Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Wael B. Hallaq, The Origins and Evolu-

tion of Islamic Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University 

Press, 2005), 150–177; Joseph Schacht, An Introduction 

to Islamic Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966).

Hanafi Legal School

  

287  J

---

Hanbali Legal School

The Hanbali Legal School (madhhab) began in 

b

aghdad

 during the ninth century. It was the 

last of the four major Sunni legal schools to 

appear and was distinguished by its preference 

for making law based on literal interpretations 

of the q

Uran

 and 

hadith

. The school was named 

after a

hmad

 

ibn

 h

anbal

 (d. 855), the famed Iraqi 

hadith scholar and theologian. It grew from his 

circle of students, which included two of his sons, 

in reaction to rationalist methods and doctrines 

being advocated by the h

anaFi

  l

egal

  s

chool

and the m

Utazili

  s

chool

. Hanbalis believed that 

they were defenders of the faith and of God’s law, 

the 

sharia

. In addition to narrow readings of the 

Quran and hadith, Hanbali law was also derived 

from the rulings (

FatWas

) of the c

ompanions

 

oF

the

  p

rophet

 that conformed to the Quran and 

sUnna

 and analogical reasoning (qiyas), but only 

when absolutely necessary.

Abu Bakr al-Khallal (d. 923) played a major 

role in creating the Hanbali School. He traveled 

throughout the Middle East, collecting the legal 

teachings and rulings of Ibn Hanbal’s followers. 

He was also credited with writing books on theo-

logical topics and an early history of the Hanbali 

School. Other leading Hanbali scholars were Ibn 

Aqil (d. ca. 1120) and Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1200), 

both of whom wrote on literary and theological 

topics as well as religious law. The most famous 

Hanbali scholar was i

bn

 t

aymiyya

 (d. 1328), who 

wrote copiously on all major areas of medieval 

Islamic learning and attempted to revive Islam by 

calling on Muslims to restore the original religion 

of m

Uhammad

 and his companions. The stringent 

Sunni outlook of Ibn Taymiyya and other Han-

balis was reflected in their attacks on s

hiism

 and 

aspects of s

UFism

, especially 

saint

 worship. Nev-

ertheless, many Hanbalis were initiated into Sufi 

brotherhoods, and one, a

bd

 

al

-q

adir

 

al

-J

ilani

(d. 1166), was even credited with founding a Sufi 

brotherhood, the Qadiri Sufi Order.

The Hanbali School flourished in Baghdad 

from the 11th to the 13th century, when it contrib-

uted to the strengthening of s

Unnism

 and defend-

ing the legitimacy of the a

bbasid

 c

aliphate

 against 

its rivals. During this time, the Hanbalis also 

established branches in i

ran

 and a

Fghanistan

, 

but their most important new base was in Syria, 

which replaced Baghdad as the center of Hanbali 

activity after it was destroyed by the Mongols in 

1258. By the 16th century, there were 10 Hanbali 

religious colleges (

madrasa

s) in Damascus alone. 

The Hanbali tradition continued under Ottoman 

rule (16th to 20th century), even though the 

Ottomans favored the Hanafis. It enjoyed a major 

revival when the Wahhabi movement formed an 

alliance with the Al Saud of Arabia in the 18th cen-

tury. Today the Hanbali School is the official form 

of Islamic law in s

aUdi

  a

rabia

 and Qatar. Saudi 

funding and the annual gathering of pilgrims in 

m

ecca

 for the 

haJJ

 have helped make it very influ-

ential among conservative Islamic 

reneWal

 

and

reForm

 

movements

 in e

gypt

, Syria, i

ndonesia

, and 

parts of South Asia. Modified forms of Hanbali law 

and doctrine have also been embraced by radical 

Islamic movements in many parts of the world.

See also 

bidaa

; 

fiqh

;  i

slamism

;  o

ttoman

dynasty

.