Hanafi

Hanafi (Arabic: ???? ) is one of the four schools (madhabs) of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. Founded by Imam Abu Hanifa, it is considered to be the school most open to modern ideas. Its followers are sometimes known in English as Hanafites or Hanifites (cf Malikites, Shafiites, Hambalites for the other schools of thought).

Related Topics:
Arabic - Madhab - Fiqh - Sunni Islam - Imam Abu Hanifa

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Hanafi is predominant among Sunni Muslims in Pakistan and northern Egypt (where the influence of the Ottomans was strongest). Northern Egypt is mixed Hanafi/Shafi while upper Egypt and the Sudan are Maliki, Turkey, the Levant (Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are mixed Shafi/Hanafi. The Kurds of Turkey, Syria and Iraq follow the Shafi school. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania the Indian subcontinent, amongst the Muslim communities of the Balkans (in Bulgaria and Romania for example) Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan etc) the Muslims of China the Muslims of Russia and Ukraine (Tatars and Turks). The Constitution of Afghanistan allows Afghan judges to use Hanafi jurisprudence in situations where the Constitution lacks provisions.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - Egypt - Ottoman - Shafi - Sudan - Maliki - Turkey - Levant - Syria - Lebanon - Iraq - Kurds - Bosnia-Herzegovina - Albania - Indian subcontinent - Muslim - Balkans - Bulgaria - Romania - Central Asia - Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Muslims - China - Russia - Ukraine - Tatars - Turks - Constitution of Afghanistan

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Hanafi is the largest of the four schools; it is followed by approximately 30% of Muslims world-wide. The other three schools of thought are Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali.

Related Topics:
Shafi - Maliki - Hanbali

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The Hanafi school is considered to be one of the more liberal-for example, under Hanafi jurisprudence, blasphemy is not punishable by the state, despite being considered a civil crime by some other schools.

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Another telling example pertains to the consumption of liquor. The Hanafi school defines liquor (khamr) only as wine made from the pressing of grapes, and this interpretation does not include other alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, mead etc), which are classified as muskir?t (intoxicants). As such, if one follows the strict interpretation by Hanafi, only the consumption of grape wine, no matter how little the amount, renders an offender liable to the Sharia punishment of 80 lashes. However, this does not mean that the drinking of other alcoholic beverages is permitted; Hanafi calls for the same punishment on those who consume liquor (other than wine) to the point of being intoxicated. This argument is based on the story that Ali, while governor of Yemen, served alcohol to his guests, but flogged only those who were inebriated. When asked why, he replied: "The punishment is for drunkenness, not for drinking."

Related Topics:
Liquor - Wine - Grapes - Beer - Mead - Sharia - Ali - Yemen - Alcohol

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The presence of four different schools of religious law within Sunni Islam should not be viewed as a schism. On the contrary, there is little or no animosity between the schools. Instead there is a healthy cross-pollination of ideas and logical debate that serves to refine each school's understanding of Islam. It is not uncommon, or disallowed, for an individual to follow one school but take the point of view of another school for a certain issue (for example the Egyptian Sheikh Imam al-Qarafi was an Imam in both the Maliki and Shafi schools.

Related Topics:
Egyptian - Sheikh - Imam - Maliki - Shafi

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