The Hanbali school is one of the four orthodox Sunni Islamic schools of
jurisprudence. It is named after the Iraqi scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and was
institutionalized by his students. The Hanbali madhhab is the smallest of four
major Sunni schools, the others being the Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi'i.
Hanbali school derives Sharia predominantly from the Quran, the
Hadiths, and the views of Sahabah. In cases where there is no clear answer in
sacred texts of Islam, the Hanbali school does not accept jurist discretion
or customs of a community as a sound basis to derive Islamic law, a method
that Hanafi and Maliki Sunni fiqhs accept. Hanbalis rely instead on weaker
Hadiths, individual opinions of Muhammad's companions or analogy.
Hanbali school is the strict traditionalist and most conservative
school of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam. It is found primarily in Saudi Arabia
and Qatar, where it is the official fiqh. Hanbali followers are the
demographic majority in four emirates of UAE. Small numbers of Hanbali followers
are also found in Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. The Hanbali school was the
forerunner of the Wahhabi-Salafist movement. Historically the school was
small; during the 18th to early-20th century Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and
Al Saud greatly aided its propagation in Saudi Arabia.
History Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the founder of Hanbali
school, was a disciple of Al-Shafi‘i. Like Shafi'i and al-Zahiri, he was
deeply concerned with the extreme elasticity being deployed by many
jurists of his time, who used their discretion to reinterpret the doctrines
of Quran and Hadiths to suit the demands of Caliphs and wealthy. Ibn Hanbal
advocated return to literal interpretation of Quran and Hadiths.
Influenced by the debates of his time, he was known for rejecting religious
rulings from the consensus of jurists of his time, which he considered to be
speculative theology. He associated them with the Mu'tazilis, who he despised.
Ibn Hanbal was also hostile to the discretionary principles of rulings in
jurisprudence, which were established by his predecessors; Al-Shaf'i, Imam Malik
and Abu Hanifa. He linked these discretionary principles with kalam. His
guiding principle was that the Quran and Sunnah are the only proper sources of
Islamic jurisprudence, and are of equal authority and should be interpreted
literally in line with the Athari creed. He also believed that there can be no
true consensus among jurists of his time, and preferred the consensus of
Muhammad's companions and weaker hadiths. Imam Hanbal himself compiled
Al-Musnad, a text with over 30,000 saying, actions and customs of Muhammad.
Ibn Hanbal never composed an actual systematic legal theory on his own,
though his followers established a systemic method after his death. Much of
the work of preserving the school based on Ibn Hanbal's method was laid by his
student Abu Bakr al-Khallal; his documentation on the founder's views
eventually reached twenty volumes. The original copy of the work, which was
contained in the House of Wisdom, was burned along with many other works of
literature during the Mongol siege of Baghdad. The book was only preserved in
a summarized form by the Hanbali jurist al-Khiraqi, who had access to written
copies of al-Khallal's book before the siege.
Relations with the Abbasid Caliphate were rocky for the Hanbalites. Led by
the Hanbalite scholar Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Barbahari, the school often formed
mobs of followers in 10th-century Baghdad who would engage in violence
against fellow Sunnis suspected of committing sins and all Shi'ites. During
al-Barbahari's leadership of the school in Baghdad, shops were looted, female
entertainers were attacked in the streets, popular grievances among the
lower classes were agitated as a source of mobilization, and public chaos in
general ensued. Their efforts would be their own undoing in 935, when a series
of home invasions and mob violence on the part of al-Barbahari's followers in
addition to perceived deviant views let to the Caliph Ar-Radi publicly
condemning the school in its entirety and ending its official patronage by
state religious bodies. Principles
= Sources of law= Like all other schools of Sunni Islam,
the Hanbali school holds that the two primary sources of Islamic law are the
Qur'an and the Sunnah found in Hadiths. Where these texts did not provide
guidance, Imam Hanbal recommended guidance from established consensus of
Muhammad's companions, then individual opinion of Muhammad's companions,
followed in order of preference by weaker hadiths, and in rare cases qiyas.
The Hanbali school, unlike Hanafi and Maliki schools, rejected that a source
of Islamic law can be jurists personal discretionary opinion or consensus of
later generation Muslims on matters that serve the interest of Islam and
community. Hanbalis hold that this is impossible and leads to abuse.
Ibn Hanbal rejected the possibility of religiously binding consensus, as it was
impossible to verify once later generations of Muslims spread throughout
the world, going as far as declaring anyone who claimed as such to be a liar.
Ibn Hanbal did, however, accept the possibility and validity of the
consensus of the Sahaba. the first generation of Muslims. Later followers
of the school, however, expanded on the types of consensus accepted as valid,
and the prominent Hanbalite Ibn Taymiyyah expanded legal consensus to
later generations while at the same time restricting it only to the religiously
learned. Analogical reasoning, was likewise rejected as a valid source of
law by Ibn Hanbal himself, with a near-unanimous majority of later
Hanbalite jurists not only accepting analogical reasoning as valid but also
borrowing from the works of Shafi'ite jurists on the subject.
