Editing Fiqh (section)

=== Schools of jurisprudence ===
{{Main|Madhhab}}
There are several [[Madhhab|schools of fiqh thought]] ({{langx|ar|مذهب}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|madhhab}}''; pl. {{lang|ar|مذاهب}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|DIN|maḏāhib}}'')
[[File:Madhhab Map3.png|thumb|Map of the Muslim world with the main schools of thoughts<ref>{{Cite web |title=Islamic Jurisprudence & Law {{!}} ReOrienting the Veil |url=https://veil.unc.edu/religions/islam/law/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Needs update|date=May 2025|reason=Our Fiqh map does need an update, for example Bahrain is mostly orange (representing Ja'fari) while its Monarchy is Maliki and a majority of its citizens Sunni. Would be very helpful to get an update to date SVG version of the map as there are some tiny island Indian Ocean countries who are not shown on the map}}]]
The schools of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] Islam are each named by students of the classical jurist who taught them. The Sunni schools (and where they are commonly found) are:
*[[Hanafi school|Hanafi]] ([[Turkey]], [[Egypt]], [[Balkans]], [[Levant]], [[Central Asia]], [[Islam in South Asia|South Asia]], [[Islam in China|China]], [[North Caucasus|Northwest Caucasus]], [[Lower Egypt]], and [[Tatarstan]])
*[[Maliki school|Maliki]] ([[North Africa]], [[West Africa]], [[Upper Egypt]], [[Kuwait]], and [[Bahrain]])
*[[Shafi'i school|Shafi'i]] ([[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], [[Brunei]], [[Kurdistan]], [[East Africa]], [[Indian Ocean]], [[North Caucasus|Northeast Caucuses]], [[Islam in Kerala|Kerala]], [[Yemen]], and [[Oman]])
*[[Hanbali school|Hanbali]] ([[Saudi Arabia]], [[Qatar]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]])

The schools of [[Shia]] Islam are based off of the [[Ja'fari school|Ja'fari]] school of jurisprudence. The Shia schools (and where they are commonly found) are:
*[[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver]] ([[Iran]], [[Iraq]], and [[Azerbaijan]])
*[[Ismailism|Isma'ili]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Lakhani |first=M. Ali |title=Faith and Ethics: The Vision of the Ismaili Imamat |page=4 |quote=The place of the Ismailis within the theological pluralism of the Muslim community is best summarised by their Imam's statement to the International Islamic Conference held in Amman in July 2005: "Our historic adherence is to the Ja'fari madhhab and other madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies." |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2017 |isbn=978-1786733900}}</ref> (minority communities in [[Central Asia]], [[South Asia]], [[Levant]], [[Yemen]])
*[[Zaydism|Zaydi]] (minority communities in [[Yemen]])

Entirely separate from both the Sunni and Shia traditions, [[Kharijites|Khawarij]] Islam has evolved its own distinct school.
*[[Ibadism|Ibadi]] (minority communities in [[Oman]])

These schools share many of their rulings, but differ on the particular [[hadith]]s they accept as authentic and the weight they give to analogy or reason ([[qiyas]]) in deciding difficulties.

The relationship between (at least the Sunni) schools of jurisprudence and the conflict between the unity of the Shariah and the diversity of the schools, was expressed by the 12th century Hanafi scholar [[Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi]], who wrote: "Our school is correct with the possibility of error, and another school is in error with the possibility of being correct."<ref>{{cite book|last1 = Brown|first1 = Jonathan A.C.|author-link = Jonathan A.C. Brown|title = Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy|date = 2014|publisher = [[Oneworld Publications]]|isbn = 978-1780744209|url = https://archive.org/details/misquotingmuhamm0000brow/page/50|access-date = 4 June 2018|ref = JACBMM2014|pages = [https://archive.org/details/misquotingmuhamm0000brow/page/50 50-51]}}</ref>