The Dhahiri School (Zahiri Madhab)

Overview

The Dhahiri (ظاهري) school is a school of Islamic jurisprudence founded by Dawud ibn Ali al-Dhahiri (815-884 CE) in Baghdad. The name comes from 'dhahir' (apparent/literal), reflecting its methodology of adhering strictly to the apparent meaning of the Quran and Sunnah without employing analogical reasoning (qiyas).

Methodology

The Dhahiri school accepts only three sources of law: the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus (ijma') of the companions only. It rejects qiyas, istihsan, maslahah, and other forms of legal reasoning used by the other four schools. Its adherents argue that Allah and His Messenger have provided rulings for all matters, either explicitly or through general principles, and that human reasoning should not be used to derive new rulings.

Notable Scholars

The most famous Dhahiri scholar is Ibn Hazm of Cordoba (994-1064 CE), whose encyclopedic work Al-Muhalla is the primary reference for Dhahiri fiqh. Ibn Hazm was a brilliant polymath who wrote on jurisprudence, theology, comparative religion, ethics, and even love (Tawq al-Hamamah, The Ring of the Dove). His sharp intellect and often combative scholarly style earned him both admirers and critics.

Status

While the Dhahiri school no longer has a widespread following as an independent madhab, its legal opinions are still referenced by scholars of other schools. Some Ahl us-Sunnah scholars accept Dhahiri positions on specific issues where the evidence supports their literalist reading.