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Why were the followers of the the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Shafi'i, Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki, Wahhabi) not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The sayings of the scholars and the imams of the four schools of thought (madhahib) are a reference for the common people to understand the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and to know the Islamic legal rulings, based on the words of Allah Almighty: "So ask the people of the message if you do not know" (Qur'an 16:43), and the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Why did they not ask when they did not know? Indeed, the cure for ignorance is asking." Muslims follow the madhahib not because they are an absolute truth, but because they are based on revelation. If they contradict revelation, then revelation is followed and the saying of the madhhab is abandoned. As for "Wahhabism," it is not a madhhab. Rather, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a Hanbali who initiated a reformative movement in creed and monotheism, combating polytheism and innovations. It is incumbent upon every Muslim to dedicate themselves to accepting the truth and defending it, regardless of labels or affiliations.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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