The four schools and why scholars differ
Islamic Studies · a self-paced course lesson
Hanafi (Abu Hanifa, d. 150 AH), Maliki (Malik, d. 179), Shafiʿi (ash-Shafiʿi, d. 204), Hanbali (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, d. 241). All four take the Quran and Sunnah as their sources and share the great majority of their conclusions; they differ in method — how much weight to give a local practice, an analogy, or a report of a particular strength.