The Four Schools of Fiqh

Cards (45)

  • Qur'an and Sunnah
    Form the foundation of Muslim life today, just as they did in the past
  • Understanding the Qur'an & Sunnah
    1. Knowledge and its development amongst the ṣaḥābah and the generations that followed them
    2. The development of the four madhāhib (schools of fiqh)
    3. The place and role of 'ulama' today
  • Aḥkām
    Commandments and prohibitions contained in the Qur'an
  • Sunnah
    Provides further details of the laws by explaining the context of rulings and how the Prophet and the companions practised them
  • The Qur'an and Sunnah form the foundation of the Muslim way of life, especially when it comes to religious law, rituals and customs
  • Fiqh
    The branch of knowledge devoted to understanding and extracting laws and rulings (aḥkām) found in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and explaining them for practical application (deep understanding of a set of rules relating to an area of life and Islamic jurisprudence)
  • Fuqaha'
    Fiqh (Islamic law and rulings) experts who are highly respected and valued within Muslim communities
  • The Prophet: '"When Allāh wills goodness for a person, He grants them deep understanding (fiqh) of the din [Islām]..."'
  • Ṣaḥābah
    • Those who believed and had the companionship of the Prophet, his example and teachings enabled them to gain knowledge and experience
  • Tābi'ūn
    • The Successors - the next generation of imāms and scholars who were the students of the ṣaḥābah
  • Atba' al-tābi'īn
    • The Followers of the Successors - the generation of imāms and scholars who were the students of the tābi'ūn
  • The Prophet foretold the greatness of the first three generations of Muslims
  • Many senior ṣaḥābah were appointed by the Prophet to teach new tribes from across Arabia that had accepted Islām
  • Notable fuqaha' among the ṣaḥābah
    • Mu'adh ibn Jabal
    • 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar
    • 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd
    • 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
    • 'A'ishah
  • As the Muslim empire continued to expand after the passing of the Prophet, more and more ṣaḥābah travelled and settled in different parts of the world
  • Some cities became major centres of learning, because the city was home to a senior ṣaḥābī (companion) or several ṣaḥābah
  • Ijtihad
    The process through which scholars extracted new rulings directly from the Qur'an and aḥādīth
  • Mujtahid
    A person capable of performing ijtihad
  • The period spanning the first three generations - the ṣaḥābah, tābi'ūn, and atba' al-tābi'īn - was the era of the mujtahid imāms
  • Ibrahim al-Nakhaï
    Pillar of knowledge in Kufa, passed deep learnings to his student 'Alqamah who became an imām
  • Alqamah
    Student of Ibrahim al-Nakhaï, became an imām
  • Ḥammad ibn Abi Sulayman
    Transmitted knowledge to his talented student, a silk merchant of Persian descent known as Abū Hanifah
  • Abū Hanifah
    Began learning fiqh in his teens, became the famous imām after whom the Hanafi madhhab is named
  • Kufa was not the only knowledge centre in the Islamic world, other centres also developed in the Hijaz, Makkah and Madinah
  • Different sahabah became the sources of knowledge in different regions
  • Saḥābah, tabi'ün and atba' al-tabi'in

    Time of great progress in Islamic thought and scholarship, particularly between the 2nd-4th centuries Hijri (8th-10th centuries CE)
  • Mujtahid imāms

    Became the founders of the madhāhib
  • Madhhab
    A distinct path in Islamic law
  • Four renowned madhāhib
    • Hanafi madhhab
    • Mālikī madhhab
    • Shafii madhhab
    • Hanbali madhhab
  • Madhāhib
    Represent a wide history and chain that goes back to notable ṣaḥābah
  • The madhāhib became part of the hallmark of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah (Sunni Muslims)
  • Learning within and following one of the four schools in everyday life became mainstream practice for Sunni Muslims
  • The madhāhib are not a source of division among Muslims, as the Prophet himself accepted and allowed his companions to differ in legal rulings
  • The difference between the schools is seen as a source of mercy and blessing for the ummah, accepted as part of the divine will of Allah
  • The Prophet guided and encouraged the companions to use their judgement (ijtihad) to find solutions to different situations
  • Differences in opinion amongst the saḥabah became a source of how the schools of fiqh accepted differences, yet remained united as a community
  • Contemporary 'ulama' and the Muslim community as a whole hold a deep appreciation and respect for the scholars of the past
  • The tradition of following the detailed laws and rulings of a madhhab (school) of figh remains the norm for Muslims today
  • Men and women who have the means and ability should strive to gain sacred knowledge and become scholars so the rest of the community can turn to them for guidance
  • Issuing rulings, explaining aḥadīth and deriving laws from the Qur'an and Sunnah is the job of experts