On Madh'habs

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

You may have heard of the term "madh'hab" before. If you haven't, a madh'hab is a school of Islamic law. There are four mainstream madh'habs:

1) the Ḥanafī, named after Imam Abu Ḥanīfah al-Nu‘mān ibn Thābit
2) the Mālikī, named after Imam Mālik ibn Anas
3) the Shāfi‘ī, named after Imam Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfi‘ī
4) the Ḥanbalī, named after Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (may Allah be well-pleased with them all).

Nowadays, there generally is a vast amount of ignorance, misunderstandings, and misconceptions regarding the madh'habs. This piece aims, in shā’ Allāh, to clarify some of these and shed some light as to the importance of the madh'habs to everyday Islamic practice.

Likening Allah to His Creation?

Bismi llāh, wa l-hamdu lillāh, wa s-salātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa sahbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

Having sound belief in Allah and His messenger (ﷺ) is the first obligation upon every Muslim. Thus, it is of utmost importance that our hearts are free from beliefs that are not in line with traditional, Sunni Islamic creed (‘aqīdah). However, certain beliefs which contravene traditional, Sunni creed have spread among the masses in recent times, some of which are deeply problematic, such as the belief that:

• Allah is physically in the heavens, above His throne (‘arsh).
• Allah is comprised of physical organs and parts (hands, eyes, etc.).
• Allah literally descends in the last third of the night to answer those who call upon Him.
• etc.

It is important for us as Muslims to seek clarification so as to ensure that our beliefs are in line with the correct, mainstream, Islamic creed. In shā’ Allāh, this piece will try to summarise what the Sunni Muslim community – scholars and laity alike – have been upon for the past 1,400 years with regards to some of these beliefs.

HECS = Riba?

Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:

You guys know of the HECS-HELP loan, right? The "interest-free" loan that the Federal Government grants to Australian university students. The one about which the Government says: ‘There is no real interest charged on HECS‑HELP loans. However, your debt will be indexed each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index to maintain its real value.’ (Source)

‘Indexing my loan to ensure it maintains its real value? There's sure nothing wrong with that, right? I mean it isn't ribā (interest)...,’ you might think.