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What is your guidance for someone who grew up in a Barelvi society and wishes to continue following the Hanafi madhhab while embracing the correct creed?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Muslims who are not specialized in religious sciences are guided to adhere to infallibility through: 1. The Quran and authentic Sunnah: The Quran is clear in its definitive and general verses for every reader. It calls for the Oneness of Allah, the abandonment of polytheism, noble morals, and the prohibition of injustice and major sins. 2. Benefiting from trustworthy scholars and jurists: Those who base their arguments on the Quran and Sunnah, distinguish between the authentic, the abrogating, and the abrogated, follow the righteous predecessors and the imams of Muslims, and do not confine themselves to a specific group but belong to the entire Ummah. 3. Referring to the books of esteemed imams: Such as Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, the authentic Sunan collections, and the books of Imams Malik, Al-Shafi'i, and Abu Hanifa. It is permissible to follow them and adopt their sayings, and there is no harm in their errors, as they are forgiven and rewarded. The general public is not required to distinguish the preponderant opinion, but they must not follow anomalous opinions and should take knowledge from those whom the Ummah has attested to their virtue and knowledge.

In short, there is no harm in following the Hanafi school of thought while adhering to the correct creed, or following any other recognized school of thought.

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

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