Must One Master the Five Pillars Before Learning Islamic Finance?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
Is it sound to delay learning Islamic finance rulings until mastering the five pillars?
Answer
I pray you are well.
It depends on your personal situation.
Prioritizing What Is Immediately Obligatory
After learning sound ‘aqida, that is, what you are required to believe, you must learn how to pray and how to fast. If you possess savings or wealth, then learning the rulings of zakat becomes necessary as well.
These matters take priority because they are immediately relevant and obligatory.
As for Hajj, it is not obligatory upon every person at all times by default. Hajj becomes obligatory once a person has sufficient funds and is able to perform it. There are two aspects to its obligation: having the financial means and having the practical ability to perform it.
For example, a woman may have sufficient wealth but no mahram to accompany her. In such a case, she cannot go. If she were to pass away thereafter, she would need to leave a wasiyah stipulating that someone perform Hajj on her behalf from that wealth.
This is why Hajj was not mentioned first as an immediate learning priority. Its obligation is conditional.
Learning Islamic Finance When Relevant
If you are engaged in business, trade, buying and selling, or investments, then learning the rulings of Islamic finance becomes important for you after you have learned the essentials of ‘aqida, prayer, fasting, and zakat, if applicable.
You are required to learn the amount that is relevant to your situation. You do not need to master every detailed nuance of the entire field. Instead, you must know enough to ensure that your transactions are sound and permissible.
Do Not Neglect Preparation
At the same time, do not neglect learning what will soon become relevant.
Some people delay learning until the last moment. There are cases of people preparing to leave for Hajj the next day and only then asking what they need to do. Hajj requires knowledge, detail, and mental preparation. It should not be approached casually or without prior study.
So the principle is simple: learn what is immediately obligatory for you, then what becomes obligatory based on your circumstances, and do not delay learning what you know you will soon need.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr. Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr. Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
