Hanafite

The Hanafite school, also known as Hanafi fiqh, is one of the four major Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence. It is attributed to the teachings and interpretations of Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Thabit, a Persian scholar who lived in Kufa, Iraq, in the 8th century. The Hanafite school is characterized by its emphasis on reason, analogy (qiyas), and the opinions of the Prophet Muhammad's companions in deriving legal rulings.

Hanafi jurisprudence is known for its flexibility and its willingness to adapt to changing social conditions through the principle of istihsan, or juristic preference, which allows for the departure from a strict analogy when it would lead to an undesirable outcome. This approach has made the Hanafite school widely followed, particularly in Central Asia, South Asia, Turkey, the Balkans, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. Its adherents constitute the largest group among the four Sunni schools. The methodology involves a hierarchy of sources, prioritizing the Quran and Sunnah, followed by consensus (ijma) and then analogical reasoning.