Ibn Hanbal's strict standards of acceptance regarding the sources of
Islamic law were probably due to his suspicion regarding the field of Usul
al-Fiqh, which he equated with speculative theology. In the modern era,
Hanbalites have branched out and even delved into matters regarding the
upholding of public interest and even juristic preference, anathema to the
earlier Hanbalites as valid methods of determining religious law.
= Theology= Ibn Hanbal taught that the Qur'an is
uncreated due to Muslim belief that it is the word of God, and the word of God
is not created. The Mu'tazilites taught that the Qur'an, which is readable and
touchable, is created like other creatures and created objects. Ibn
Hanbal viewed this as heresy, replying that there are things which are not
touchable but are created, such as the Throne of God. Unlike the other three
schools of Islamic jurisprudence, the Hanbali madhab remained largely
traditionalist or Athari in theology and it was primarily Hanbali scholars who
codified the Athari school of thought. Distinct rulings
Wudu – One of the seven things which nullifies the minor purification
includes, touching a woman for the purpose of carnal desire. This ruling is
similar to the Maliki opinion, however the Shafi'i opinion is that merely
touching a woman will break the wudu, while the Hanafi opinion is that merely
touching a woman does not break the wudu.
Al-Qayyam – One position of the school according to Kashshaf al-Qina` of
al-Buhuti, and al-Mughni of Ibn Qudama is the same as that of Imam Abu Hanifa
and his students; to place one’s hands below the navel. Another position is
that hands are positioned above the navel or on the chest while standing in
prayer, not similar to the Hanafis, though others state a person has a
choice i.e. either above the navel or near the chest
Ruku – The hands are to be raised before going to ruku, and standing up from
ruku, similar to the Shafi'i school. While standing up after ruku, a person
has a choice to place their hands back to the position as they were before.
Other madh'habs state the hands should be left on their sides.
Tashahhud – The finger should be pointed and not moved, upon mentioning the name
of Allah. Tasleem – Is considered obligatory by
the Madh'hab. Salat-ul-Witr – Hanbalis pray Two
Rak'ats consecutively then perform Tasleem, and then One Rak'at is
performed separately. Dua Qunoot is recited after the Ruku' during Witr, and
Hands are raised during the Dua. In the absence of a valid excuse, it is
obligatory to pray in congregation rather than individually.
The majority of the Hanbali school considers admission in a court of law to
be indivisible; that is, a plaintiff may not accept some parts of a defendant's
testimony while rejecting other parts. This position is also held by the Zahiri
school, though it is opposed by the Hanafi and Maliki schools.
Reception The Hanbali school is now accepted as
the fourth of the mainstream Sunni schools of law. It has traditionally
enjoyed a smaller following than the other schools. In the earlier period,
Sunni jurisprudence was based on four other schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i
and Zahiri; later on, the Hanbali school supplanted the Zahiri school's spot as
the fourth mainstream school. Hanbalism essentially formed as a traditionalist
reaction to what they viewed as speculative innovations on the part of
the earlier established schools. Historically, the school's legitimacy
was not always accepted. Muslim exegete Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, founder of
the now extinct Jariri school of law, was noted for ignoring the Hanbali
school entirely when weighing the views of jurists; this was due to his view
that the founder, Ibn Hanbal, was merely a scholar of prophetic tradition and was
not a jurist at all. The Hanbalites, led by al-Barbahari, reacted by stoning
Tabari's home several times, inciting riots so violent that Abbasid
authorities had to subdue them by force. Upon Tabari's death, the Hanbalites
formed a violent mob large enough that Abbasid officials buried him in secret
for fear of further riots were Tabari buried publicly in a Muslim graveyard.
Similarly, the Andalusian theologian Ibn 'Abd al-Barr made a point to exclude Ibn
Hanbal's views from the books on Sunni Muslim jurisprudence. In al-Muqaddimah,
Ibn Khaldun—himself a Qadi in Egypt during the Mamluk-era—also noted that
the following of this school was rare and stated that this is due to the fact
that they largely reject Ijtihad as a whole.
Eventually, the Mamluk Sultanate and later the Ottoman Empire codified Sunni
Islam as four schools, including the Hanbalite school at the expense of the
Zahirites. The Hanafis, Shafi'is and Malikis agreed on important matters and
recognized each other's systems as equally valid; this was not the case
with the Hanbalites, who were recognized as legitimate by the older three schools
but refused to return the favor. Differences with other Sunni schools
Perhaps the most important difference with the other three mainstream Sunni
school is the following of the Athari and Taqlid creed. Whereas the others
largely follow the Ash'ari school of theology. Al-Ash'ari is vastly
criticised in Hanbali literature, and some of it even labelled him an
unbeliever. In terms of jurisprudence there are
differences as well. In comparison to the Hanafis and the Malikis, in the
absence of a consensus, the opinion of a Sahabi is given priority over Qiyas or
al-'urf, which is completely rejected by Hanablis. Where Hanbalis require a
unanimous consensus, Hanafis tend to follow the consensus of Kufa and Malikis
that of al-Madina. Hanbalis are somewhat more lax in accepting Hadiths whereas
Abu Hanifa tended to severely scrutinise Hadith because he lived in Kufa in the
middle of the Shi'a/Sunna conflict. Other schools maintain that a religious
ruling cannot be given with doubt, and thus do not follow in some cases Hadiths
which authenticity may be in doubt. Zahiris, a less mainstream school, is
sometimes seen as the closest to Hanbalis and Hanafis. However the
similarities are only true for early Zahiris who followed the Athari creed.
