The categorization of Islamic Fiqah
By: Dr Bismah Iram (Lahore)
There are four major groups categorization of Islamic Fiqah. The differences between them reside not in the basic concepts of faith, but in the finer opinions and laws resulting from the individual thinking of these imams and their followers. This is because, their distinct approaches for interpreting and extracting from the main texts (usul) were varied, and therefore they went to distinct views on specific issues. There are significant variations in prayer techniques among the four groups, for instance, but the distinctions are not so large that the adherents of each school require segregated prayers. In reality, a disciple of any religious group can generally perform prayer without any uncertainty behind an imam of any other school of thoughts.
What is fiqah Hanafi or fiqh Hanafi?
In the Sunni Muslim religious culture, fiqh Hanafi is one of the four Islamic schools of thoughts “jurisprudence” and is regarded to be the earliest and perhaps the most flexible one. Hanafi is amongst the four classes of belief “Maddhab” of Islamic teachings or law (fiqh) in Sunni movement. It is named after its creator “Imam Abu Hanafi” and it is believed to be the main group of Sunni Arabs in Iraq. It allows extensive use of the rationalization or viewpoint in legal matters. However, the Sunni Hanafi religious faith mainly lacks hierarchy and is heterogeneous, making it hard for rulers of the 20th century to integrate their spiritual leaders into powerful unified group.
Founder of this fiqah
Abu Hanifa, born around A.D.700 in Kufa, Iraq, established the Hanafi School of Islamic law. He is considered to be former Muslim scholars to find unique methods of implementing Islamic teachings to people’s daily lives. During his life, Abu Hanifa was dishonored, called insane because of inventing different views. Some said that he is a hypocrite and kafir. He’s been jailed and murdered. He was expired in 150 A.H. In Abu Hanifa’s conception of Islamic law, the variations among different Muslim groups were highly accepted. He also segregated faith from practice and enhanced importance of faith over practice. Shafi was known to be his rival and vice versa.
This movement of Islam was criticized by the people of Madinah with an argument of being slightly different in practices from the ones that was practiced in Madinah from the time of Hazrat Muhammad (SAAW). However, it doesn’t lead towards differences in understanding of Belief.
The Liberal School of thoughts
Most of the Hanafi group is ideologically following al-Maturidi. Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Mahmud Abu Mansur al-Samarqandi al-Maturidi al-Hanafi (d. 333) from Maturid in Samarqand, Shaykh al-Islam, has been one of the two major Imams of Ahl al-Sunna’s mutakallimûn. In his movement, he was recognized as the Imam al Huda “Imam of guidance”. A large number of Taliban are Maturidis.This school refers to logic (subjective opinion). And a struggle for the improvement without being rigid. So it is mainly secular and is Islam’s biggest movement. Hence Hanafi School is renowned for its tolerant religious approach, which increases faith in practice. And tolerates disagreements among Muslim groups.