Madhhab
A madhhab is an established school of Islamic legal thought, built on a shared method for deriving rulings. The four Sunni schools in wide use today are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali. Two madhhabs can reach different conclusions from the same sources.
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Is it permissible for a Muslim to follow the sayings of the Four Imams interchangeably, or is it obligatory for him to adhere to the madhhab of a single Imam, especially in countries that ascribe to a specific madhhab, such as the Maliki madhhab in Tunisia?
A Muslim is obligated to obey Allah, His Messenger, and righteous scholars. Whoever is capable of discerning the evidence is bound to follow it. Whoever is not capable is permitted to follow a specific madhhab (school…
What is the ruling on describing Imam Malik's statement regarding سلس ( سلس البول - urinary incontinence or سلس الريح - flatulence incontinence) as "منكر" (reprehensible or objectionable), knowing that his madhhab (school of thought) is authoritative and strong?
The "reprehensible statement" (al-qawl al-munkar) transmitted by Al-Hattab from Al-Ubay in "Al-Ikmal" means that a dissenter from Imam Malik's madhhab attributed to him another statement unknown within the madhhab. It…
Is it permissible to follow a fatwa from a different madhhab than the prevailing madhhab in one's country of residence?
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…
Questions that use it
Is it permissible for a Muslim to follow the sayings of the Four Imams interchangeably, or is it obligatory for him to adhere to the madhhab of a single Imam, especially in countries that ascribe to a specific madhhab, such as the Maliki madhhab in Tunisia?
What is the ruling on describing Imam Malik's statement regarding سلس ( سلس البول - urinary incontinence or سلس الريح - flatulence incontinence) as "منكر" (reprehensible or objectionable), knowing that his madhhab (school of thought) is authoritative and strong?
Is it permissible to follow a fatwa from a different madhhab than the prevailing madhhab in one's country of residence?
Is it considered an innovation (bid'ah) to adhere to a specific madhhab, taking into account that the majority of Muslims adhere to one of the four madhhabs and that prominent scholars were followers of them?
Should the Imam answer the questioner about the ruling on sniffing water into the nose (istinsḥāq) and expelling it (istinthār) according to his personal belief, or according to the Maliki school of thought, which is adopted in the village, bearing in mind that the authorities require the Imam to adhere to the official madhhab?
Is it obligatory for one who is capable of deriving rulings from the evidence to avoid adhering to a specific madhhab (school of thought), and is one who seeks a fatwa from someone who possesses this capability yet adheres to a madhhab sinful?