What is the method for studying fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and do you advise me to study hadiths to derive rulings?

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I am a student who wants to start studying fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Do you advise me to learn and begin by studying a specific madhhab (school of jurisprudence), or should I learn the hadiths of rulings, such as *Umdat al-Ahkam* and *Bulugh al-Maram*?

The Shaykh:
No, it is not suitable for you to learn the hadiths and derive rulings from them yourself. You have not yet acquired the skill or the rules for derivation. So, learn fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) according to a specific madhhab (school of jurisprudence) of the people of the Sunnah and the community. Learn its rules and principles. Then, from that foundation, proceed to acquire knowledge, compare views, examine evidence, and prefer one opinion over another, once you have established principles and rules. As for leaving fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and saying, "I will perform ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) directly from the evidence without going through fiqh," that is a mistake.

The questioner:
What?

The Shaykh:
The Imams did not leave fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence); they studied it according to the four madhahib (schools of jurisprudence). Then, once they acquired the skill, they preferred one opinion over another based on evidence. Yes.