Schools of Islamic thought (madhahib) are the paths people follow to the Noble Quran and Prophet Muhammad. Obviously, these schools of thought were founded considerably after the death of the Prophet; in fact, they never took shape until the time of the Umayyid Caliphate. The common phrase ahl al-sunnah wal-jama΄ah, for example, became prevalent during the third century of the Hijrah. By the year 250H, the four Sunni schools of thought were being popularized and patronized during the Abbasid Caliphate. The Shi'a school of thought on the other hand, continued its growth and progress after Imam Ali through his descendants who were connected to each other through a chain of narration and knowledge. Prophet Muhammad and the designated imams in the Shi'a school of thought were shielded by Allah from any sin, religious error, or forgetfulness.
Kinds of Schools of Islamic Thought:-
- Ja'fari
- Hanafi
- Maliki
- Shafi΄i
- Hanbali
Today, the five schools of Islamic thought accepted by all
Muslims are the Ja'fari, comprising 23% of the Muslims; the Hanafi, comprising
31% of the Muslims; the Maliki, comprising 25% of the Muslims; the
Shafi΄i, comprising 16% of the Muslims; and the Hanbali, comprising 4% of
the Muslims. The remaining small percentage follow other minority schools, such
as the Zaydi and the Isma΄ili.
Explanations:-
Ja‘fari
The Ja'fari school of thought was headed by Imam
Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq who lived from 83H to 148H. He was born
in and died in the holy city of Madina, and he is the sixth Imam of the twelve
designated imams of the school of Ahlul Bayt. Although the fiqh (Islamic
Jurisprudence) was developed by the Prophet Muhammad and his successors (i.e.,
the imams), the fiqh, as taught by the Shi'a, did not have the opportunity to
be presented to the masses of people because of the political predicament that
the Ahlul Bayt suffered under the rulers for many centuries. The imams refused
to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, and their
governments; and thus they and their followers were exposed to tremendous
harassment and persecution at the hands of the unjust caliphs. Once the Umayyad
government became weak, Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq found a golden
opportunity to formulate and spread the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad and
his family. At one time, four thousand scholars, commentators of the Quran,
historians, and philosophers attended his classes in the holy city of Madina.
Therefore, he was able to pass down the authentic teachings of the Noble Quran
and the Prophet Muhammad and crystallize them in what came to be known as al-Fiqh
al-Ja'fari, the Ja'fari Jurisprudence. His teachings were collected in 400
usul (foundations) which were written by his students and encompass
hadith, Islamic philosophy, theology, commentary of the Quran, literature, and
ethics.
After a period of time, three distinguished scholars
categorized these 400 usul in four books which are the main sources of hadith
for the Shi'a school of thought. They are: Usul al-Kafi by al-Kulayni
(d.329H), Man La Yahduruh al-Faqih by al-Saduq (d.381H), and al-Tahdib
and al-Istibsar by al-Tusi (d.460H). These three scholars were known
as the “three Muhammads” since their first names were all Muhammad. While these
four books are the main sources of hadith for the Shi'a, their authors
still did not label their books as ”sahih” (authentic). Although they
did their best to gather only authentic traditions, but if a particular
tradition contradicted the Noble Quran then it was not accepted as legal and
valid. Hadith, according to the Ja'fari school of thought, are accepted only if
the Noble Quran verifies them, since the Noble Quran is the only undoubtable
source of guidance.
Hanafi
The Hanafi school of thought was headed by Imam
al-Nu΄man ibn Thabit (Abu Hanifa) who lived from 80H to 150H. Imam Abu
Hanifa was born to a non-Arab father, was raised in Kufa, and died in Baghdad.
This school of thought prevailed during the time of the Abbasid Empire when a
student of Imam Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf al-Qadi became the head of the judiciary
department and the highest judge, and thus he spread this madhhab
(school of thought), in particular, during the caliphates of al-Mahdi, al-Hadi,
and al-Rashid. No other man was as close to the Abbasid caliph, Harun al-Rashid
as was Abu Yusuf al-Qadi, but the Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur also worked hard to
support and consolidate Imam Abu Hanifa's school of thought and to spread his
madhhab in the face of the growing popularity of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. Imam Abu
Hanifa studied under the instruction of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq for two years,
and said in regards to him, “I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable than
Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and indeed, he is the most knowledgeable one in the
nation.”
