Ruqayya bint Nasr Allah Niyaz

Ruqayya bint Nasr Allah Niyaz is an Islamic scholar and author known for her legal treatise al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah wa Makanatuha (The Prophetic Sunnah and Its Status), which examines the evidentiary authority and legislative rank of the Prophetic tradition in Islamic jurisprudence al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w…+1.

Legal Thought and Methodology

In her legal scholarship, Niyaz addresses the authoritative validity (hujjiyyah) of the Prophetic Sunnah as an original foundation of Islamic legislation, establishing its binding status through four core avenues of proof: explicit verses of the Quran, authentic Prophetic traditions, the consensus of the Muslim community (ijma'), and rational argumentation (al-dalil al-'aqli) al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w…. Drawing upon classical jurisprudence, including statements of al-Shafi'i, she emphasizes that the Quran itself mandates adherence to the Sunnah as an authoritative source for deriving legal rulings al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w….

Niyaz demonstrates that the Sunnah constitutes divine revelation alongside the Quran, citing explicit traditions that command adherence to Prophetic practice and affirm its legislative weight al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w…. From a rational and practical perspective, she argues that the execution of fundamental Islamic obligations—such as prayer, almsgiving (zakat), fasting, and pilgrimage—relies entirely on the Sunnah's explanatory role (al-sunnah al-bayaniyyah), since the Quran sets forth these duties in concise terms without detailing their precise performance al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w…. Consequently, every authentic legislative ruling transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ is considered binding law al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w….

Regarding its hierarchical position, Niyaz delineates the Sunnah as the second primary source of Islamic law directly following the Quran, establishing that a legal inquirer seeks guidance from the Sunnah when specific determinations are not explicitly detailed in the scripture al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah w….