Islamic Jurisprudence refers to the study of the legal rules (ahkam) of Islam concerning practical life. These rules are based on specific Islamic proofs and resources. By means of this discipline, one knows one’s religious rights and responsibilities. The department consists of three sub-fields: Islamic Law (fiqh), History and Methodology of Islamic Law (usul al-fiqh), and Comparative Islamic Law. The department offers history and methodology courses, as well as courses on a wide range of Islamic legal topics that include Family Law, Obligations Law, Criminal Law, Inheritance Law, Administration
Law, International Law, and Public Law. Through these courses students are exposed to the primary sources of Islamic Jurisprudence, the prominent schools of fiqh that emerged throughout the history of Islamic Jurisprudence, the pioneering figures of these schools and their contributions to Islamic Jurisprudence, and the general characteristics of these schools. Graduate level courses focus on authentic, objective, and research-based field studies related to the central issues in Islamic Jurisprudence.