Quora Answer: Why Does Sunni Islam Only Have Four Madzahib?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why does Sunni Islam have 4 madzahib, considering they all came at least a generation after the passing of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)?” 

Sunni Islam has over 20 madzahib, schools of jurisprudence.  People talk about the four main ones because they are the largest, and most visible: the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali.  Even in this age, there are still madzahib that most Muslims, outside of those who study jurisprudence, are not aware of.  For example, in North Africa, there is the Zhahiri madzhab.  Among our great scholars who belonged to this madzhab include Imam Abu Muhammad ʿAli ibn Ahmad ibn Hazm (r.a.), and supposedly, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma‘il al-Bukhari (r.a.), author of Swahih al-Bukhari.  Other madzahib included the Jariri madzhab, founded by Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir ath-Thabari (r.a.); the Laytsi madzhab, founded by Imam al-Layts ibn Sa’d al-Qalqashandi (r.a.); and the Tsawri madzhab, founded Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Sufyan ibn Sa’id ats-Tsawri (q.s.).  Many of these schools consolidated over time, being eventually absorbed by other schools, such as the Laytsi into the Shafi’i, and the Tsawri into the Maliki.  The Zhahiri is interesting in that it actually became extinct in the 14^th century before being revived in the 20^th century.

Some schools transcend sects, such as the Ja’fari, which although associated with the Twelver Shi’ah, is actually identical to the Hanafi.  The Zaydi, which is also a Shi’ah sect, has jurisprudential positions identical to the Maliki.  This seems confusing to the layman because a sect is a school of theology, whereas as madzhab of jurisprudence is a school of legal principles in deriving jurisprudential positions.  Thus, it is possible for a non-Sunni to belong to a “Sunni” school of law.  An example was in the early days of Islam where many of the Mu’tazilah were Hanafi by fiqh. 

What this demonstrates is that Islam has a history of rigorous intellectual traditions, with a multitude of positions across all the religious sciences.  Over time, some of them consolidated, positions fell out of favour, or were adopted by other schools, or were eventually deemed discouraged or outright heretical.  Islam is neither a monolithic religion, nor were the Muslims a monolithic bloc.  This plurality of thought allowed the religion to spread quickly, and was tolerant of different views.  There were numerous public debates among scholars, and even when they were heated, they had a tradition of etiquette. 

In this current age, Muslims are ignorant of this intellectual tradition, and that ignorance has bred intolerance.  The average Muslim is beset with this disease where they are quick to condemn what they do not understand.  It is time that the ummah rediscover its heritage, and revive our intellectual traditions.