Most Read in the Category of Madhhabs (Sects)

They are divided into four: 1 – Hanafi 2 – Maliki, 3 – Shafii, 4 – Hanbali.

Those four madhhabs are true and right. Now, let us have a look at them one by one:

* Hanafi Madhhab:

The founder of Hanafi Madhhab is Imam A’zam.

Imam A’zam means the greatest imam. His original name is Numan; he is also called Abu Hanifa. He was born in Kufa in 80 (H) and died in Baghdad in 150 (H).

Hanafi Madhhab originated in Iraq, then it spread to the east and west from there. During the period of Abbasids, most of the judges were Hanafi. Hanafi Madhhab is common among Turks in Anatolia and Balkans. 

* Maliki Madhhab:

Its founder is Imam Malik bin Anas. He was born in Madinah in 93 (H) and died in Madinah in 179 (H). Maliki Madhhab was adopted by the people of Hejaz first. Then it was spread to North Africa and Andalusia (Spain) by hajjis (pilgrims).

* Shafii Madhhab:

Its founder is Imam Shafii. His original name is Muhammad. He was born in Gaza in 150 (H) and died in Egypt in 204 (H). He is a descendant of Sons of Hashim.

Shafii Madhhab became widespread in Egypt first. Then it spread partly to Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Horasan. Today the majority of Muslims in Egypt follow Shafii Madhhab.

* Hanbali Madhhab:

Its founder is Ahmad bin Hanbal . He was born in Baghdad in 164 (H) and died in Baghdad in 241 (H).

Hanbali Madhhab is widespread in Najd. Today, Hanbali Madhhab is prevalent in Najd.

In Islam, the religious judgments and decrees are based on two fundamental sources:

1. the Book,

2. the Sunnah

All of the religious decrees of Islam are based on those two sources. No Islamic decree is taken from any other fundamentals or laws.

Apart from those two sources, there are two more religious evidence called Qiyas (comparison) and Ijma (consensus); they are not actually independent sources. They are obtained by referring to the Book and the Sunnah. Then, all of the Islamic decrees are based on  the Book and the Sunnah.

Now, let us explain those sources one by one:

1. the Book:

What is meant by the Book is the Quran.

2. the Sunnah:

The words that our Prophet said and the deeds that he did are called the Sunnah. The Sunnah is divided into three: 

The words of our Prophet are called Sunnah Qawli (Word); his deeds are called Sunnah Fi’li (Deed); if the Prophet heard something from someone or saw someone did something and did not prevent them or kept silent, it is called Sunnah Taqriri (Approval).   

Although all of them can be called hadith, the term hadith is especially used for the words of our Prophet.

The Sunnah of our Prophet is an important fundamental after the Quran, the religious evidence. Apart from explaining and interpreting the religious decrees in the Quran, the Sunnah imposed new decrees, too. 

3. Qiyas:

Qiyas is a religious evidence that is based on the Quran and the Sunnah.

Qiyas means to make a judgment about an issue by analogy based on a religious decree that exists in the Quran due to the similarity of reason.

For instance, it is stated both in the Book and the Sunnah that wine is haram to drink. The reason why wine is haram is its intoxication. Then, all of the alcoholic drinks that are intoxicant must be haram to drink. The decree is given based on Qiyas. Qiyas can only be carried out by scholars that have reached the level of ijtihad.

4. Ijma al-Ummah:

If mujtahids living in the same century agree unanimously on a decree that they give through ijtihad, it is called Ijma al-Ummah.

An issue on which there is ijma is a very strong issue.

• What is Ijtihad?

Ijtihad means to exert one’s efforts in order to make a judgment about a religious issue based on the evidence that is regarded as essential in the religion. A person who has the religious and scientific competence to make ijtihad is called a mujtahid.  It is necessary to know the Book, the Sunnah, Qiyas and Ijma with all their details and subtleties in order to make ijtihad.

“If the decree about an event is not clearly stated in the Quran and the Sunnah, ijtihad is made. That is, a great effort is exerted in order to make a judgment under the light of the Quran and the Sunnah. Ijtihad is one of the greatest virtues in our religion. Thanks to ijtihad, the judgments about all of the events that take place in life can be made by ijtihad. One of the reasons why our religion has a capability to meet the needs of every century is ijtihad..” (Halil Günenç – Günümüz Mes’elelerine Fetvalar)

No, on the contrary, those differences brought about mercy and ease for the ummah.

