Zahiri
Encyclopedia
Ẓāhirī is a school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence
and Aqida. The school is named after one of its early prominent jurists, Dawud ibn Khalaf al-Zahiri (d. 270/883), and is known for its insistence on sticking to the manifest (zahir) or literal meaning of expressions in the Qur'an and the Sunnah; the followers of this school are called Zahiriyah.
as the forerunners of Zahiri principles.
In history, the Zahiri understanding has been persecuted by those preferring to interpret the texts by their inward meanings; this happened to such an extent that many of the scholars of Sunni and Shi'ite sects have labeled the Zahiri school extinct, although it is not clear that this is the case.
or Islamic law, known as Usul al-fiqh
or the principles of jurisprudence
. The first is the Qur'an
, considered by Muslims to be the word of God
; the second is the Sunnah
, which consists of the sayings and actions of the prophets in Islam Muhammad
; the last is Ijma
, or absolute consensus of the Muslim community.
The school differs from the more prolific schools of Islamic thought in that it restricts consensus in jurisprudence to the consensus of the Sahaba
, the first generation of Muslims who lived alongside Muhammad, only. While Ahmad bin Hanbal agreed with them in this, the followers of the Hanbali
school do not, nor do the other three Sunni schools. Additionally, the Zahiri school does not accept Qiyas
or analogical reasoning as a source of Islamic law, nor do they accept the practice of Istihsan
; while Shafi'i
and followers of his school agree with the Zahiris in rejecting the latter, all other Sunni schools accept the former, but at varying levels.
It should be known that the name Zahiri itself is not endorsed by the adherents of this method, using other textual proof to suggest that there is no name to be known by except what has been mentioned thereby in the religious texts. God said, "He named you submitters [Arabic muslimeen] from before and in this." (Quran 22:76) Ibn Hazm
, a well-known practitioner and teacher of this school, would refer to himself and those who followed this view as ashab al-zahir, or "the people of the literal sense," defining rather than labeling.
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
and Aqida. The school is named after one of its early prominent jurists, Dawud ibn Khalaf al-Zahiri (d. 270/883), and is known for its insistence on sticking to the manifest (zahir) or literal meaning of expressions in the Qur'an and the Sunnah; the followers of this school are called Zahiriyah.
History
While those outside the school of thought often point to Dawud Al-Zahiri as the "founder" of the school, followers of the school themselves tend to look to earlier figures such as Sufyan al-Thawri and Ishaq Ibn RahwayhIshaq Ibn Rahwayh
Abū Yaʻqūb Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Mukhallad al-Ḥanbalī , commonly known as Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh , was the muhaddith, faqih and the imam of Khurasan of his time. He was given the title of "the leader of the believers in the field of hadith" for his major contributions to the science of hadith...
as the forerunners of Zahiri principles.
In history, the Zahiri understanding has been persecuted by those preferring to interpret the texts by their inward meanings; this happened to such an extent that many of the scholars of Sunni and Shi'ite sects have labeled the Zahiri school extinct, although it is not clear that this is the case.
Principles
The Zahiri school of thought recognizes three sources of the ShariaSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
or Islamic law, known as Usul al-fiqh
Usul al-fiqh
Uṣūl al-fiqh is the study of the origins, sources, and principles upon which Islamic jurisprudence is based. In the narrow sense, it simply refers to the question of what are the sources of Islamic law...
or the principles of jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
. The first is the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, considered by Muslims to be the word of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
; the second is the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
, which consists of the sayings and actions of the prophets in Islam Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
; the last is Ijma
Ijma
Ijmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...
, or absolute consensus of the Muslim community.
The school differs from the more prolific schools of Islamic thought in that it restricts consensus in jurisprudence to the consensus of the Sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
, the first generation of Muslims who lived alongside Muhammad, only. While Ahmad bin Hanbal agreed with them in this, the followers of the Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
school do not, nor do the other three Sunni schools. Additionally, the Zahiri school does not accept Qiyas
Qiyas
In Islamic jurisprudence, qiyās is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in order to apply a known injunction to a new circumstance and create a new injunction...
or analogical reasoning as a source of Islamic law, nor do they accept the practice of Istihsan
Istihsan
Istihsan is an Arabic term for juristic "preference". Muslim scholars may use it to express their preference for particular judgements in Islamic law over other possibilities...
