that contains some novelty. In the authentication of hadiths, I have limited myself to attributing the hadith to the compiler who narrated it; if it is authenticated in the two Sahihs or one of them, that suffices. Otherwise, I trace it from the Sunan, Musnad Ahmad, or other hadith collections. I ask Allah to make this work purely for His face. All praise is due to Allah, first and last. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family, and his companions altogether. Yaiad Al-Salimi Riyadh, 1438/9/1 AH