Held in high esteem by generations of ulema and laity alike, the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence have played a pivotal role in protecting and safeguarding the shariah of Islam.
None would however deny that the Hanbali Madhab has remained the least well understood and most misrepresented. In contrast to fiqh and aqidah, the relatively later development of the school, coupled with the fewest number of scholars and practitioners has resulted in a gap in the understanding of many regarding the madhab’s lesser known sciences such as its usul, governing principles, scholars, main texts and development.
Although not an overly popular topic with students of knowledge or scholars, this text seeks to fill some of the aforementioned gaps and introduce elementary issues concerning the madhab and aims to clarify some prevalent misconceptions held not only by outsiders but also by those claiming adherence to the madhab.