المعنى الاصطلاحي :

A number of sciences which are used as a means to understanding the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

الشرح المختصر :

"‘Uloom-ul-aalah" (auxiliary sciences) The sciences of the Shariah are divided into three sections: First: "‘uloom ghaayah": these are the sciences which are learnt for their intrinsic benefit, like jurisprudence, exegesis, and other sciences. All these sciences are based on understanding Allah’s book and the Sunnah of Allah’s Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Secondly: "‘uloom aalah" (auxiliary sciences): these are the keys and entry points which are not learnt for their own sake. Rather, they are used as a means to understanding Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet in a manner which assures a scholar and convinces a student. Examples of this are the science of "usool-ul-fiqh" (fundamentals of Islamic jurisprudence), which is an auxiliary science for studying "fiqh" (Islamic jurisprudence), and the science of "usool-ut-tafseer" (principles of exegesis), which is an auxiliary science for studying exegesis of Allah’s book, and so on. Third: "‘uloom mukammilah" (complementary sciences): examples of this section include the biographies of scholars, history, and so forth. This classification is a scholarly one which seeks to arrange and organize the process of seeking knowledge whereby it provides a clear image to the seeker of knowledge so that he knows what is most important and what is used as a means to attaining knowledge.