Maliki
The Maliki school of thought was headed by Imam Malik ibn
Anas al-Asbahi who lived from 93H to 179H. He was born in the holy city of Madina,
and his fame spread throughout Hijaz. On the account of his disagreement with
Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik became the leader of the school of tradition (hadith),
while Imam Abu Hanifa was the leader of the school of opinion (ra΄i).
Yet, most Muslim governments were supportive of Imam Abu Hanifa.
Imam Malik joined the 'Alawiyiin, the descendants
of Imam Ali, and received his knowledge from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, but
thereafter, inconsistencies marked his life. At one point he was oppressed and
having earned the anger of the government, he was dragged through the streets
by his clothes and lashed. In 148H, his fortunes reversed and he regained his
popularity and dominance. The Abbasids tried to set him up as a popular
reference for the nation in giving verdicts and injunctions. The Abbasid caliph
al-Mansur asked him to write al-Muwatta', his book of fiqh, which
contains the principles of the Maliki school of thought. Furthermore, during
the hajj season, the official announcer of the government proclaimed that no
one had the authority to give fatawas (religious decisions) except for
Imam Malik. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid sat on the floor to listen to
him, and the caliphate in general exalted him to the point where they said that
no book on earth, except the Noble Quran, was more authentic than that of Imam
Malik's. Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi says that two schools of thought were spread due
to the government and the sultan: the school of Imam Abu Hanifa, since Abu
Yusuf al-Qadi only appointed Hanafi judges; and the school of Imam Malik ibn
Anas, for a student of Imam Malik, Yahya ibn Yahya was so respected in the
caliph's palace that no judge was ever appointed in Andalus, Spain without his
consultation and advice.
Shafi΄i
The Shafi΄i school of thought was headed by Imam
Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi΄i who lived from 150H to 198H. Imam
Shafi΄i was born in Hijaz and his school of thought emerged in Egypt. At
the time of the Fatimid Dynasty, the Egyptians were mainly followers of Ahlul Bayt,
and the teachings of Ahlul Bayt were being taught in al-Azhar
University. At a later time, Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi came and waged an extensive
war against the school of Ahlul Bayt by banning the teaching of their madhhab
(school of thought) in al-Azhar and resurrecting the other madhahib, including
that of Imam Shafi΄i, who was killed in Egypt in 198H.
Hanbali
The Hanbali school of thought was headed by Imam Ahmad ibn
Hanbal who lived from 164H to 241H. He was born and died in
Baghdad. He only gained popularity in Najd (a region of the Arabian Peninsula)
due to the ideas of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahabism. The
Hanbali madhhab spread in Najd primarily due to the teachings of Ahmad ibn 'Abd
al-Halim al-Dimishqi ibn Taymiyyah (661H-728H) and his student ibn al-Qayyim
al-Jawziyya.
A close study of the history of the madhahibs and a search
into the reasons for their birth, existence, and spread, reveals that the
various governments were the main factor in the birth and spread of these schools.
Governmental aid took physical and financial forms by establishing schools,
sponsoring books of fiqh (law), adopting and sponsoring
official madhahib, and giving freedom to the founders and scholars of
some of the “official” madhahib. This trend has occurred in almost every
religion worldwide; for example, one might compare this trend in Islam to the
birth of the Anglican Church in 1534AD by the English king, Henry VIII who made
it the official religious tradition of the state, thus giving it 55 million
followers.
History tells that the school of Ahlul Bayt suffered
extreme oppression, tyranny, and discrimination at the hands of the Umayyad and
'Abbasid caliphs. But in spite of oppression, by the divine will of Allah, the
school of the Ahlul Bayt reached a climax during the caliphate of al-Ma'mun,
and Shi'ism reached so far into the governmental dignitaries that al-Ma'mun
himself was forced to show deep sympathy towards the 'Alawiyiin, the
descendants of Imam Ali, and to show an inclination towards Shi'ism, to the
point that he invited Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, the eighth Imam of the Ahlul
Bayt to be his successor—a position which Imam al-Rida declined.
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