religion al-bayhaqi
A fatw ( plural fatw ) in the Islamic faith is a nonbinding but authoritative legal opinion or learned interpretation that the Sheikhul ___MASK1___ , a qualified jurist or mufti , can give on issues pertaining to the Islamic law . The person who issues a fatw is called , in that respect , a " mufti ", i . e . an issuer of fatw , from the verb        "< nowiki >'</ nowiki > aft " = " he gave a formal legal opinion on ". This is not necessarily a formal position since most Muslims argue that anyone trained in Islamic law may give an opinion ( fatw ) on its teachings . If a fatw does not break new ground , then it is simply called a " ruling ". The Quran (; ', literally meaning " the recitation "; also romanized Qur ' an or Koran "') is the central religious text of ___MASK1___ , which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (" Allah "). It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature . The Quran is divided into chapters (" surah " in Arabic ), which are then divided into verses (" ayah "). Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Husayn Ibn ' Ali Ibn Moussa al - Khosrojerdi al - Bayhaqi ( Arabic ) ,  also known as Imam Al - Bayhaqi was born 994 CE / 384AH in the small town of Khusraugird near Sabzevar , then known as Bayhaq , in Khurasan . During his lifetime , he became a famous Sunni hadith expert , following the Shafi ' i school in fiqh and the Ash ' ari school of aqeedah . Muhammad ( c . 570 CE  8 June 632 CE ) is the central figure of ___MASK1___ and widely regarded as its founder by non - Muslims . He is known as the " Holy Prophet " to Muslims , almost all of whom consider him to be the last prophet sent by God to mankind to restore ___MASK1___ , believed by Muslims to be the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and other prophets . Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and ensured that his teachings , practices , and the Quran , formed the basis of Islamic religious belief . Ulama (', singular ', " scholar ", literally " the learned ones ", also spelled " ulema "; feminine : " alimah " ( singular ) and " uluma " ( plural )) are " those recognized as scholars or authorities " in the " religious hierarchy " of the Islamic religious studies . They are the guardians of legal and religious tradition in ___MASK1___ . Often they are " Imams of important mosques , judges , teachers in the religious faculties of universities ". The term may also include the body of Muslim Islamic scholars trained in the whole body of Islamic law and in other Islamic disciplines ; but it may also be used to include the village mullahs and imams on the lowest rungs of the ladder of Islamic scholarship , inasmuch as they correspond most closely to the class of the scribes or rabbis in Judaism . Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence . While " Sharia " is believed by Muslims to represent divine law as revealed in the Quran and the " Sunnah " ( the teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ), " fiqh " is the human understanding of the " Sharia "" sharia " expanded and developed by interpretation (" ijtihad ") of the Quran and " Sunnah " by Islamic jurists (" Ulama ") and implemented by the rulings (" Fatwa ") of jurists on questions presented to them . Ash ' arism or Ashari theology (" al - Asharyya " or " al - Ashira ") is an early theological school of Sunni ___MASK1___ based on clerical authority and rejection of cause and effect reasoning , it was founded by Imam Abu al - Hasan al - Ash ' ari ( d . 324 AH / 936 AD ). The disciples of the school are known as Ash ' arites , and the school is also referred to as the Ash ' arite school . It is considered one of the orthodox theologies in Sunni ___MASK1___ alongside the Maturidi . Sunnah (, , plural ) is the verbally transmitted record of the teachings , deeds and sayings , silent permissions ( or disapprovals ) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , as well as various reports about Muhammad ' s companions . Along with the Quran ( the holy book of ___MASK1___ ), the Sunnah makes up the two primary sources of Islamic theology and law . The " Sunna " is also defined as " a path , a way , a manner of life "; " all the traditions and practices " of the Islamic prophet that " have become models to be followed " by Muslims . A hadith ( or plural : ahadith , ) is one of various reports describing the words , actions , or habits of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . The term comes from Arabic meaning a " report ", " account " or " narrative ". Hadith are second only to the Quran in developing Islamic jurisprudence , and regarded as important tools for understanding the Quran and commentaries (" tafsir ") written on it . Some important elements of traditional ___MASK1___ , such as the five salat prayers , are mentioned in hadith . In ___MASK1___ , a Maturidi is one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidi ' s systematic theology ( kalam ), which is close to the Ash ' ari theology . The school is known as Maturidism or Maturidiyyah . It is considered one of the orthodox theologies in Sunni ___MASK1___ alongside the Ash ' ari school . Many Turkic tribes and Asian Muslims practice Maturidism . Sharia ( shari ' a ), Islamic sharia , Islamic law (()) is the religious law forming part of the Islamic tradition . It is derived from the religious precepts of ___MASK1___ , particularly the Quran and the Hadith . In Arabic , the term " sharah " refers to God ' s divine law and is contrasted with " fiqh ", which refers to its scholarly interpretations . The manner of its application in modern times has been a subject of dispute between Muslim traditionalists and reformists . ___MASK1___ (' ;) is a religion articulated by the Quran , a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God ('), and , for the vast majority of adherents , the teachings and normative example ( called the " sunnah ", composed of accounts called " hadith ") of Muhammad ( 570  8 June 632 CE ). It is the world ' s second - largest religion and the fastest - growing major religion in the world , with over 1 . 7 billion followers or 23 % of the global population , known as Muslims . ___MASK1___ is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion that upholds that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of existence is to worship God . Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last prophet of God . Sunni ___MASK1___ ( or ) is the largest denomination of ___MASK1___ . Its name comes from the word Sunnah , referring to the exemplary behavior of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the choice of Muhammad ' s successor and subsequently acquired broader political significance , as well as theological and juridical dimensions .