As the newly emerging Muslim empire expanded to the north, it acquired not only new land, spoils, and converts; but also inherited the home of many different religions, sects and philosophical teachings.[1] Throughout the region, Syriac Christians had established educational institutions for the study of Greek philosophy and the ancient wisdom of Persia, [2] laying … Continue reading Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb, Part II: A Young City with Ancient Controversies
Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb: Part I
It is an all too common misperception that the Ḥanafī madhhāb (school of legal thought) was forged at a time and locality where hadiths were not widely available. Likely due to this misperception, the Ḥanafī madhhāb is often singled out as the only representative among the Sunni schools today of an earlier, and controversial, school … Continue reading Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb: Part I
Our Tradition and Traditional Schools of Law
Sacred Law does not only entail the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, it also includes within it methodologies for their interpretation and application. While each school of Sacred Law considers the Qur’ān and the Sunnah as possessing divine legal authority, they also recognize that to derive the rulings from this authority demands the use of human … Continue reading Our Tradition and Traditional Schools of Law
Ibrahim J. Long 