Good English Books on Explaining Madhabs

[maaz]

cool, i can be the first thread!! I pray Allah accepts the efforts of the ppl involved in this forum and muslims that visit to derive or provide benefit.

anyways, some awesome books would include:


General:

http://www.whitethreadpress.com/publ...nces_imams.htm

Hanafi:

http://www.whitethreadpress.com/publ.../fiqh_imam.htm

http://www.whitethreadpress.com/publ...essentials.htm

http://www.amalpress.com/index.php?l...det=full&id=14

Shafi:

http://onlineislamicstore.com/b2439.html

[daisily]

Here is another good book if you want to do a little research on the madhabs. THE FOUR IMAMS Their Lives, Works and their Schools of thought; by Muhammad Abu Zahra. It’s published by:
http://www.daraltaqwa.com for those of you in the UK. And in the US you can get it from:
http://store.yahoo.com/islamicbookstore-com/b6806.html click this link and you can see the table of contents.

Because it is relevant to the topic of this forum I will give you this from the book jacket.

THE FOUR IMAMS
This book is a compilation of four books which deal with the lives and works of the four imams who founded the four great canonical schools of thoughts of Islamic fiqh. The book was originally written in Arabic by the great Egyptian scholar and theologian Muhammad Abu Zahra and is presented in English for the first time.

In this book there is a comprehensive, in depth analysis of the four Sunni madhabs and their founders, giving details of their biography and the methods they used in reaching their legal conclusions. This is particularly important in the world today when many thousands of Muslims find themselves in a situation where there is not enough knowledge therefore no traditional allegiance to a particular madhab. As a result of this ignorance there is also a great deal of futile disagreements amongst the Muslims. This work therefore has been long overdue in the English language and will be a milestone in bridging the gap amongst the Muslims and uniting them. It makes a stimulating and enriching read for all who are interested in deepening their knowledge of Islam.

IMAM MALIK
Imam Malik was the first of the four great imams and is the founder of the Maliki school of thought. He lived his whole life in Madina where much of the Quran was revealed and most of the legal practices of Islam established. He spent his life studying, recording and clarifying the legal parameters and precedents which was passed down to him by the first two generations of Muslims who were the direct inheritors of the perfected form if Islam left by the Prophet.
This book not only gives the biographical details of the Imam’s life but also puts it in its historical context and most importantly, shows us the methods he used in reaching his legal conclusions which played a vital part in preserving exactly the legacy of the pure Divine Guidance left by the Prophet and his companions.

IMAM AL SHAFI
Imam Shafi is the founder of the Shafe’i school of thought. He was remarkable in that he resolved the differences of opinion that arose in the still evolving Muslim community and brought them together in the most outstanding legal system in the whole history of mankind.
This book looks at his life and traces the development of his thought. It talks of his teachers and his followers and show how the system he devised grew out of the intellectual and political currents of his time. It also gives an in depth historical analysis of the various movements and sects which formed the background to the Islamic world in which he lived.

IMAM ABU HANIFA
Imam Abu Hanifa died in 150AH/767CE. He met the companions of the Prophet and is counted amongst the Tabi’un (followers). He is renowned for his piercing intellect as a faqih, his scrupulousness, integrity of character and his resoluteness in the face of oppression.
His school is historically associated with the Abbasid and Ottoman Khalifates and the Moghul rule in India and is the most widely followed school of thought. This makes his study particularly important for the English speaking readers since it gives them an in depth appreciation of the school followed by the majority of the Muslims of the world.

IMAM AHMAD IBN HANBAL
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal is chronologically the last of the four imams and lived just after the first three generations of exemplary Muslims, thus confronting a slightly different situation from that faced by his three predecessors.
This necessitated a fresh different approach to the legal issues arising out of the situation of the rapidly expanding urban development and imperial government which had started to engulf much of the Muslim community. The book shows how Imam Ahmad through is incredible personal integrity and scrupulous adherence to sound tradition was able to chart a course through the stormy period in which he lived. His example provided his followers with the legal bases of what later became the Hanbali madhab.

[akhi_islam]

Assalamu alaikum
Above it is written
"IMAM MALIK
Imam Malik was the first of the four great imams..."
I thought that is was Imam Hanafi ?? in the order of Imam Hanafi >>Imam Malik>>Imam Shafi>>Iman Hambal Can someone clarify for me? JazakAllah.

[daisily]

Assalamu alaikum
Above it is written
"IMAM MALIK
Imam Malik was the first of the four great imams..."
I thought that is was Imam Hanafi ?? in the order of Imam Hanafi >>Imam Malik>>Imam Shafi>>Iman Hambal Can someone clarify for me? JazakAllah.

Chronologically Abu Hanifa (rahmatullah alahi) comes first. He was born at an earlier date. Us Hanafi’s like to put him first! However I have seen Imam Malik (rahmatullah alahi) sometimes mentioned first. Perhaps there can be some argument for the Malaki school being more developed earlier as the Hanifi school was more refined by Imam Abu Hanifa’s students later. Or that the Muwutta was the first hadith/fiqh book and incidentally if the Caliph had his way it would have been the only madhab. However the book THE FOUR IMAMS was first published in Arabic in four volumes. For the English translation it was combined into one book. The book on Imam Malik was put in as the first chapter. It is chronologically more sound that way. First you get the background of Imam Malik in Medina. Then you get the situation in Iraq of Imam Abu Hanifa. Iraq was more diverse with the different sects and all. Both Imams were contemporaries, much was happening at the same time. I would not read too much into saying which one was the FIRST Great Imam. They were all great! Why? Because Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala loved them. When Allah loves someone He gives them knowledge of Deen. And how much knowledge those men had!! Also when you lead someone to do something good (for the sake of Allah); when they do it they are rewarded for it and you also get a reward. May Allah reward Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Shafi and Imam Hanbal for their work in preserving the Deen and making it easy for us to follow.

[akhi_islam]

Ameen to your duas!
JazakAllah khair for the information

[nik61]

Dear brothers/sisters

Just to pick something from the pages of the blessed book al-Maktubat of Imam Rabbani.
Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi an-Naqshabandi stated that al-Imam al-Mahdi will have his own madhhab, and also is the case of Sayyiduna Isa al-Masih.
Could someone shed more light on the matter?

[majhul]

Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi actually said that Imam Mahdi will be a Hanafi. This I heard from Maulana Wali Razi (brother of Mufti Taqi Usmani), who is a man of knowledge.

[br_syed]

cool, i can be the first thread!! I pray Allah accepts the efforts of the ppl involved in this forum and muslims that visit to derive or provide benefit.

Assalamulaikum

I just saw this thread bumped. The first ever thread.
Good bit of Sunniforum History Trivia

Walaikum salaam

[mospike]

Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi actually said that Imam Mahdi will be a Hanafi. This I heard from Maulana Wali Razi (brother of Mufti Taqi Usmani), who is a man of knowledge.

I also read in a Kitaab called Taqleed made easy found here www.alislam.co.za

That Ml Thanvi said that Isa (as) and Mahdi (ra) will be Hanafi, this he experinced through Kashf

[sozkaynak]

Do you now any booklet about aulias 's life?