Thread by @Farid_0v

-=[A Brief History of the Madhahib]

The layout of the adherents of the madhahib wasn't always like what we are familiar with today.

Apart from the four, the madhahib of Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Sufyan Al-Thawri, Abu Thawr, Al-Awza'i, Al-Tabari, and Dawud, were spread across the land.

When these madhahib first started, unlike today, Malik's madhhab was the most popular in Madinah, Egypt was taken over by Al-Layth and Al-Shafi'i, and the madhhab of Al-Awza'i was the most popular in Al-Shaam.

Iraq, on the other hand, was a free-for-all among all the others.

Baghdad, being the center of the world and the capital of knowledge, was split completely between Ahmad bin Hanbal, Abu Thawr, Dawud Al-Thahiri, and Al-Tabari.

Al-Kufa was split among the followers of Abu Hanifa and Sufyan Al-Thawri.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri's madhhab was in Basra.

1) In the coming centuries, the madhhab of Malik spread through the rest of Hijaz, Egypt, Sicily, and much of Africa.

It was popular in Baghdad until the 5th century and Basra until the 6th century.

It also spread through much of Khorasan, Faris, Yemen, and Al-Shaam.

2) The Madhhab of Abi Hanifa took over Kufa then spread through Baghdad and Khorasan. It was popular in Africa until the 5th century and reached as far as Faas and Andalus. The Hanafi madhhab grew exponentially when it was adopted by the Ottomans who ruled for six centuries.

3) The Shafi'i madhhab grew as strong as the Maliki and Hanafi madhhab as well. It spread from Egypt to Iraq, Al-Shaam, Al-Yemen, Faris, and even slightly into Africa and Al-Andalus after the third century.

4) Ahmad's madhhab only spread through Iraq and Al-Shaam initially.

5) Dawud Al-Thahiri's madhhab initially was popular in Iraq and Faris. It was adopted by some adherents in Africa and Al-Andalus, but it was not as spread as much as the other madhahib. However, it did continue to exist for much longer than other extinct madhahib.

6) Al-Awza'i's madhhab was quite popular at first in Al-Shaam. However, it began to die down after Abu Zur'ah Mohammad bin Uthman Al-Qadhi was appointed as the judge of Damascus. As a strict Shafi'i, he used to award whoever memorized Mukhtasar Al-Muzni with 100 dinars.

Al-Awza'i's madhhab dwindled severely in the fifth century.

The other Awza'i stronghold in Al-Andalus didn't last too long either. It only lasted until the third century.

7) Abu Thawr's madhhab didn't last for long and dwindled in the fourth century.

8) Al-Tabari's madhhab also did not last too long and dwindled in the fifth century.

9) Al-Layth bin Sa'ad did not last too long in Egypt. Adherents of the madhhab dwindled in the third century. Al-Shafi'i comments, "Al-Layth is more knowledgeable than Malik, but his companions did not support him."

10) Al-Thawri's madhhab lasted at least until the 8th century.

The common assumption held by many is that madhahib went extinct due to being weaker in evidence. This is not the case. Madhahib often went extinct due to political, financial, and social reasons.

Naturally, the endorsement of an empire of a madhhab will cause it to spread.

Al-Maqrizi reports that Baibars appointed Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi'i, and Hanbali judges in each of his lands. Each of them had schools built.

He states, "Those that followed other madhhabs were treated as enemies and were condemned. He who wasn't a follower of one of them...

...wasn't allowed to be appointed as a judge, wasn't allowed to testify, give sermons, nor could he be in a position of power.

The scholars of the lands proclaimed that it was obligatory to follow one of the four (madhahib), and prohibited following the others."