The branch that was largely instigated by Ibn Hazm which developed in
al-Andalus, al-Qarawiyyin and later became the official school of the state
under the Almohads, differed significantly from Hanbalism. It did not
follow the Athari and Taqlid schools and opted for "logical Istidlal" as a way to
interpret scripture that wasn't clear literally. Hanbalis rejected kalam as a
whole and believed in the supremacy of the text over the mind and did not
engage in dialectic debates with the Mu'tazila. Ibn Hazm, on the other hand,
engaged in these debates and believed in logical reasoning rejecting most of
Mu'tazila claims as sophists and absurd. Ibn Hazm, also scrutinised Hadith more
severely. He adopted an attitude where he'd reject Hadiths if he discovered
something suspicious about the lives of the those who reported it, or in the
case where a person in the Sanad is not a widely known figure. In doing so, he
was aided by his vast historical knowledge.
Offshoots The Salafi movement is largely descend
from the Hanbali school, which they scrupulously follow in terms of theology
and Usool. Much of their religious discourse is derived from the works of
the Salaf us-Salih, also from the works of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya
and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, with contemporary Saudi clerics such as
Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen and Ibn Baz. Revival efforts
Since the Al Saud succeeded in annexing Mecca in 1926 and the discovery of oil,
Hanbali school of theology has benefited from the sponsorship of the Saudi state.
Theology students from all over the world are educated in Saudi Arabia
following this school of theology and Saudi-funded Dawah succeeded in
attracting new followers all over the world. Since the beginning of the
20th-century, the school has therefore gained more acceptance and diffusion in
the Islamic world. List of Hanbali scholars
Abu Bakr al-Khallal – Jurist responsible for the school's early codification.
Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Barbahari Ibn Aqil
Awn ad-Din ibn Hubayra Abdul Qadir al-Jilani
Abu-al-Faraj Ibn Al-Jawzi – A famous jurist, exegete, critic, preacher and a
prolific author, with works on nearly all subjects.
Hammad al-Harrani – A jurist, critic and preacher who lived in Alexandria under
the reign of Salahudin. Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi – A prominent
hadith master from Damascus and the nephew of Ibn Qudamah.
Ibn Qudamah – One of the major Hanbali authorities and the author of the
profound and voluminous book on Law, al-Mughni, which became popular amongst
researchers from all juristic backgrounds. One of two individuals
referred to as Shaykh al-Islām within the Hanbali school.
Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyah – A well-known figure in the Islamic history, known by
his friends and foes for his expertise in all Islamic sciences. The second of
two people referred to as "Shaykh al-Islām" within the school.
Ibn al-Qayyim – The closest companion and a student of Ibn Taymiyah, also a
respected jurist in his own right. Ibn Rajab – A prominent jurist,
traditionist, ascetic and preacher, who authored several important works,
largely commenting upon famous collections of traditions.
Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab – A leading Hanbali jurist and traditionist,
patronym of the Wahhabi movement. Ibn Humaid – A Hanbali jurist,
traditionist, historian. Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz – Former Grand Mufti
of Saudi Arabia. Ibn al-Uthaymeen – A leading jurist,
grammarian, linguist, and a popular preacher.
Abdullah Ibn Jibreen – A leading Scholar of Saudi Arabia and was a former member
of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fataawa in Saudi Arabia.
Saleh Al-Fawzan – A well known scholar in Saudi Arabia and prolific author. He
is currently a member of the Permanent Committee.
Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais – The leading imam and khateeb of the Grand mosque
chief of presidency of Haramain Committee, Saudi Arabia.
Saud Al-Shuraim – The Imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque Mecca and a
professor of Islamic law at Umm al-Qura University.
See also Islamic schools and branches
Salat Wudu
Adhan Islamic views on sin
References Further reading
Abd al-Halim al-Jundi, Ahmad bin Hanbal Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, published in Cairo
by Dar al-Ma'arif Dr. 'Ali Sami al-Nashshar, Nash'ah
al-fikr al-falsafi fi al-islam, vol. 1, published by Dar al-Ma'arif, seventh
edition, 1977 Makdisi, George. "Hanābilah."
Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. Vol. 6. 2nd ed. Detroit:
Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3759-3769. 15 vols. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Thomson Gale. Dar Irfan Jameel. "Introduction to
Hanbali School of tion_to_Hanbali_School_of_Jurisprudence.
Vishanoff, David. "Nazzām, Al-." Ibid. Iqbal, Muzzafar. Chapter 1, "The
Beginning", Islam and Science, Ashgate Press, 2002.
Leaman, Oliver, "Islamic Philosophy". Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, v.
5, p. 13-16. External links
Hanabilah.com Hanbali Madhhab Hanbali-forum Files Hanbali Fiqh by
Shaykh Musa Furber Hanbaliyyah at Overview of World
Religions