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Schools of Law
Schools of Law in Islam
Today, Islam recognizes four Sunni schools of law (Arabic: Madhab / Turkish: Mezhep = the way, the teaching), which arose over time after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through four different imams.
Differences in the Schools of Law
The four schools of law - Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali and Maliki - deal with the doctrinal issues in Islam and differ in some practical practices, which have mostly arisen due to the different customs and interpretations of the imams.
However, the four schools of law recognize each other and are based on the Koran and the Sunnah.
Reasons for the Differences
The reason for the differences in interpretation lies in the narrations of the Companions, who have only apparently observed the characteristics and details of the practical exercises of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and mainly no further details are available.
For example, while praying, the forehead of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was caused to bleed by a small, sharp stone that had lodged in his skin. His wife Ayse removed it from his forehead. The Prophet (P.A.P.B.U.H.) then performed the ritual ablution (Wudu/Abdest) again and continued to pray.
While Imam Azam Ebu Hanife, to whom the Hanafi school of law is based, interprets the bruise as the reason for the renewal of the ritual ablution, Imam Safi, on whose teachings the Shafii school of law is based, interprets the touching of the woman as the cause of the ritual ablution . From this it becomes clear that both legal judgments have a legitimate indication and a claim to truth, since they have derived their legal provisions from the Sunna and the traditions of the companions.
Furthermore, there may be differences in the area of halal nutrition. For example, distilled vinegar is classified differently in the four schools of law due to the small amount of alcohol produced during fermentation.