Salam Alaikum brothers and sisters this may sound silly but could you explain about the madhabs? Who are they exactly and is it necessary to follow one? I am revert and only came to know about them recently. For reverts unless you ask seems no one explains this things or maybe a different meaning for the madhabs ive heard maybe I don't know. So my knowledge is that they are diffrent schools of thought. How does this work and not make sects? Also my knowledge is that they follow different sets of sunnah if so which sets for which madhab? Lastly I am puzzled by a hanafi conclusion that a husband can hit his wife on a few occasions one of them is when she refuses to enter the bed. How is this acceptable? Another is for leaving the house without permission and not making salah. How is a husband allowed to dish out that kinda punishment? I mean really she refuses to go to bed with him and he may hit her? That relates to the hadiths about angels cursing the wife. In which context should that be taken sexually or leaving him angry after an arguement? This leaves me wondering about hanafi's being allowed to hit wifes in regards to the hadith.