The Four Schools of Islamic Law

The four schools (madhab) are the four established schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence that remain widely followed: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali. A madhab (plural: madahib) means a "path" or method by which Islamic legal rulings are derived and understood.

Each school is named after earlier scholars whose students and successors systematized their method of deriving rulings. Differences between the schools are usually not matters of doctrine, but rather of methodology: how hadith (prophetic reports) are evaluated, where local custom and reason apply in law, and how analogy is drawn between established and new cases.

Sources of rulings

All four schools agree on two primary sources: the Quran and the Sunnah (the sayings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet). A majority also recognizes ijma (consensus of scholars) and qiyas (analogical reasoning from known rulings to new cases). Some schools employ additional methods such as istihsan (juristic preference), consideration of public interest (masalih), and the practice of the people of Medina.

The schools

The Hanafi school is attributed to Abu Hanifa, who came from Kufa in Iraq, and is known for extensive use of reason and analogy. The Maliki school is attributed to Malik ibn Anas of Medina, who gave weight to the practice of Medina's inhabitants. The Shafi'i school is attributed to Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i, who systematized the foundations of jurisprudence in writing. The Hanbali school is attributed to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who placed great emphasis on hadith.

Geographic distribution

The schools are distributed across different regions. The Hanafi school predominates in Turkey, parts of the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Central Asia. The Maliki school is found in North Africa, West Africa, and parts of East Africa, including among Somali populations. The Shafi'i school is the most widespread in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, and Southeast Asia. The Hanbali school is prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula.

Differences and acceptance

Most Sunni scholars view differences between the schools as acceptable, since they stem from different interpretations of the sources and do not arise from doctrinal disagreement. Some modern legal systems follow a single school, while others incorporate rulings from multiple schools.