As the early Muslim community grew and encountered situations not directly addressed in the Quran and hadith, scholars developed systematic methods for deriving Islamic law, or fiqh. Four major schools of jurisprudence emerged within Sunni Islam, each named after its founding scholar. Imam Abu Hanifah, who died in 767 CE, founded the Hanafi school in Kufa, known for its relatively greater use of reasoned analogy and juristic discretion; it became the most widely followed school, historically dominant across the Ottoman lands, Central Asia, and South Asia. Imam Malik ibn Anas, who died in 795 CE, founded the Maliki school in Madinah, which gave special weight to the practices of the people of Madinah as a living link to the Prophet's ﷺ community, and it spread widely across North and West Africa. Imam al-Shafi'i, who died in 820 CE and studied under both Malik and Hanafi scholars, founded the Shafi'i school and is credited with formalizing the principles of Islamic legal theory; his school became prominent in East Africa, the Levant, and Southeast Asia. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who died in 855 CE, founded the Hanbali school, emphasizing close adherence to the Quran and hadith with minimal reliance on speculative reasoning. Rather than rivals, these schools are traditionally regarded as valid, mutually respected paths to the same underlying law.
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