Fatwa ID: 08046

Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah

Question:
I wanted to ask about how laymen go about choosing a madhab, and whether it is compulsory to follow a madhab.

I am a 25 year old British Born Pakistani, and I’ve never been to Madrasa when I was young

Recently I’ve started to learn more about the religion

I’ve been working 6 days a week in a Islamic Environment for nearly 3 years.

My manager is close to Mufti Abdur Rahman Mangera, and both have studied at Darul Uloom Bury, UK.

Only recently I became aware that Hanafis pray Asr as per Mithl 2 and I decided to strictly follow this after my manager told me about this opinion last year. I wasn’t aware of following a madhab before this.

I used to have difficulty catching up with my manager in Salah reading Fatihah. I was of the understanding that if one doesn’t finish his Fatihah on time then his salah isn’t valid. My manager then informed me that Hanafis don’t recite anything in congregation apart from tasahuddh etc.

This made me think whether I should listen to my manager or not.

I believe that one should follow a School of Thought as how can a Laymen differentiate and decide which opinion is more correct.

Following the Hanafi madhab benefits me because I wouldn’t have to recite Fatihah therefore I wouldn’t have trouble praying Salah behind my manager. However I get worried and think that I’m being influenced by my desire so I’m being biased in making this decision.

I follow Hanafi as much as possible praying mithl 2, no recitation in congregation and I also recently came to understand that making a mistake in the salah makes a prayer invalid whereas for Hanbalis, the salah will only be invalid if the mistake that changes the meaning is in Fatihah. This makes it more challenging to me following the Hanafi opinion but I still follow this. To summarise I’m not cherry picking and I’m trying to follow Hanafi Rules strictly.

Whilst growing up I’ve prayed Witr similar to Maghreb.

I have a community centre that does 5 daily prayers in front of my house, but I don’t go often.

The question I have is do I have to follow my local mosque or would it be okay to follow my manager. I feel that because my decision to follow was slightly biased due to not having to recite in congregation, I’m worried that I may be doing wrong.

I trust my managers Islamic knowledge and consider him trustworthy and this did influence my decision.

Please advise

Thanks

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:
When it comes to a mazhab, a person would normally adhere to whichever madhab they have studied and understood. A person would typically acquire their basic Islamic knowledge at their local masjid and then proceed from there. However, since you did not have any previous Islamic education and appear to be gaining your Islamic knowledge through your manager whom you trust, it would probably be best to continue to adhere to the mazhab he is teaching you. When it comes to choosing, there is no preference between the 4 Sunni mazhabs (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i & Hanbali), as all 4 adhere to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Nabi (saw). They are all valid methodologies which follow their own internal logical consistency. If you are still unsure as to which one to follow, I suggest you see which mazhab you have the most access to and which one you feel you will come to learn more easily and follow more consistently in life.

Allah (swt) says: “We did not send before you except men to whom We revealed to them [the Message], so ask the people of remembrance (knowledge) if you do not know.” Surah Al-Anbiya’ (21:7)

Allah (swt) has revealed to us many verses reminding us to go to those with knowledge. It is important for those in need of knowledge to ask those who have it (i.e. the scholars), and a mazhab is a school of thought that was developed and refined by many qualified scholars over time, making it more robust than any individual scholar. Therefore, it is highly recommended for a person to adhere to a mazhab, however, it would not be a matter of it being compulsory or not as the mazhabs were developed after the Prophet (saw) had passed away. The reason following a mazhab is highly recommended is, as you correctly stated, due to the average person not having enough time or knowledge in order to remain consistent in their practice of Islam. A mazhab is a school of thought that follows a train of logic that is consistent and does not contradict itself. Mazhabs were developed in order to preserve knowledge, jurisprudence, and to develop a methodology in order to address new issues that were not brought up during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw). As you have correctly stated in your question, a person should not mix rulings from different mazhabs on the same topic (e.g. business), as doing so can lead to contradictions in the basic principles the rulings are based on.

“So if you are in doubt with what we have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Book before you. Verily the truth has come to you from your Lord, so do not be from the doubters.” Surah Yunus (10:94)

Finally, just to clarify some rulings, according to the Hanafi mazhab, only the Qur’an (Surah Fatihah and Qira’ah) is not recited by those following the Imam in congregation. As for Witr in the Hanafi mazhab, it is different from Maghrib in that there is Qira’ah, Takbeer and Dua Qunoot in the last rakah, and if the Dua Qunoot is missed you would need to perform Sajdah Sahwah. Finally, mistakes in Qira’ah break salah if it is a grave error that changes the meaning of the text, but an accidental pronunciation mistake where the letters sound similar (e.g. reading س instead of ص) would not break the salah. If you fear making mistakes in your recitation, make it a habit of praying in congregation since not only will the Imam help in this regard but you will also be granted more reward by praying in congregation.

It is good to note that since all the 4 mazhabs are valid interpretations of the Qur’an and Sunnah, all your past actions following another mazhab would be valid and you would not need to repeat those actions after adopting a new mazhab.

