[VottCetaVeivE]

"If I wasn't a Hanafi, I'd be a Maliki..."

On more than three separate occasions, people have said these very words to me when speaking about the madhhabs. Because of that, I'd like to ask; what madhhab would you adhere to, were you not to follow the one you currently follow?

Please mention why.

[ViktorialHDY]

Assalamu alaykum

The net sum "Sigma" is same in all Madhabs.

I don't mind following any madhabs of the locals where the scholars of my madhabs are not available.

As I said earlier, wallahu aalam, may be it is the hikmah of Allah SWT that the net SIGMA is same

Note: Sigma is the net sum of all the signed numbers (both positive and negatives) in a given array.

[VottCetaVeivE]

Assalamu alaykum

The net sum "Sigma" is same in all Madhabs.

I don't mind following any madhabs of the locals where the scholars of my madhabs are not available.

As I said earlier, wallahu aalam, may be it is the hikmah of Allah SWT that the net SIGMA is same

Note: Sigma is the net sum of all the signed numbers (both positive and negatives) in a given array.

[saturninus.ribb]

Historically, we SE Asians got Islam from Shafii's from Arabia (Yemen, maybe Egypt and perhaps pre-Safavid dynasty Persia). If they hadn't gotten to us first, probably Indians would have brought Islam to us and we'd be Hanafi...

Wonder why the Hanafi Indians didn't do that though, their land is nearer and in more ancient times Indians brought Hinduism to us? I guess Muslim Indian kingdoms weren't big on sea travel?

[VottCetaVeivE]

Bismillah
The title of the thread expresses my exact sentiment. I would adopt a school based on accessibility of material and teacher.
Shaikh Nuh Ha Meem (A shafi Scholar) states that both Hanafi and Malaki schools are very developed and has a lot of scholastic resources as they both were adopted by notable muslim ruler with a large teritory and came in contact and had to deal with various ideology.

Aseatic
A lot of the travler went to SE via ship where as the route to indo pak touched on silk route and Bagdad (the centre of learning) was not not that far away for indo pak. We indo pak are not sea fering people and had enough on our plate : ).
Allahualm

Does that mean that you are only Hanafi based on your accessibility to Hanafi resources, material and teachers?

[maxsobq]

Id go for Shafai school because of Imam Ghazali ru

[domeffire]

Selection of school of jurisprudance is primarily based on the points mentioned.
also soicial setting (some area historically having a dominant presence of one school) and also personal inclinaiton.

Histoically the reason for some having a dominant presents is because of level of scholarship of a particular school is deemed higher. The govrnment and people gravitated towards a set of scholars which they deemed to have the capacity to deal with the sitation faced by them and also the early teachers in the area following a particular school.
KSA is the only exception because the saud family made agreement with the wahabyte for political expediancy who in essense followed Hamably school.. Malaki School ought to have dominated in Madinah Munuwarrah atleast.

Note: we are not madhabist!!

[spaxiaroorbes]

"If I wasn't a Hanafi, I'd be a Maliki..."

On more than three separate occasions, people have said these very words to me when speaking about the madhhabs.

tell them to make shukr for being hanafi, maliki's have to make whudhu after having a braai (thats what i heard somewhere).

[Duaceanceksm]

Salaamu alaiykum
Although I was told I am a hanafi I don't really completely make taqleed to any of them. If I see imam Abu Hanifa RA made a mistake I would completely acknowledge it. Did he not RA say to ignore parts of my teachings that contradict sunnah? So I guess I don't really constrict myself to hanafi but I guess it does seem to be a part of fiqh and essential in understanding the message apparantly, so I just do it.

[VottCetaVeivE]

tell them to make shukr for being hanafi, maliki's have to make whudhu after having a braai (thats what i heard somewhere).

What's a 'braai'?

[viagraman]

What's a 'braai'?

South African style bbq

[VottCetaVeivE]

South African style bbq

Well, that certainly wouldn't break Wudu according to the Maliki madhhab!

[domeffire]

Kakorot 999
We don't follow Imam Abu Hanfia (RAH) but rather a culminaiton of scholarly result of 1400 years of refinement. Hence rejecting any possible errors on Imam Abu Hanifa's part has been addressed.
The name of a school as such accidentel.
We do taqlid of these scholars of a particualr school and not Just imam Abu Hanifa RAH alone.

[Oppofeescom]

If I was from a Muslim family (I'm not since I'm a convert) or living in a Muslim country, I would simply follow the madhhab of my family/country.

The issue of "choosing a madhhab" does however come into play for a lot of us in the non-Muslim countries - and especially for us converts.

For me it is mostly about accessibility. I love all the four imams and their schools and I don't see the point in a layman following a madhhab that no-one around him follows...

But if we look at a "all things being equal" (scholar/resource access, community percentages...) scenario I would probably be a Maliki, as my wife is from a "Maliki country".

In real life though, there are almost no Malikis in my city and it's not easy to be "the only one praying like that".

[outsitWrord]

I'm Hanafi, but that's mostly because it's the most accessible maddhab where I am. If I lived in Morocco, I'd probably follow Maliki fiqh, because that's the main maddhab there.

All the schools agree that none are incorrect as such, so I don't think it matters that much. I don't strictly follow one maddhab, but follow different aspects of each.. for example, I don't always follow the Hanafi Asr timings but the standard rulings, however I pray looking downwards with my hands over my chest (Hanafi).

[OnerePeepsy]

Historically, we SE Asians got Islam from Shafii's from Arabia (Yemen, maybe Egypt and perhaps pre-Safavid dynasty Persia). If they hadn't gotten to us first, probably Indians would have brought Islam to us and we'd be Hanafi...

Wonder why the Hanafi Indians didn't do that though, their land is nearer and in more ancient times Indians brought Hinduism to us? I guess Muslim Indian kingdoms weren't big on sea travel?

Maybe because Allah wanted all the sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) to be practiced and kept alive. So if Hanafis had gone there, then a lot more people would have been hanafis but lets just consider Allah wanted all the 4 schools to be prevalent somewhere

[domeffire]

Exactly! This way all possible sunnah and understanding of Shariah as understood by the salf survived!
There are those who plan (petro Dollar) and there is Allah's plan.

Maybe because Allah wanted all the sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) to be practiced and kept alive. So if Hanafis had gone there, then a lot more people would have been hanafis but lets just consider Allah wanted all the 4 schools to be prevalent somewhere

[ethigSmimbine]

I have also been most curious about the Maliki madhab when it comes to madhab other then my own. Shafi comes after the first two in my mind .
Hanbali I guess have fewer followers .

All of them are on truth and I respect all four Imams.

[Zarekylin75]

i feel i would be hanbli is i wasnt a hanafi.
May be my opinion is due to very negligible knowledge of usool e fiqh

[clubcughSheet]

I think it mainly depends on which school the scholars in your area or those you refer to are upon.

This is the probably the main criteria for most NON students to decide.

If it was a choice just to choose any regardless of geographical location then i would say probably hanbali, but that's mainly because they seem to be most strongest in sticking to earlier beleifs of their imam.

In fiiqh its difficult to say.