The Four Imams – Their Lives, Words And Schools Of Jurisprudence

About The Four Imams

The Four Imams – Their Lives, Words and Schools of Jurisprudence is a major work by the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Abu Zahra, translated into English from the original Arabic. It studies the founders of the four well-known Sunni schools of fiqh, namely Imam Abu Hanifa (RH), Imam Malik (RH), Imam al-Shafi’i (RH) and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RH). If you want to understand who the Four Imams were and how they reached their legal conclusions, this book is a detailed place to start. Please message us on WhatsApp at 9906523492 for details of the copy in stock, including the publisher, translator and number of pages.

The English edition brings together four studies in one volume. Each looks at the biography of an imam together with the methods by which he derived rulings from the sources of Islam.

What the book covers

• The life and background of each of the four imams
• The methods they used in reaching legal conclusions
• The foundations and character of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence
• An explanation of why the schools exist and how their approaches developed
• Context that helps readers understand differences of opinion between the madhabs

About the author

Muhammad Abu Zahra was a respected Egyptian scholar who wrote widely on Islamic law and its history. He wrote these studies in Arabic, and the English translation makes them available to readers who cannot read the originals.

Why the Four Imams matter

Many Muslims follow one of the four schools without knowing who founded it, how he lived or why he held his views. This lack of knowledge can lead to needless arguments, because people mistake legitimate differences for conflict. The publisher of one English edition notes that this gap contributes to futile disagreement among Muslims. Learning the lives of the imams shows something different. They were people of deep devotion, patience and sincerity, who suffered hardship in some cases and still held fast to the truth as they understood it.

Studying the Four Imams also teaches respect for scholarly disagreement. When we see that great scholars reached different rulings through careful reasoning from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, we learn to disagree with courtesy, to avoid insulting others and to refer to qualified scholars when we are in doubt.

Who should read this book

• Students of fiqh and usul who want a reliable English study of the imams
• Readers who follow one of the four madhabs and want to know its founder better
• Teachers and imams who explain differences between the schools
• Researchers and university students of Islamic history and law
• Libraries of mosques, madrasas and institutes

How to benefit from the book

This is a large and serious work, so read it in sections. Begin with the imam whose school is most familiar to you, then move on to the others and compare their approaches. Keep a notebook for dates, teachers and students, and for the principles each imam used. Read the biographies not only for information but also for character: their patience, their fear of Allah and their love of knowledge. Where a point of law is unclear, ask a qualified scholar. Send salawat upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as you read, and ask Allah for sincerity.

A valuable reference for the shelf

A work of this depth belongs in a serious personal library. It also makes a meaningful gift for a student of knowledge or a graduate of an Islamic institute, and it is useful as a reference for classes on fiqh and Islamic history.

Edition details

Author: Muhammad Abu Zahra. Language: English translation from the Arabic. Subject: the lives, works and schools of jurisprudence of the four imams. For the publisher, translator, year and number of pages of the copy in stock, please message us on WhatsApp at 9906523492. Same-day dispatch from Srinagar. Delivery takes about 1 day in Srinagar and 3 to 10 days across the rest of India.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote this book? Muhammad Abu Zahra.

Who are the Four Imams? Imam Abu Hanifa (RH), Imam Malik (RH), Imam al-Shafi’i (RH) and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RH).

Is it translated from Arabic? Yes, the original was written in Arabic and this is the English translation.

Can I get details of the copy in stock? Yes, please message us on WhatsApp at 9906523492.

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