Where Can I Learn the Rules of Prayer, Zakat and Menstruation?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Is the Mukhtasar al-Quduri a good reference text for the Hanafi School?

I would like something which outlines the rules of zakat, menstruation and also the rules of prayer.

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

1. Yes, The Mukhtasar of Imam al-Quduri is a relied upon text in the Hanafi School.

However, a thousand years of Hanafi scholarship followed, so you cannot simply take rulings from it and apply it in your life. Legal texts require legal scholars and sound scholarship to be understood. Otherwise, you will simply end up doing things wrong, while at the same time, assuming that things are going fine.

2. I’d recommend getting hold of: (a) The Absolute Essentials of Islam by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, and as a reference, (b) Ascent to Felicity by Shaykh Faraz Khan. Thereafter, my suggestion is to take the following classes on the Laws of Worship: (1) Absolute Essentials of Islam: Basic Hanafi Jurisprudence (STEP) and (2) Islamic Law for Seekers (Hanafi): Worship (Part 1).

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.