Hanbal

Hanbal is an Arabic nisba meaning “of Hanbal” and is most closely associated with Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE), a prominent Islamic jurist and hadith scholar from Baghdad. The term Hanbal is used to refer to his followers and to the school of Sunni jurisprudence that bears his name: the Hanbali madhhab.

The Hanbali school is one of the four major Sunni legal traditions, alongside the Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafi'i schools. Its methodology centers on strict adherence to the Qur’an and the authoritative hadith collections, with relatively limited reliance on rationalistic analogy. While it recognizes some use of qiyas, it emphasizes textual proof and the practicer’s need to ground rulings in scriptural evidence. Theological orientation among Hanbalis is commonly described as Athari or traditionalist, stressing the apparent meaning of scriptures and avoiding speculative kalam, though practitioners hold varied beliefs in practice.

Historically, Ahmad ibn Hanbal is best known for his Musnad, a comprehensive compilation of hadith. The school’s development was influenced by the broader Islamic milieu of the 9th century and its response to theological and political pressures of the time, including the Mihna, the inquisition over the createdness of the Qur’an. The Hanbali tradition grew in Baghdad and later spread to other regions, gaining particular prominence in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the modern era, the Hanbali madhhab has significant influence in Saudi Arabia and parts of the Gulf, and it continues to contribute to Islamic jurisprudence and education through scholars, institutions, and legal commissions that emphasize scripturalist approaches.