Imam Abu Hanifa
Knowing that opinions are a result of human reasoning, Imam Abu Hanifa didn't want
his to be written in stone. He would disallow his students from writing his opinions with one
exception; if that opinion had been thoroughly debated and agreed by all his
students. This helped keep blind following down during his generation and the
generation that came after him.
He also made strong statements regarding blind-following. He is reported to have said: “It is
forbidden for any one of you who doesn’t know my proofs to make a ruling
according to my statements”
Abu Hanifa also gave precedence to the Qur’an and Sunnah over his own
rulings, as he said:“If I have made a ruling which contradicts Allah's book or
the Hadith then reject my ruling”
And putting his rulings in their proper context, he identified the foundation of his Madhhab in his famous quote, "If a Hadith is found to be Saheeh, then it is my Madhhab"
Because this information is not available to the masses of the people,
they just follow blindly. We find Hanafis being especially fanatical.
For example, there was an individual from Turkey who distributed thousands of copies of his book where he clearly stated that you have to follow a Madhhab and if you don’t your
Imam is Shaytan. He also said that one of the questions in your grave, is 'What
is your Madhhab?'
Imam Malik
In Imam Maliks dealing with issues we see a complete willingness to
change his opinion. However, he didn’t forbid his students from writing it down,
because he taught the subject. But whenever evidence came to the contrary
he would take it and leave his previous opinion.
E.g. The issue of washing between the toes in Wudhoo. He said that it
wasn’t necessary, but then one of the students came with a narration from Layth
ibn Sa’d that the Prophet used to wash in between his toes with his little
finger. Imam Malik then corrected himself.
He also is reported to have said, “Verily I am a man and I err, take whatever agrees with the Book and the Sunnah and reject whatever
contradicts them”
His book AlMuwatta was commissioned by Harun Ar-Rasheed and Abu Ja’far alMansour
and they wanted to make it the constitution of the Muslim state. He then refused
to allow them to do so because he felt that there were many Hadith which he
hadn’t come across.
Imam Ash-Shafi’i
He carried on the same tradition as his teacher, reminding people that
they were human beings who forgot things. He said in an authentically reported
statement, “There is none among us who has not had a Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger elude him or slip his mind, so no matter what rulings I have made or
fundamental principles I have proposed, there will be things in them contrary to
the rulings of Allah’s Messenger. Therefore the correct ruling is according to
what Allah’s Messenger said, and that is my ruling”
You’ll find a position of Imam Shafi’i in which he ruled that one must do Qunoot at Fajr; his evidence being a Hadith. But this Hadith proved weak and there is ample evidence that the Prophet didn't do it. But many of the
followers of the Madhhab wont let it go.
“The Muslims of my time are of the unanimous opinion that one who
comes across an authentic Sunnah of Allah’s messenger isn’t allowed to
disregard it in favour of someone else's opinion” – Imam Shafi’i
He also repeated what Abu Hanifa was known to have said, “If a hadith
is Saheeh, then it is my Madhhab”
Ahmed ibn Hanbal
Ahmed ibn Hanbal warned openly against blind following because it started to develop in his era. He was a generation after a time of Imam Abu Hanifa and Malik and was a student of Imam Ash-Shafi’i.
He also stated that the opinions of Awzaa'i, Malik, and Abu Hanifa were simply opinions and thus all equal in his sight. The real criteria for right and wrong is in the Hadiths.
Imam Ahmeds preference for Hadith was so strong that he would allow
using weak Hadiths as evidence.
He also made a strong statement regarding it, “Whoever rejects a Hadith of Allah's Messenger is on the verge of destruction”
You can find similar statements from Al-Awzaa’i, Al-Layth, and others. They had
the same spirit, because the tendency to blind following is a great one:- People will
do it unless you fight it.
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