Four Schools of Thought

Differences in Opinion After the Battle of the Trench in 5th year of hijra The Prophet sent the Companions to surround a Jewish fortress, Bani Qurayrah. (For an overview of the Battle of the Trench, and a podcast version of it, go to http://islamiclearningmaterials.com/ilm-show-17/ ) He said, None of you should pray Asr except in Bani Quraizah (so until theyre at the fortress) So they left around the time of Dhuhr. On the road, the time for Asr was about to finish. So what to do? Here we have an issue: were supposed to pray on time, but the Prophet said not to pray Asr until they reach the fortress. In the Quran, Allah says Prayer is ordained for the believers at specific times. Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh), said not to pray Asr until they reach the fortress. The Companions discussed as to what to do. Some said to pray now, and others waited to pray until they reached the fortress. So who was right? Both were. They return to the Prophet (pbuh) and told him what happened. The Prophet (pbuh) said nothing at all, meaning that the fact that they differed was ok. Why did he tell them to delay the prayer? He wanted them to get to the fortress as quickly as possible. You could look at this as a specific exception to the general rule. Or you could just look at it as an encouragement (i.e. get there as soon as you can) This is an example that, during the time of the Prophet (pbuh), there were people among the Companions who had different opinions on how to best implement the commands of Allah and the commands of the Prophet (pbuh).

A number of different reasons: 1. Language used in different ways (interpretation of language) 2. Prophetic command may seem to contradict something in the Quran (scholars say its an exception to a general rule) The point is that the Prophet (pbuh) accepted their differing opinions. Ijtihad is when people strive to find an answer to something they dont know. This is the job of scholars, not people. Hence there were Companions (i.e. Abu Bakr, Aisha, Abu Hurayrah, Anas ibn Malik) who other Companions would turn to to ask questions. Companions differed among themselves. After the Prophet (pbuh) died, new situations arose that called for rulings that didnt have any precedent. They hadnt occurred during the life of the Prophet (pbuh) For example, when Umar was ruling, there were a lot of battles in far away places. The Muslims were fighting in places more than 6 months journey from Medina. During this time, people went missing. So women would spend years without news of whether their husband was alive or dead. Do we divide up his estate? Can she get married again? Theres no precedence in the hadith or Quran. Umar performed ijtihad, a logical and reasonable ruling derived to the best of his ability. This kept happening. In every age, there were people of knowledge who came to different conclusions on how to deal with: events that occurred during the life of the Prophet (pbuh) and new incidences. Another: the waiting period after a divorce. In Arabic, 3 qara; qara means period bleeding and non-bleeding; both its positive and opposite. The Companions differed. The Prophet (pbuh) had no explicit hadith about this. These legal methodologies crystalized into schools of thought, or madhab. Madhab means a way, a path. A way of dealing with sources. Theres a lot of Islamic information; thousands of hadith and Quran verses to sift through and understand.

There has to be a reasonable methodology. Sometimes we have parts of the Sunnah that seem to conflict either with the Quran, or other Sunnah I.e. If a dog licks a bowl, it must be washed 7 times, once with dirt. Abu Hurayrah (the narrator of the hadith) once saw the Prophet (pbuh) wash it three times, and once with dirt. Some scholars say follow what the Prophet (pbuh) did, some say follow what he did. Some reason it as minimum 3 times and once with dirt, but its recommended to do it 7 times and once with dirt. He (pbuh) did that for a reason. Its just different ways of interpreting evidence.

Islamically, its not about who you believe. Its on us to follow qualified scholarship. Allah tells us to follow the people of knowledge (ask the people of knowledge if you dont know.) As long as someone follows a qualified scholar, they are safe. The problem is when people do their own thing, when people who arent qualified decide to follow what theyre going to do without recourse to any scholar. I.e. 3 doctors with different opinions. Who do you follow? Just follow whatever one you feel is best. Anyone you follow, you are following the advice of a doctor. As Muslims, we have to try to achieve a basic level of Islamic knowledge. We do this by studying with people who are trained in the field (i.e. Quran, Islamic law); you learn from someone who has learned from someone else. The more they learn, the more attuned they are to the one who is more legitimate. We have to gain some knowledge, and some experience. Our job is to follow qualified scholars.

So in Islamic history, four dominant schools emerged: 1. Hanafi a. Biography of Imam Abu Hanifa: http://lostislamichistory.com/the-life-of-imam-abuhanifa/

2. Shafii a. Biography of Imam Shafii: http://lostislamichistory.com/imam-al-shafii-the-father-ofusul-al-fiqh/ 3. Maliki a. Biography of Imam Malik: http://lostislamichistory.com/the-scholar-of-madinah/ 4. Hanbali a. Biography of Imam Hanbal: http://lostislamichistory.com/imam-ahmad-ibn-hanbal/ They have different methods. Shafii: we first look at the Quran, if the Quran says something about it then we take it; then we take Sahih hadith, then we take qiyas (analogy) and so on. Malik: Even if theres a sahih hadith, we might not use it in certain cases because there are other cases that contradict it. For example, if the people of Medina did something one way, and a hadith said to do another way, he would accept the way of the people. Were talking subtle. For example, theres a hadith about the period allowed to refund an object you bought which has been interpreted by different ways by different people. Imam Malik said you cant return things at all due to interpretations of the hadith. Others viewed it in a different way. He based this on what he saw the people of Medina doing (because he lived very close to the time of the Prophet (pbuh), therefore he reasoned that the people would be following the ways of the Prophet (pbuh)) Hanafi: Theres a ruling that if we expect news of something would be widespread, but is only found among one person, then even if that person is reliable, we dont accept it. I.e. Jen, an honest person, goes home and says she saw Zachariah levitating during the class. But she is the only one who talks about it, and the rest of the people dont say anything about Zachariah levitating. Theres a famous sahih hadith Whoever touches their private parts, they should make wudhu. Now this hadith is narrated by a woman, and is the only Companion who narrated it. And this hadith is specifically about male private parts and what breaks wudhu. And theres another hadith (weaker) where a Companion asked about touching ones private parts and if it breaks wudhu, and the Prophet (pbuh) said its just another part of your body. One hadith is stronger than the other, but the stronger one is narrated by a lady but none of the men have narrated it. Shafii, Hanbali, Maliki accept it and act on it. However, the Hanafi say that because none of the men knew about it, and it was relayed by only one narrator in private, they ignore the sahih and go with the weaker.

Do you have to dedicate yourself to one school? You can choose which ones you feel are the best in certain situations (i.e. follow the Hanafi for food, Shafii for a specific ruling on clothing or something, and Maliki on how to pray when traveling). As long as the person doesnt just fall into the trap of always choosing whats easiest and doing it.

Bottom line: as long as were following a qualified scholar. Get to know someone who is capable of giving Islamic legal advicefiqh. Laws also differ depending on where you are, who you are, and your context. Its not bad to ask teachers what their qualifications are.

Sufiism simply means becoming a pure person trying to get close to God. Following ways the Prophet (pbuh) in ways he taught us how to do them. So sufiismself-purificationis part of Islam. But sufiism as a sect is where you get into trouble.