; while Shafi'i
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i madhhab is one of the schools of fiqh, or religious law, within the Sunni branch of Islam. The Shafi'i school of fiqh is named after Imām ash-Shafi'i.-Principles:...
and followers of his school agree with the Zahiris in rejecting the latter, all other Sunni schools accept the former, but at varying levels.
It should be known that the name Zahiri itself is not endorsed by the adherents of this method, using other textual proof to suggest that there is no name to be known by except what has been mentioned thereby in the religious texts. God said, "He named you submitters [Arabic muslimeen] from before and in this." (Quran 22:76) Ibn Hazm
Ibn Hazm
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ) was an Andalusian philosopher, litterateur, psychologist, historian, jurist and theologian born in Córdoba, present-day Spain...
, a well-known practitioner and teacher of this school, would refer to himself and those who followed this view as ashab al-zahir, or "the people of the literal sense," defining rather than labeling.
Notable Zahiris
Discerning who exactly is an adherent to the Zahiri school of thought can be difficult because many followers of other schools of thought adopted certain viewpoints of the Zahiris, holding "Zahirite leanings" without actually adopting the school of thought. Some followers of other schools of thought would adopt Zahiri positions such as negation of analogical reasoning or the restriction of consensus to the consensus of the first generation of Muslims exclusively, for example, without leaving their own schools of thought.Sympathizers with the Zahiri School
- Muhammad al-BukhariMuhammad al-BukhariMuhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari , popularly known as Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, , was a Sunni Islamic scholar of Persia...
(d. 870AD) - Muhammad ibn Jarir al-TabariMuhammad ibn Jarir al-TabariAbu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
(d. 923AD) - Muhammad ash-ShawkaniMuhammad ash-ShawkaniMuhammad ash-Shawkani was a Yemeni scholar of Islam, jurisprudent, and reformer.-Name:His full name was Muhammad Ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Shawkani...
(d. 1834AD) - Ahmad Muhammad Shakir (d. 1958AD)
- Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani (d. 1999AD)
Followers of the Zahiri School
- Ibn HazmIbn HazmAbū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm ) was an Andalusian philosopher, litterateur, psychologist, historian, jurist and theologian born in Córdoba, present-day Spain...
(d. 1064AD) - Abu Hayyan Al GharnatiAbu Hayyan Al GharnatiThis article describes a Qur´an-commentator of the 14th century. For the Arab geographer of the 12th century see Abu Hamid al-Gharnati----Abu Hayyan Al Gharnati was a Muslim commentator on the Qur'an-Biography:...
(d. 1344AD) - Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-HilaliMuhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-HilaliMuhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, , born 1311AH -1408 Hijrah , is a contemporary Islamic scholar from Morocco, most notable for his English translations of Sahih Bukhari and, along with Muhammad Muhsin Khan, the Qur'an, entitled The Noble Qur'an.-Biography:Al-Hilali was born in Al-Fidah, Morocco, in...
(d. 1987AD) - Badee-ud-Deen Shah as-SindheeBadee-ud-Deen Shah as-SindheeBadee-ud-Deen Shah as-Sindhee علامه سيد بديعُ الدين شاه راشدي ;Badee-ud-Deen Shah as-Sindhee (Sindhi)علامه سيد بديعُ الدين شاه راشدي ;Badee-ud-Deen Shah as-Sindhee (Sindhi)علامه سيد بديعُ الدين شاه راشدي ;(full name Sayyid Badee-ud-Deen Shah Ibn Ehsaanullaah Ibn Rashidullaah Shah Ibn...
(d. 1996AD) - Muqbil bin Haadi al-Waadi'eeMuqbil bin Haadi al-Waadi'ee-Full name:His full name is Muqbil bin Haadee bin Muqbil bin Qaa’idah al-Hamdaanee al-Waadi’ee al-Khallaalee-Biography:Muqbil was born in Waadi'ah, to the east of Sa'adah near the valley of Dammaj, Yemen, from the tribe of Aali Raashid.-Education:...
(d. 2001AD)