Introduction to Fiqh of Worship: Explanation of Umdah al-Fiqh

Umdat al-Fiqh (The Reliable in Fiqh) is the foundational Hanbali fiqh primer by the great Damascene Hanbali scholar Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi — author of the encyclopaedic Al-Mughni. This concise text covers the essential rulings of worship (ibadat) in the Hanbali madhab, and has been the standard introductory fiqh text for Hanbali students of knowledge for centuries.

The text covers purification (taharah), prayer (salah), the Friday prayer, prayer during travel and illness, the prayer of the sick, funeral prayer, zakah, fasting, i'tikaf, Hajj, and related rulings. This edition includes an explanatory commentary that clarifies the rulings and provides evidence from the Quran and Sunnah.

Students of Hanbali fiqh traditionally memorize this text before progressing to the longer works of the school. It represents the core practical Islamic rulings that every Muslim must know to correctly perform their obligatory acts of worship.