The Four Madhabs — Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence

The four madhabs (schools of Islamic jurisprudence) represent the mainstream Sunni approach to deriving legal rulings from the Quran and Sunnah. They are named after their founding scholars: Abu Hanifah, Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. While they agree on the fundamentals of Islam, they differ in their methodological approaches to secondary legal questions. All four are considered valid within Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, and following any of them is acceptable.

The Hanafi School

Founded by Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man ibn Thabit (d. 150 AH / 767 CE) in Kufa, Iraq. The Hanafi school is known for its extensive use of ra'y (juristic opinion), qiyas (analogy), and istihsan (juristic preference). It is the most widely followed school globally, predominant in Turkey, Central Asia, South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh), the Balkans, and parts of the Arab world. Abu Hanifah was known as "al-Imam al-A'zam" (the Greatest Imam) for his brilliance in fiqh.

The Maliki School

Founded by Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH / 795 CE) in Medina. Imam Malik's methodology placed special emphasis on the practice of the people of Medina (amal ahl al-Madinah) as a source of law, considering their practice to be a living transmission from the Prophet. His magnum opus, al-Muwatta, is one of the earliest collections of hadith and legal reasoning. The Maliki school is predominant in North Africa, West Africa, parts of East Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Shafi'i School

Founded by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (d. 204 AH / 820 CE), a student of Imam Malik. Al-Shafi'i is often called the "father of usul al-fiqh" for his pioneering work al-Risalah, which systematized the methodology of Islamic legal reasoning. His school strikes a balance between the text-focused approach of the Malikis and Hanbalis and the reason-focused approach of the Hanafis. The Shafi'i school is predominant in Egypt, East Africa, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia), Yemen, and parts of the Levant.

The Hanbali School

Founded by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH / 855 CE), the great muhaddith and author of the Musnad. The Hanbali school is the most text-oriented, preferring a weak hadith over analogy (qiyas) in most cases. Imam Ahmad endured severe persecution during the Mihna (inquisition) for refusing to accept the Mu'tazili doctrine that the Quran was created, earning him the title "Imam Ahl al-Sunnah." The Hanbali school is predominant in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is the smallest of the four schools in terms of followers but has had an outsized influence through the works of scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim.

Unity in Diversity

The differences among the four schools are a mercy and a sign of the richness of Islamic scholarship. Imam al-Shafi'i said: "In every matter where the people of hadith find a sahih hadith, I will adopt it and abandon my own opinion." The four imams were united in their submission to the Quran and Sunnah, and each instructed his followers to follow the evidence when it contradicted his personal opinion.