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This is a Level Three course based on the text Reliance of the Traveller and Tools of the Worshipper. This course covers the chapters on Contract Law and Commercial Law taught by Shaykh Muhammad Carr. The entire text is co-taught with Shaykh Irshaad Sedick who covers the chapters on Worship in the course:

Reliance of the Traveller: Intermediate Worship Course

This course aims to adequately prepare students to study the Minhaj Al-Talibin of Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him). It is, therefore, essential for students to have completed the study of elementary-level primers before enrolling in this course.

‘Reliance’ means ‘that which is depended upon,’ since the author meant that this text should be a reliable resource work for whoever goes by it because it aims to present the most dependable (rajih) positions of the Shafi`i School and omit the weak ones. This course, therefore, aims to comprehensively explain the corpus of dependable views that make up the “Official Shafi`i School” before venturing into the detailed elaboration thereof and alternative views in the School, in the Minhaj of Imam Nawawi. Students who complete this level will, if Allah wills, be thoroughly prepared for the higher levels of Sacred Law from the Shafi`i School.

By covering this text (and the earlier introductory texts) thoroughly, students should have a solid understanding of the Shafi`i School’s Fiqh framework. Having an internalized framework to refer to facilitates a contextual understanding of more advanced and atomistic matters of Sacred Law.

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Short Intro: This course presents the most dependable (rajih) positions of the Shafi`i school with respect to Contract Law and Commercial Law. It is based on the indispensable text ‘Umda Al-Salik wa ‘Uddat Al-Nasik (Reliance of the Traveller and Tools of the Worshipper).
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Skill Level: Beginner
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About the text:

‘Umda Al-Salik wa ‘Uddat Al-Nasik (Reliance of the Traveller and Tools of the Worshipper) is an indispensable text, especially for Shafi`i students of Sacred Law because it comprehensively summarizes the main views in the Shafi`i School. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) thoroughly covers the entire spectrum of Fiqh in systematic order. He provides a balance of detail so that the text, though not elementary enough to be called beginner-level, is neither too loaded nor too challenging to be categorized as advanced.


Al-Misri based his work on the earlier Shafi`i works of Imam Nawawi and Imam Abu Ishaq Al-Shirazi, following the format of Shirazi’s Muhadhdhab (The Rarefaction) and the conclusions of Nawawi’s Minhaj at-Talibin (The Seeker’s Road).

In the words of the author, this text “is a summary of the School of Imam Shafi`i (may Allah have mercy on him) in which I have confined myself to the most reliable positions (rajih) of the School, according to Imam Rafi’i and Imam Nawawi, or according to just one of them. I may mention a difference of opinion herein, this being when their recensions contend, giving Nawawi’s position first and then, as opposed to it, that of Rafi’i.” Based on the above, this text is ideal for the intermediate student of the Seekers Islamic Studies Curriculum.

The commentaries on this text are:

1. Fayd Al-Ilah Al-Malik fi Hall Alfaz ‘Umda Al-Salik wa ‘Uddat Al-Nasik by ‘Umar Barakat (d. after 1307/1890)

2. Anwar Al-Masalik Sharh ‘‘Umda Al-Salik wa ‘Uddat Al-Nasik by Muhammad Al-Zuhri Al-Ghamrawi

The most reliable and comprehensive Sharh of the course text is:

3. Fath Al-Wahhab Al-Malik fi Hall Alfaz ‘Umda Al-Salik wa ‘Uddat Al-Nasik by Taha Ibn ‘Abd Al-Hamid Ibn Muhammad Hamadi


About the Author:

The author of the text is 14th-century Egyptian scholar, Shihabuddin Abu Al-'Abbas Ahmad Ibn Al-Naqib (Ibn Lu’Lu) Al-Misri. He was a Sunni Shafi'i scholar who excelled in the subject of Sacred Law (Fiqh) and was a student of the renowned Shaykh Al-Islam Taqiyy Al-Din Ibn Subki and several erudite scholars.


Ibn Al-Naqib was born in Cairo, Egypt (Misr), in the year 702 AH (1302 C.E.), and died there in 769AH (1367 C.E.). He was known for his humility, piety, asceticism, and profound relationship with Allah. He authored many books and most of his works were on Shafi`i Sacred Law. Among them were Tatimma ‘ala Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab (incomplete) and Tarshih Al-Madhhab fi Tashih Al-Muhadhdhab.


Who is this course for:
  • This course is for intermediate students (approximately eighteen years and older).
  • Students of Sacred Knowledge who desire to dive deeper into Sacred Law and Muslims who are serious about knowing the details of Sacred Law to practice it thoroughly and correctly are ideally suited for this course.
  • This is a level Three course in Shafi`i fiqh which adequately prepares a student to study the Minhaj al-Talibin of Imam Nawawi. It is therefore essential for students to have completed the study of the following courses or equivalent: Al-Risala Al-Jami’a (Habashi’s Encompassing Epistle Explained), Al-Mukhtasar (Ba Fadl’s The Short Abridgement), Matn Abi Shuja’ with experience reading from Ibn Qasim’s commentary with its Hashiya by Imam Bajuri. Recommended Text: Safina al-Naja, Al-Muqaddima Al-Hadramiyya with experience reading from one of its commentaries such as Bushra Al-Karim.
  • It is particularly beneficial for teachers, parents, and young adults.
  • It can also be taken by anyone with a keen interest in the details and precision of Law, especially Sacred Law (Fiqh), and how it works.
Learning outcomes:
  • Understand and be aware of the full spectrum A-Z of chapters, subjects, topics, and basic details of the most reliable views of the Shafi`i School.
  • Understand the rational framework of Sacred Law according to the Shafi`i School.
  • Analyze whether one’s practice is valid according to the specifications of the Shafi`i School.
  • Understand and Apply some of the basic underlying principles (Qawa’id) of Shafi`i Fiqh.
  • Memorize the basic historical typography of the Shafi`i School and understand where the most authoritative scholars and books fit therein.
  • Memorize the basic framework and order of chapters, sub-chapters, and topics of Fiqh.
  • Understand and memorize the most important views of the Shafi`i School.
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