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham

References:
﴿ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ۝﴾
Qur’an (21:7)

﴿ فَإِن كُنتَ فِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ الَّذِينَ يَقْرَءُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكَ ۚ لَقَدْ جَاءَكَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ ۝﴾
Qur’an (10:94)

(وَالْمُؤْتَمُّ لَا يَقْرَأُ مُطْلَقًا) وَلَا الْفَاتِحَةَ فِي السَّرِيَّةِ اتِّفَاقًا…(بَلْ يَسْتَمِعُ) إذَا جَهَرَ (وَيُنْصِتُ)
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.1, pg.544-545, Dār Al-Fiqr)

وَأَمَّا صِفَةُ الْقِرَاءَةِ فِيهِ.
فَالْقِرَاءَةُ فِيهِ فَرْضٌ فِي الرَّكَعَاتِ كُلِّهَا أَمَّا عِنْدَهُمْ فَلَا يُشْكِلُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ نَفْلٌ، وَعِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَإِنْ كَانَ وَاجِبًا لَكِنَّ الْوَاجِبَ مَا يُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُ فَرْضٌ وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُ نَفْلٌ لَكِنْ يُرَجَّحُ جِهَةُ الْفَرْضِيَّةِ فِيهِ بِدَلِيلٍ فِيهِ شُبْهَةٌ فَيُجْعَلُ وَاجِبًا مَعَ احْتِمَالِ النَّفْلِيَّةِ فَإِنْ كَانَ فَرْضًا يُكْتَفَى بِالْقِرَاءَةِ فِي رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْهُ كَمَا فِي الْمَغْرِبِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ نَفْلًا يُشْتَرَطُ فِي الرَّكَعَاتِ كُلِّهَا كَمَا فِي النَّوَافِلِ فَكَانَ الِاحْتِيَاطُ فِي وُجُوبِهَا فِي الْكُلِّ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.1, pg.272, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)

(والسهو يلزم) أي: يجب، قال في الهداية: وهذا يدل على أن سجدة السهو واجبة، وهو الصحيح….(أو ترك فعلا مسنوناً) أي: واجباً عرف. وجوبه بالسنة… (أو القنوت) أو تكبيرته (أو التشهد)…
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.1, pg.95, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)

وَالْقَاعِدَةُ عِنْدَ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ أَنَّ مَا غَيَّرَ الْمَعْنَى تَغْيِيرًا يَكُونُ اعْتِقَادُهُ كُفْرًا يُفْسِدُ فِي جَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ أَوْ لَا إلَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ تَبْدِيلِ الْجُمَلِ مَفْصُولًا بِوَقْفٍ تَامٍّ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ التَّغْيِيرُ كَذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِثْلُهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَالْمَعْنَى بَعِيدٌ مُتَغَيِّرٌ تَغَيُّرًا فَاحِشًا يُفْسِدُ أَيْضًا…
وَكَذَا إذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مِثْلُهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَلَا مَعْنَى لَهُ …وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمَشَايِخِ: لَا تَفْسُدُ لِعُمُومِ الْبَلْوَى، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ أَبِي يُوسُفَ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِثْلُهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَلَكِنْ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ بِهِ … وَأَمَّا الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ كَابْنِ مُقَاتِلٍ وَابْنِ سَلَامٍ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ الزَّاهِدِ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ الْبَلْخِيّ وَالْهِنْدُوَانِي وَابْنِ الْفَضْلِ وَالْحَلْوَانِيِّ، فَاتَّفَقُوا عَلَى أَنَّ الْخَطَأَ فِي الْإِعْرَابِ لَا يُفْسِدُ مُطْلَقًا وَلَوْ اعْتِقَادُهُ كُفْرًا لِأَنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُمَيِّزُونَ بَيْنَ وُجُوهِ الْإِعْرَابِ. قَالَ قَاضِي خَانَ: وَمَا قَالَ الْمُتَأَخِّرُونَ أَوْسَعُ، وَمَا قَالَهُ الْمُتَقَدِّمُونَ أَحْوَطُ؛ وَإِنْ كَانَ الْخَطَأُ بِإِبْدَالِ حَرْفٍ بِحَرْفٍ، فَإِنْ أَمْكَنَ الْفَصْلُ بَيْنَهُمَا بِلَا كُلْفَةٍ كَالصَّادِ مَعَ الطَّاءِ بِأَنْ قَرَأَ الطَّالِحَاتِ مَكَانَ الصَّالِحَاتِ فَاتَّفَقُوا عَلَى أَنَّهُ مُفْسِدٌ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُمْكِنْ إلَّا بِمَشَقَّةٍ كَالظَّاءِ مَعَ الضَّادِ وَالصَّادِ مَعَ السِّينِ فَأَكْثَرُهُمْ عَلَى عَدَمِ الْفَسَادِ لِعُمُومِ الْبَلْوَى.
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.1, pg.631, Dār Al-Fiqr)