Taharah: A Comparative Survey of the Four Schools

Az-Zuhayli's treatment of taharah in Al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh is a model of the comparative approach that distinguishes the work. He presents each major question of purification law from all four schools, explains the evidential basis for each position, identifies the source of the disagreement between schools, and offers his own comparative assessment. This approach allows the reader to understand not just Shafi'i or Hanafi taharah law but the full range of legitimate Islamic positions on each question.

On the classification of water, az-Zuhayli presents the Hanafi two-category system (mutlaq water, which is pure and purifying; and other water, which is not), the Shafi'i four-category system (including the two-qullah threshold for small amounts), and the Maliki position (any water that has not changed characteristics is pure and purifying regardless of quantity). He explains the evidential basis for each — the general hadith of water's purity, the two-qullah hadith, and the various positions on how these texts interact. His comparative assessment notes that the Maliki and Hanafi positions are more practically lenient (fewer situations where water is rendered incapable of purification) while the Shafi'i position is more cautious.

For wudu, az-Zuhayli's comparative table is among the most useful such tables in Arabic Islamic legal literature. He presents the obligatory acts of wudu according to each school: Hanafi (four fard: washing face, arms, wiping head at least a quarter, washing feet); Maliki (seven fard, including continuity and rubbing); Shafi'i (six fard, including intention and order); Hanbali (six fard, including full head wiping and rinsing mouth and nose). The differences are stated clearly, and the hadith evidence for each school's distinctive positions is presented.

On the invalidators of wudu, az-Zuhayli surveys the notable differences: eating camel meat (Hanbali only), touching a non-mahram (Shafi'i only), touching the private parts (Hanbali and Shafi'i, based on different hadiths), sleep (all schools, with differences on whether light drowsing invalidates). He presents the hadith evidence for each position and explains the reasoning. This comparative treatment helps the reader understand why the schools differ: it is not arbitrary tradition but different weighing of the same body of evidence.

For ghusl, the comparative analysis shows: the Shafi'i school requires intention, removal of barriers, and washing all skin including hair roots (without requiring rinsing of mouth and nose); the Hanbali and Hanafi schools add rinsing mouth and nose as fard; the Maliki school adds active rubbing (dalk) as an obligation. Az-Zuhayli explains the hadith basis for each additional requirement and notes that where there is genuine scholarly disagreement, both positions are within the tradition.

Az-Zuhayli's treatment of tayammum covers the differences between the schools on the number of strikes against earth (one vs. two), whether the arms must be wiped to the elbows or only the backs of the hands, and the conditions under which tayammum is permitted. He notes that on questions like these, where authentic hadiths support different practices, the student should follow the school they have learned in while respecting the legitimacy of the other positions.

The section on menstruation and postnatal bleeding illustrates az-Zuhayli's ability to navigate complex and sensitive topics with scholarly precision and appropriate discretion. He presents the minimum and maximum durations according to each school, the legal consequences (prohibition of prayer, fasting, and marital relations during menstruation), and the varying scholarly opinions on edge cases with the same comparative clarity he brings to all other topics.