In this online course, spread over many weeks, we aim to study and have a thorough understanding of how and why differences occurred – and they continue to occur – in our Umma. Why are there apparently so many differences within the Umma? Are there differences in secondary matters of Aqida? How and why did the Companions disagree on certain matters? If the imams of the four Schools of Islamic law and classical jurists (fuqaha) established all their rulings from the Qur’an and Sunna, why do they differ on so many points?  What are the conceptual/methodological (usuli) causes behind the different positions of the four Schools? How do the Qur’an and Hadith/Sunna influence and affect these differences? What were the different methods used by classical jurists in understanding/contextualizing a Hadith? Is acting upon a Hadith conditional upon its authenticity? Is it always wrong to act upon a weak Hadith? How do we approach these differences? Who do we ask and trust when different people say different things? When is it acceptable for Muslims to differ over religious matters? What are the etiquettes of differing? These and many other questions will be answered in this course, In Sha Allah. 

The course will be based on several key classical texts such as the works of Usul al-Fiqh and Usul al-Hadith, as well as modern works such as Shaykh Muhammad Awwama’s Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Ikhtilaf al-A’imma al-Fuqaha’ (The Influence of the Noble Ḥadīth upon the Differences of Opinion amongst the Jurist Imāms), and Shaykh al-Hadith Muhammad Zakariya al-Kandahlawi’s Ikhtilaf A’imma (The Differences of the Imams). Each issue will be carefully scrutinized and dealt with in considerable detail, using many examples and case studies. Detailed course notes will also be provided, In Sha Allah. This course provides a unique opportunity to study the finer and detailed aspects of our faith, and summarized understanding of various sciences.