The Hanbalî Madh-hab
The Founder: Imâm Ahmad (778-855 CE)
The scholar to whom this madh-hab is attributed is Ahmad ibn Hanbal ash-Shayâbnî, who was born in Baghdâd in the year 778 CE. He became one of the greatest memorizers and narrators of hadîth of his time. Concentrating on the study of hadîth, Ahmad studied fiqh and hadîth science under Imâm Abû Yûsuf, the famous student of Abû Hanîfah, as well as under Imâm ash-Shâfi'î himself. Imâm Ahmad went through a series of persecutions under the caliphs of his time due to their adoption of Mu’tazilite philosophy. He was jailed and beaten for two years by order of Caliph al-Ma’mûn (rule 813-842 CE), because of his rejection of the philosophical concept that the Qur’ân was created. Later set free, he continued teaching in Baghdâd until al-Wâthiq became caliph (rule 842-846 CE) and renewed the persecution. Thereupon, Imâm Ahmad stopped teaching and went into hiding for five years until Caliph al-Mutawakkil (847-862 CE) took over. Caliph al-Mutawakkil ended the inquisition permanently by expelling the Mu’tazilite scholars and officially rejecting their philosophy. Ahmad continued to teach in Baghdâd until he died in the year 855 CE.
Formation of the Hanbalî Madh-hab
Imâm Ahmad’s greatest concern was the collection, narration, and interpretation of hadîth. His teaching method consisted of dictating hadîths from his vast collection known as al-Musnad, which contained over 30,000 hadîths, as well as the various opinions of the Sahâbah concerning their interpretation. He would then apply the hadîths or rulings to various existing problems. If he could not find a suitable hadîth or opinion to solve a problem, he would offer his own opinion while forbidding his students to record any of his own solutions. As a result, his madhhab was recorded, not by his students but by their students.
Sources of Law Used by the Hanbalî Madh-hab
1. The Qur’ân
There was no difference between the way Ahmad ibn Hanbal approached Qur’ân and that of those who preceded him. In other words, the Qur’ân was given precedence over all else under all circumstances.
2. The Sunnah
Likewise, the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) occupied the number two position among the fundamental principles used by the founder of this school in the deduction of laws. His only stipulation was that it be marfû’, i.e. attributed directly to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).
3. Ijmâ’ of the Sahâbah
Imâm Ahmad recognized the consensus of opinion of the Sahâbah, and placed it in the third position among the fundamental principles. However, he discredited the claims of ijmâ’ out side the era of the Sahâbah as being inaccurate, due to the vast number of scholars and their wide diffusion throughout the Muslim empire. In his opinion ijmâ’ after the era of the Sahâbah was impossible.
4. Individual Opinions of the Sahâbah
If a problem arose in an area where the Sahâbah had expressed conflicting opinions, Ahmad, like Mâlik, would give credence to all the various individual opinions. Because of that, there developed within the madh-hab many instances of multiple rulings for individual issues.
5. Hadîth Da’îf (Weak Hadîth)
For a ruling on a case where none of the previous four principles offered a ready solution, the Imâm used to prefer to use a weak hadîth rather than applying his own deductive reasoning (qiyâs)C2. However, this was on condition that the weakness of the hadîth was not due to the fact that one of its narrators was classified as a fâsiq (degenerate), as a kadh-dhâb (liar).
6. Qiyâs
As a last resort, that is when no other major principle could be directly applied, Ahmad would reluctantly apply the principle of qiyâs and deduce a solution based on one or more of the previous principles.146
Main Students of the Hanbalî Madh-hab
Imâm Ahmad’s main students were his own two sons, Sâlih (died 873 CE) and ‘Abdullâh (died 903 CE). Imâm Bukhârî and Muslim, compilers of the most outstanding collections of hadîth, were among the great scholars of hadîth who studied under Imâm Ahmad.147
Followers of the Hanbalî Madh-hab
The majority of the followers of this madh-hab can now be found in Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Its survival in Saudi Arabia, after almost completely dying out elsewhere in the Muslim world, is due to the fact that the founder of the so called Wahhabî movementc3, had studied under scholars of the hanbalî madh-hab, and thus it unofficially became the fiqh madh-hab of the movement. When ‘Abdul- ‘Azîz ibn Sa’ûd captured most of the Arabian peninsula and established the Saudi dynasty, he made the hanbalî madh-hab the basis of the kingdom’s legal system.
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C2. “...This conclusion concerning Ahmad's opinion is derived from a number of reports. First and most important is Ahmad's statement, "A weak hadîth is more loved to me than a person's opinion."c2a In addition, one time he was asked about a person who had a choice of going to a person who knew hadîth but did not know the authentic from the weak or a person who resorted to personal reasoning. Ahmad said that the person should go ask the one who knew hadîth and not the other one.c2b It is also said about him that he would act on the basis of weak hadîth if he could not find any other basis to act upon and there was nothing contradictory to the weak hadîth.c2c He never resorted to analogy (Ar., qiyâs) unless he found no textual source whatsoever and even then he would prefer to remain quiet than to give his opinion. Similarly, it is claimed that if Abû Dâwûd found no sahîh or hasan hadîth on a topic, he would record a weak hadîth for he considered that stronger than a person's individual opinion. c2d
One interpretation given to Ahmad's statement that weak hadîth are preferred over analogy is that it is in reference to a blatantly wrong analogy (qiyâs fâsid); that is, an analogy between two actions that do not share important common characteristics or an analogy that violates established principles or rulings of the Qur'ân and sunnah. In such cases, Ahmad would reject the analogy, as is considered acceptable practice by the scholars, and, if that were the only alternative open to him, he would prefer to follow a weak narration.
