Fiqh

Introduction Fiqh (Arabic: فقه)

Fiqh has been loosely translated into English as Islamic Law, however this is not an accurate translation.

The literal meaning of Fiqh is The true undersanding of what is intended. An example of this usage can be found in the Prophet Muhammed's statement "To whomsoever Allah wishes good. He gives the Fiqh (true understanding) of the Religion 4:53:346
Technically, Fiqh refers to the science of deducing Islamic laws from evidence found in the sources of Islamic law, which by extension also means the body of Islamic laws so deduced
This is slightly different to the meaning of Sharee'ah which refers to the sum total of Islamic laws which were revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. The difference being that Sharee'ah is the body of revealed laws found both in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah, while Figh is a body of laws deduced from Sharee'ah to cover specific situations not directly treated in the Sharee'ah law. That is Fiqh is changable and is normally specific whereas Sharee'ah is fixed and general
Fiqh has undergone an historical changes, moving from its roots in the era of the Prophet. It was then firmly established during the time of the rightly guided Caliphate. It was then built upon during the Umayyad dynasty before flowering under the Abbasid dynasty.