A Very Basic Guide to “madhhabs” for the Average Muslim
Simply put, a new or a newly practicing Muslim is not expected to all of a sudden be an expert on Islam. Being an expert is a demanding and serious process that requires decades of study with qualified teachers. Instead, a Muslim is expected to rely upon the unique and rigorous system of scholarship that has endured throughout history.
When it comes to our actions, the “halal and haram” of daily life, four acceptable approaches have been reliably transmitted from teacher to student until today. We call these four approaches the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali madhhabs. They provide principles that tell us whether a given action is required, recommended, neutral, disliked, or sinful.
Practically, the blessing of the madhhabs is that you and I are not expected to shoulder the burden of speaking on behalf of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. The work has been done. All we need to do is have a teacher in one of the four madhhabs educate us on the particulars of prayer, fasting, etc.
We may find people of other madhhabs practicing slightly differently than we are. Even within madhhabs there are differences on some issues. But those differences are not reason to dismiss or invalidate our fellow brothers and sisters. Rather, they are within the scope of what our scholars have passed down to us.
If a person wants to go further and be able to speak about Islam as an authority, he or she must first develop basic qualifications. For example, mastery of the Arabic language, mastery of a madhhab, and certification by normative teachers who are widely accepted in the community.
For more:
What if I Was Born in The Hanafi Madhab Without Knowing What it Really is? by Dr. Yasir Qadhi
What is a Madhhab? Exploring the Role of Islamic Schools of Law by Dr. Emad Hamdeh
“Follow Allah & His Messenger ﷺ, Not People” – Misunderstanding The Concept Of Taqlid by Ustadh Samir Hussain
Understanding The Four Madhhabs: the problem with anti-madhhabism by Shaykh Abdal-Hakim Murad