The Four Imams Are Followers of the Messenger, Not the Messenger a Follower of Them
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Fatwa number ( 1212 )
Q: Requesting clarification regarding the four schools of jurisprudence: the Hanafi, the Shafi'i, the Maliki, and the Hanbali, and the position of each of them, and the position of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with regard to these schools, as a dispute arose between the questioner and a group of elderly men who told him that they were Hanbalis, and he told them that he was a Hanafi; based on His saying, the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:161]
A: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. And after: The Hanafi school is attributed to Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man ibn Thabit al-Kufi , the Maliki school is attributed to Malik ibn Anas al-Asbahi al-Madani , the Shafi'i school is attributed to Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i al-Qurashi , and the Hanbali school is attributed to Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal, and all of these
were after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they were among the best people of their time (may Allah be pleased with them). They exerted effort in deriving rulings from the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), and from what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed upon. They clarified the truth for people, and their statements were transmitted to us. They spread among the Muslims in all their lands, and many scholars who came after them followed them, due to their trust in them and their entrusting them with their religion, and their agreement with them in the principles they relied upon, and they spread their statements among the people. And whoever follows them from the unlearned and acts according to what he knows of their statements is attributed to the one he follows. However, he must ask those he trusts among the scholars of his time and cooperate with them to understand the truth from its evidence. From what has preceded, it becomes clear that they are followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Messenger is not a follower of them. Rather, what he brought from Allah of the Shari'ah of Islam is the original source to which these Imams and other scholars (may Allah be pleased with them) refer. And every Muslim is called a Hanifi for following the gentle Hanifiyyah, which is the religion of Ibrahim and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Requesting clarification regarding the four schools of jurisprudence: the Hanafi, the Shafi'i, the Maliki, and the Hanbali, and the position of each of them, and the position of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with regard to these schools, as a dispute arose between the questioner and a group of elderly men who told him that they were Hanbalis, and he told them that he was a Hanafi; based on His saying, the Exalted:
Say, "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among those who associated others with Allah."
قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَA: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.. And after: The Hanafi school is attributed to Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man ibn Thabit al-Kufi , the Maliki school is attributed to Malik ibn Anas al-Asbahi al-Madani , the Shafi'i school is attributed to Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i al-Qurashi , and the Hanbali school is attributed to Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal, and all of these
were after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they were among the best people of their time (may Allah be pleased with them). They exerted effort in deriving rulings from the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), and from what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed upon. They clarified the truth for people, and their statements were transmitted to us. They spread among the Muslims in all their lands, and many scholars who came after them followed them, due to their trust in them and their entrusting them with their religion, and their agreement with them in the principles they relied upon, and they spread their statements among the people. And whoever follows them from the unlearned and acts according to what he knows of their statements is attributed to the one he follows. However, he must ask those he trusts among the scholars of his time and cooperate with them to understand the truth from its evidence. From what has preceded, it becomes clear that they are followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Messenger is not a follower of them. Rather, what he brought from Allah of the Shari'ah of Islam is the original source to which these Imams and other scholars (may Allah be pleased with them) refer. And every Muslim is called a Hanifi for following the gentle Hanifiyyah, which is the religion of Ibrahim and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.