Module Description: This course provides a structured and accessible study of two major areas of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) according to the Hanafi madhhab: fasting (ṣawm) and ritual slaughter (dhaba’iḥ).

Part One: Fasting (Ṣawm)
Students will study the legal definition, conditions, and invalidators of fasting from the Hanafi school of law. The intention (niyyah) for fasting, its timing, and how it differs between obligatory, necessary, and voluntary fasts. Actions that invalidate the fast, with careful distinction between forgetful and unintentional acts. Cases requiring both makeup (qaḍāʾ) and expiation (kaffārah). Cases requiring makeup only, without expiation. Acts that require no makeup and are not disliked. Acts that require no makeup but are disliked (makrūh). Valid exemptions from fasting. The section concludes with a study of spiritual retreat in the mosque (iʿtikāf), covering its types, conditions, and nullifiers.

Part Two: Ritual Slaughter and Lawful Consumption
The second part of the course focuses on ritually slaughtered animals (dhabāʾiḥ). Students will gain clarity on the principles governing lawful and unlawful food, with an emphasis on correct slaughtering practices. Conditions for valid ritual slaughter, including the slaughterer, tools, and required invocation. Animals that are lawful to eat, and body parts of slaughtered animals that are disliked.

Module Text: The course will be based on the work written by the eminent 11th century Hanafi scholar, Abu ’l-Ikhlas Hasan ibn Ammar, al-Shurunbulali (d.1069), Ascent to Felicity is a concise yet comprehensive primer in creed and jurisprudence. It spans all five pillars of Islam, as well as the topics of slaughtering, ritual sacrifice, and hunting. To supplement the text, the translator has added key explanatory notes taken from several reliable works on theology and jurisprudence.