About the Department of Shafi'i Jurisprudence

Introduction to the Field and History

The discipline of jurisprudence (fiqh) delineates the legal rulings and principles governing individual (worship), family, economic (transactions), and criminal matters. As individual or devotional issues fall outside the scope of secular law, the domain of fiqh is broader than that of law. Fiqh can be seen as the tangible manifestation of Islamic principles in the formation of society, shaping the Islamic worldview alongside other disciplines such as theology (kalam) and ethics (akhlaq). It is the knowledge of practical religious rulings derived from the understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an and Hadith. Due to varied interpretations of these sources throughout history, different schools of jurisprudence have emerged, with the Shafi'i school being one of the most prominent. The academic program "Shafi'i Jurisprudence and Law" is dedicated to the analysis of the principles, rules, legal opinions (fatwas), and history of the Shafi'i school, and its comparison with contemporary law.

The Shafi'i school of jurisprudence was one of the first to be established, founded by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (d. 204 AH) and disseminated by his students in Iraq and Egypt. Today, a significant number of Muslims worldwide adhere to this school, including a large community in Iran. The core characteristics of Imam al-Shafi'i's school include tolerance, facilitation (taysir), promotion of empathy and unity, emphasis on avoiding discord, adherence to scholarly principles, and a balanced approach to utilizing revelation (naql) and reason (aql). These features fostered scholarly interaction and peaceful coexistence between its followers and those of other Islamic schools. Within Iran, this school nurtured eminent scholars such as Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad al-Ghazali al-Tusi, Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani, Saadi Shirazi, Hafez Shirazi, Attar of Nishapur, and Adud al-Din al-Iji.

History of the Department's Establishment

In accordance with Article 12 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which guarantees full respect for Islamic schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Zaydi) and freedom for their adherents in religious practices and personal status law, the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology approved the establishment of the Shafi'i Jurisprudence program at the University of Tehran in 1990. This program, which had existed as a chair for "Shafi'i Jurisprudence and Principles" since 1950, began admitting students as a full-fledged department in the Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies in 1990. A decade later, in response to regional demand and cultural-religious affinity, the "Shafi'i Jurisprudence and Law" program was launched at the University of Kurdistan in 1999 at the undergraduate level. The Master's program was introduced in 2011, and since 2017, the department has been admitting international students. Currently, the department accepts both domestic and international students at the Bachelor's and Master's levels.

Message from the Head of the Department

Jurisprudence provides the religious framework for a sound individual and social life and offers solutions to its related challenges. The mission of the "Shafi'i Jurisprudence and Law" program is to equip students with a deep understanding of its foundations, principles, rules, and legal issues, thereby enhancing their ability to apply the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith to contemporary problems and modern needs. By adopting a scholarly approach to jurisprudential matters, the department aims to promote a spirit of convergence and positive interaction while fulfilling its social responsibility. Through workshops, conferences, the establishment of peer-reviewed journals, and applied research, the Department of Shafi'i Jurisprudence at the University of Kurdistan strives to cultivate a scientific outlook among its students, training competent and specialized graduates who can meet the judicial, educational, and cultural needs of the nation.

Departmental Objectives

• To educate and train graduates with a scientific and analytical approach.

• To foster a spirit of convergence, mutual respect, and a scholarly perspective on jurisprudential differences.

• To empower students to apply foundational principles to novel legal issues (nawazil).

• To fulfill social responsibility and create cultural impact by nurturing committed experts.

• To conduct theoretical, applied, and developmental research to address societal problems.

• To establish scholarly collaboration with other specialized centers, both nationally and internationally.

Academic Programs

• Bachelor's Level: Shafi'i Jurisprudence and Law

• Master's Level: Shafi'i Jurisprudence

The Department's Role within the Faculty
Given its foundational nature and the large number of Shafi'i adherents in the Kurdistan province, the field of jurisprudence holds particular significance. Within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, this program has interdisciplinary connections with most departments, especially Law, Economics, and Counseling. By admitting domestic and international students at two academic levels and conducting extensive research, it stands as one of the most active and influential departments at the University of Kurdistan.