When people faced difficulty regarding an issue in a madhhab, they coped with that difficulty through an easier judgment of a different madhhab when there was real necessity. Thus, the existence of madhhabs enabled ease for the ummah.

Probably, that must be the meaning of the following hadith: “The difference of opinion in my ummah is mercy.”

A madhhab is the way followed, the method and view that is adopted. Religiously, a madhhab is the religious school formed by people who adopt the ideas and views of a mujtahid scholar.

There is difference among madhhabs in essentials. There are some differences in details that are not related to the essence of the religion.

Besides, no mujtahid emerged with the claim of setting up a madhhab based on his name. A madhhab was set up spontaneously based on the name of a mujtahid when some people adopted the judgments and decrees deduced from verses and hadiths by that mujtahid. 

A liquid (water) is given 5 different judgments based on 5 different patients. For instance, it is medicine for the disease of a person. Then, it becomes obligatory (wajib) for him medically. It is harmful like a poison for another. It is forbidden (haram) for him medically. It is a little harmful for another. It is makrooh (abominable) for him medically. It is useful for another. It is sunnah for him medically. It is neither harmful nor useful for another. It is mubah (permissible). 5 of them are true depending on the patients. One cannot say it is only wajib.

As it is seen in the example, the judgments can change based on the situations of the people who follow those madhhabs. They are different for different situations.

Madhhabs are divided into two first:

1 – Madhhabs related to fiqh,

2 – Madhhabs related to creed.

1. Ahl as-Sunnah, 2. Ahl al-Bid’ah.

* Ahl as-Sunnah:

It means those who follow the way of Hazrat Prophet and who never deviate from it.

The reference for Ahl as-Sunnah is the Book and the Sunnah. Ahl as-Sunnah believes in what is ordered in the Book and the Sunnah, and acts in accordance with it.

Ahl as-Sunnah is divided into two as Maturidiyya and Ash’ariyya.

* Maturidiyya Madhhab:

Its founder is Abu Mansur Muhammad. He was born in Maturid, a village in Samarqand. He died in 333 (H). All of Hanafis and generally Turks are from Maturidiyya Madhhab.

* Ash’ariyya Madhhab:

Its founder is Abu’l-Hasan Ash’ari. His original name is Ali. He was born in Basra in 200 (H) and died in Baghdad in 324 (H).

Malikis and Shafiis adopted Ash’ariyya Madhhab in creed. Hanbalis follow Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal regarding fiqh as well as creed. They do not have a separate madhhab in creed.

There are some minor differences between Ash’ariyya and  Maturidiyya but there is no big difference. The fundamental views of both madhhabs are the same and compatible with the Sunnah. 

Ahl al-Bid’ah:

They are the people who interpret the judgments and decrees that Hazrat Prophet brought and the orders of the Quran based on their own desires and who somewhat deviate from the way of Sunnah.

Bid’ah is all kinds of words, thoughts and deeds that were not present during the time of the Prophet and his Companions, that were invented later and that are contrary to the principles of the religion of Islam.

Our Prophet condemned Ahl al-Bid’ah severely:

“The best talk (speech) is Allah's Book (the Quran), and the best way is the way of Muhammad, and the worst matters are the bid’ahs (those new things which are introduced into the religion); and every bid’ah is misguidance and deviation.”

The bid’ahs related to creed are called bid’ahs of creed. They are the beliefs that are contrary to the principles reported soundly from the Prophet related to creed.

The beliefs of some groups like Mu’tazila and Jabriya belong to this part.

The bid’ahs related to deeds are called bid’ahs of deed.

The innovations and things invented later that are not directly related to the essentials of creed and deeds of the religion of Islam and that do not have any contrariness to those principles are not regarded as bid’ah.

There are some scholars who divide bid’ahs into two:

1. Bid’ah hasana (good): Good bid’ahs are the new customs and deeds that are not contrary to Islam. For instance, to use prayer beads after daily prayers.

2. Bid’ah sayyia (bad): Bad bid’ahs are innovations that are contrary to Islam... For instance, to put candles on the graves of saints, to expect help from graveyards, etc.

As a madhhab of creed, Ahl al-Bid’ah is divided into many branches.  

Each madhhab of Ahl al-Bid’ah is also divided into many groups.

