Allah commands us to worship and obey Him with sincerity, reverence, love, and gratitude. In the Qur’an, He says:“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, keeping the religion pure for Him, being upright, and to establish prayer and give zakah. That is the true religion.” (98:5) True worship, however, is not possible without knowledge. This concise work presents the essential knowledge every Muslim must acquire. Rooted in the methodology of traditional Sunni Islam according to the Shafi‘i school of law, it is designed to help believers ensure their worship is valid, sound, and correct—all within a short time.

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Written in the second Islamic century by al-Imam al-Shafi’i (d. 204AH/820AD), the founder of one of the four Sunni schools of law. This important work gives the fundamental principles of Islamic jurisprudence and its influence continues to the present day. During the early years of the spread of Islam, the exponents of Islamic legal doctrine were faced with the problems raised by ruling and administering a diverse and rapidly growing empire. In Medina and Kufa, as well as other cities of early Muslim rule, schools of law had to be developed, but it took the genius of Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafi’i, born in the year 150AH/767AD, to establish the principles by which the various legal doctrines could be synthesised into a coherent system. In the Risala, which laid down the basis for such a synthesis, al-Shafi’i established the overriding authority, next only to the Qur’an, of the Sunna or example of the Prophet Muhammad as transmitted in the traditions.

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