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Is it permissible to follow a fatwa from a different madhhab than the prevailing madhhab in one's country of residence?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed regarding the permissibility for a follower (muqallid) to switch from one madhhab (school of thought) to another. The correct view is that it is permissible, as long as the intention is not to cherry-pick the concessions (rukhas) of the madhhabs. The jurist Ibn Hajar al-Makki mentioned that one is not obligated to adhere to a specific madhhab; rather, they may seek fatwa from whomever they wish, but without seeking out concessions. Ibn Nujaym al-Hanafi stated in "Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq" the permissibility of following any mujtahid one wishes and transferring from one madhhab to another, but not by following concessions. In the commentary on "Tanqih al-Fusul" by Al-Qarafi al-Maliki, it is permissible to follow madhhabs and transfer from one madhhab to another under three conditions: that one does not combine between them in a way that contradicts ijma' (scholarly consensus), that one believes in the superiority of the one they are following, and that one does not seek out the concessions of the madhhabs. Based on this, it is permissible for you to leave the Maliki madhhab and adopt another madhhab, such as the Hanbali or Shafi'i, provided you do not seek out concessions.

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

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