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Madh'hab: Difference between revisions
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The Hanafi madh'hab was founded by Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man (d. 767) in Kufa, Iraq. The Hanafi madh'hab is adhered to in the Levant, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the largest part of Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, the Balkans, and by large parts of the Muslim populations of Russia and China. Large religious movements that exist within the Hanafi sphere are the Barelvi and Deobandi movements. Altogether, it is estimated that Hanafis form a plurality of Muslims world wide (roughly 30% of all Muslims). | The Hanafi madh'hab was founded by Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man (d. 767) in Kufa, Iraq. The Hanafi madh'hab is adhered to in the Levant, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the largest part of Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, the Balkans, and by large parts of the Muslim populations of Russia and China. Large religious movements that exist within the Hanafi sphere are the Barelvi and Deobandi movements. Altogether, it is estimated that Hanafis form a plurality of Muslims world wide (roughly 30% of all Muslims). | ||
The Hanafi madh'hab is descended from the ''Ahl al-Rai''' (the so-called "partisans of reason") of Iraq from the early Muslim community, of which Abu Hanifah was a part. As such, the interpretive methodology of the Hanafis can be broadly described as favoring reasoning over an uncritical regurgitation of scripture. In more concrete terms, this means allowing reasoning by analogy (''qiyas'') on legal/moral matters where scriptures are absent (the other madh'habs would come to adopt this concept to some degree, but the Hanafis adopted it first and arguably employ it most liberally). Another manifestation of this general preference for reasoning over, say, resorting to relying on [[Hadith | The Hanafi madh'hab is descended from the ''Ahl al-Rai''' (the so-called "partisans of reason") of Iraq from the early Muslim community, of which Abu Hanifah was a part. As such, the interpretive methodology of the Hanafis can be broadly described as favoring reasoning over an uncritical regurgitation of scripture. In more concrete terms, this means allowing reasoning by analogy (''qiyas'') on legal/moral matters where scriptures are absent (the other madh'habs would come to adopt this concept to some degree, but the Hanafis adopted it first and arguably employ it most liberally). Another manifestation of this general preference for reasoning over, say, resorting to relying on [[Hadith|weakly authenticated scripture]] (as the Hanbalis generally do), is the legal principle of ''Istihsan'', or juristic preference. ''Istihsan'' is the practice of favoring an epistemologically and methodologically weaker opinion simply for the sake of "public interest" or ''maslaha''. | ||
As with all the other madh'habs, the views of the Hanafis school changed over time, are internally diverse, and in many instances disagree today with the opinions of its founder, Abu Hanifah. The two most important transmitters of the Hanafi school are Abu Hanifah's top two students, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani. | As with all the other madh'habs, the views of the Hanafis school changed over time, are internally diverse, and in many instances disagree today with the opinions of its founder, Abu Hanifah. The two most important transmitters of the Hanafi school are Abu Hanifah's top two students, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani. | ||