Usul
/uːˈsuːl/noun
The foundational principles or sources of a discipline, especially Islamic jurisprudence.
Did you know?In *uṣūl al-fiqh*, Islamic legal theory, scholars investigate the “roots” from which religious rulings are derived—making the word a metaphor of knowledge growing from hidden foundations.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ʔṣl
“Root, foundation, origin”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
ʾaṣl
“Root, source, origin, or fundamental basis”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
uṣūl
“Roots, foundations, or basic principles; plural of ʾaṣl”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
uṣūl al-fiqh
“The foundational principles and sources used in Islamic jurisprudence”
Modern English
English
usul
“A scholarly term for foundational principles, especially in Islamic law”