However, an even more important question is the meaning of "weak hadîth" in Ahmad's statement quoted above. One thing is certain, Ahmad did not mean by that hadîth which are very weak. Ibn al-Qayyim points out that when Ahmad used "weak" hadîth, he never used erroneous hadîth, munkar ("rejected") hadîth or hadîth coming from completely non-acceptable sources; he would only use a strong kind of weak hadîth, which is similar to what was later called hasan.c2e
According to ibn Taymiyyah and others, before the time of al-Tirmidhî (and Ahmad was before the time of al-Tirmidhî), in general, hadîth were divided into only two categories: sahîh and dhaîf (weak). However, the dhaîf were of different levels. There were dhaîf that were absolutely rejected and there were dhaîf that were close to but not to the level of sahîh. This latter category could be accepted and acted upon. According to this theory, this stronger category of dhaîf is what is known today as hasan. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote,
Weak [among those early scholars] were of two types: weak that cannot be used as evidence, and this is weak in al-Tirmidhî's terminology, and weak that could be used as evidence, and this is
hasan in al-Tirmidhî's terminology. This is similar to the case of two different levels of illness in
fiqh. One type of illness is where the person is considered to be on his deathbed and he is not allowed to give more than one-third of his wealth in charity. The other is where he is barely sick and may do what he wishes with all of his wealth. That is why one finds in Ahmad's and other jurists' statements that they are using weak
hadîth as proofs...
c2f
[...]
Hence, Ahmad's statements cannot be used as evidence that Ahmad himself ever accepted or acted on the basis of what are today called weak hadîth. This opinion, therefore, was not unique to Imâm Ahmad. This was the way of all of the early scholars, according to al-Shâtibî.c2g Ibn al-Qayyim also argues that every scholar would prefer such a "weak" hadîth over analogy or personal reasoning.c2h Ibn Hazm points out that it was also the view of all of the Hanafîs that a "weak" hadîth takes precedence over personal opinion and analogy.c2i
c2a. He did not mean very weak or fabricated hadîth. This is not the proper place to discuss Ahmad's opinion on weak hadîth in detail (as that would take many pages). The interested reader is referred to Abdullâh al-Turkî, Usûl madhhab al-imâm Ahmad (Riyâdh: Maktaba al-Riyâdh al-Hadîtha, 1977), pp. 274-281.
c2b. Ahmad lbn Hajr, al-Nukat ala Kitâb ibn al-Salâh (Madînah: al-Jâmiat al-lslâmiyyah, 1984), vol. 1, p. 437.
c2c. Quoted in Abdul Azîz al-Uthaim, Tahqîq al-qaul bi-l-'amal bi-l-hadîth al-dhaîf (al-Thuqba, Saudi Arabia: Dâr al-Hijra, 1992), p. 30.
c2d. Ibn Hajr, al-Nukat, vol. 1, p. 436.
c2e. Shams al-Dîn lbn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, I'lâm al-Muwaqi'în (Beirut: Dâr al-Jîl, 1973), vol. 1,p. 31.
c2f. Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, Sharh hadîth innama al-a'mâlu bi-l-niyyât wa innamâ li-kulli amrin mâ nawâ (Maktaba al-Salâm al-Alamiyyah, 1981), p. 11.
c2g. Ibrâhîm al-Shâtibî, al-i'tisâm (Alexandria, Egypt: Dâr Umar ibn al-Khattâb, n.d.), vol. 1, p. 226.
c2h. Ibn al-Qayyim, I'lâm al-Muwâqi'în, vol. 1, p. 31.
c2i. Quoted by al-Uthaim, p. 31. In his Ph.D. dissertation, al-Hârithî argues that the expression, "a weak hadith takes precedence over rai (opinion, personal reasoning)," does not refer to the case where there is contradiction between but the two, but only when there is agreement. He says that if there is an issue in which rai and a weak hadîth lead to the same conclusion, then it is better to base one's opinion on the weak hadîth rather than on one's opinion. However, if there is a contradiction between "sound analogy" and a weak hadîth, then the weak hadîth is to be ignored and the sound analogy is to be followed. [See Muhammad Qâsim al-Hârithî, Makânah al-Imâm Abû Hanîfah bain al-Muhadithîn (1993), p. 565.] His argument renders the statement, "A weak hadîth is more beloved to us than rai," virtually meaningless or useless. If one only follows a weak hadîth if rai or personal reasoning accepts it, then the true judge or authority is rai and not the hadîth. Rai, therefore, takes precedence and is, in reality, the thing that is more beloved to the person. If al-Hârithî's interpretation is correct, and this author is not convinced of that, then this author's discussion in the text above is inaccurate. Allâh knows best. - End extracts
Adapted extracts (footnotes numbering adapted) from 'Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi' , Vol.1, pp.70-73, by Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo.
146. al-Madhkal, pp. 202-203.
147. Târîkh al-Madhâhib al-Islâmîyah, vol. 2, pp. 339-340.
c3. Change made due to probable incomplete meaning/ printing error etc - "so called Wahhab" changed to "so called Wahhabî movement"
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