Open Collections

Prejean, Christopher

Database of Religious History (DRH)

Hanbalism is one of the four Sunni schools of Muslim law, and adherents to this school are often known as the Hanabila, Hanbalites, or Hanbalis. Hanbalis are Muslim legal scholars or theologians who base their views about God and humankind on the teachings of Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855 CE). Ibn Hanbal is said to have memorized tens of thousands of reports attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, called hadith. These reports, along with the texts embodying the practice of Muhammad's companions, called Sunnah, re the sources for moral, social, and devotional life. Hanbalis reject any rational, speculative interpretation of God’s will through the Quran and the Sunnah. They interpret God's will and nature through rigid literal interpretation, and believe that God’s will can be known with certainty. Hanbalis won over the hearts and minds of scholars and common people alike in early periods of their formation, resulting in a social and political movement. Some Hanbalis served in high government posts and judgeships, even at times of contention with ruling authorities. The movement began and thrived in Baghdad, Iraq for well over five centuries, with some spells of adversity by Shi'i rulers, and a movement of some Hanbalis to Palestine and Syria, where the movement enjoyed two centuries of flourishing. Their popularity in the premodern reached a pinnacle during the fourteenth century, a time when the school thrived as a result of the works of Ibn Taymiyya. Though Hanbalism is a legal school that trains scholars, non-scholars may consider themselves adherents to the teachings of the legal school by subscribing to the teaching of the school or implementing them in their own lives, such as for devotion and worship. The legacy of Hanbalism in the premodern period continues through the modern period, when the movement was adopted in part by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Other

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0416069

Non UBC

Unreviewed

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