al-Mustasfā

Al-Mustasfā is a significant work by the esteemed Muslim theologian and mystic, al-Ghazālī (1058–1111 CE). This treatise focuses on uṣūl al-fiqh, the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, which are the sources and methods used to derive Islamic law (Sharīʿah). Al-Ghazālī's work delves into the theoretical discussions surrounding religious law, its connection to reason and ethics, and how rulings are derived from the Qurʾān, the Sunnah (Prophet Muhammad's practices), scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ), and analogical deduction (qiyās). Al-Mustasfā represents al-Ghazālī's contribution to understanding the human effort to interpret divine law, acknowledging that while the Sharīʿah is considered immutable, the human understanding of it (fiqh) is subject to change and interpretation.1234