FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Traditions, and no principles of analogical deduction. Fiqh had a long way to go before becoming a system. Finally, four orthodox schools of legal thought emerged. These are called madhhab in Arabic. These madhhabs were named after the famous jurists of the time: Abu Hanifa (AD 699-767), Malik ibn Anas (AD 711-795 ), Al-Shafi (AD 767-819), and ibn Hanbal (AD 780-855). THE SOURCES OF FIQH There are four sources of fiqh or Islamic law: a) Quran b) Hadith c) Consensus (Ijma) d) Inference (Qiyas) a) The Quran The Quran is the fundamental and main source of Islamic jurisprudence from which all other sources derive their authority. It consists of the very word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty-three years (AD 610-632). That is why the law in Islam is divine in origin. The texts of the Quran which are concerned mainly with the rules of Islamic law occur in the following chapters: Al Baqarah, An-Nisa, AlImran, Al-Maidah, An-Nur, and Bani Israil. The rules pertain to: Reform in unlawful heathen customs, such as gambling, drinking of intoxicants, usury, etc. Social reforms dealing with matters such as marriage, the position of women, divorce, the chastity of men and women, slavery, etc. Criminal laws relating to punishment for theft, slander, murder, etc. International laws pertaining to defence and peace, and directions relating to people of other faiths and protection of their rights, etc. b) The Hadith Next in importance after Quran is Hadith. The Hadith itself derives its authority and legal validity from the Quran. Hadith means narration of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet. The Quran generally deals with the broad principles or essentials of religion, going into details in rare cases. The Prophet himself usually supplied the details, either by showing in his conduct how an injunction should be carried out, or by giving verbal explanation.