During the Era of our Prophet some of the Companions stayed with the Messenger of Allah constantly, memorized the verses of the Quran and hadiths and tried to understand their meanings properly. They saw how Hazrat Prophet applied the judgments of the Quran in person and knew about the reasons for the revelation.

After the death of Hazrat Prophet, the Companions left Makkah and Madinah, and went to various Islamic countries. They met people with different customs and traditions from those of Hejaz. People went to them and asked them about religious issues, and the Companions informed people about the judgment of the Quran and Sunnah about the issue. If they could not find an obvious judgment in the Quran and hadiths about the issue, they made ijtihad and clarified the issues. The companions were both the judge, and mufti and governor and teacher in cities that they went to. They formed kind of schools in the places where they were. Since they went to very different places and lived with people having different customs and traditions, and since there were differences among them in terms of information, intelligence and comprehension, they naturally made different ijtihads, and expressed different opinions and ideas for the questions that they were asked.

The students of a companion that gathered around him started to make ijtihads based on his system and method of approach, to settle problems and find solutions to the situations that occurred in the society after him. As a result of those efforts, fiqh madhhabs started to form in the source of time. Some madhhabs disappeared since they could not find followers in the course of time; the existing four madhhabs of today received a general acceptance in the Islamic world and became strong; they spread and reached today. 

All madhhabs agree unanimously that salah (prayer) is fard. They also agree unanimously that wudu is fard for prayer. 

They also agree that the head must be wiped during wudu.

The difference is related to the form and amount of wiping that are not among fundamental issues not to the act of wiping.

For instance:

1. Imam Malik and Ahmad bin Hanbal regarded it necessary to wipe the whole head.

2. Abu Hanifa said it was enough to wipe one fourth of the head.

3. Imam Shafii had the opinion that it was enough to wipe a few hairs.

Some people who see this difference in the views of the imams say:

– Since they base their judgments on the same verse and hadith, this difference should not have existed even though it is in the detail.

Some of those who say so think like that due to their good intentions. Others speak like that because their beliefs have been weakened and they have been in the pit of doubt; they speak like that in order to cause destruction in the religion. .

However, there is no need for those with good intentions to have a delusion like that; and those with bad intentions cannot oppose like that in the pit of doubt:

Arabic is the richest language. The word ‘ja’ala’ has 15 meanings in Arabic; letters (prepositions) have comprehensive and rich meanings, too.

In Arabic, the letter “b” is used as a preposition before various words.

It changes the meaning of the word before which it comes.

Let us have a look at the meaning of “b”  

1 – B is used to embellish the word; it does not change the meaning.

2 – B means “some”.

3 – B means to “abut”, “adjoin”.

Our Lord used the letter (B) that has the meanings mentioned above in the verse “wipe your head” before the word “ruusikum” and said “Bi-ruusikum”.

That is, what our Lord meant by the verse “wipe your head” includes the meanings of the letter (B).

Because of those different meanings, Imam Ahmad and Imam Malik said:

– While wiping the head with wet palm, all of it should be wiped. This is because the letter “b” here is used for embellishing the word. It does not have any kind of meaning on its own.

       Imam Abu Hanifa said:

– That ‘b’ means ‘some’. Thus, it is sufficient if some part of the head is wiped with wet palm.

Imam Shafii said:

– That ‘b’ stands for ‘to abut on’. It is acceptable if only the hand abuts on the head and touches a few hairs.

Then, since the truth is like that, who can accuse a mujtahid of making mistakes? Who can claim that the difference of madhhabs in the details means difference in the religion? It is our Lord who sends the word. It is our Lord who sent the word putting (B) before it.

It is not possible for every Muslim individual to learn the religious issues, decrees and judgments directly from the Quran and Sunnah. Only authorized Islamic scholars that have reached the level of ijtihad can do it. The other Muslims need to understand and adopt the explanations and views of those scholars and follow their way. The raw materials of drugs are plants, herbs, mines, etc but not everybody can produce drugs using them; it is necessary to study pharmaceutics; similarly, an ordinary Muslim cannot make judgments about religious issues although the sources are the Quran and Sunnah; only scholars that have reached the level of ijtihad can make judgments about religious issues. Not everybody can have enough knowledge, mental capacity, reasoning, intelligence and foresight to make judgment from religious sources.