Mastering The Hanafi School: Lifelong Study

A family at the bedside needs to know when to turn off the ventilator. A woman needs to know what counts as postnatal bleeding. A couple needs to know if the marriage has ended. This is why mastery of a school of law matters.

This is the fourth in a series on mastering the Hanafi school, drawn from a seminar by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and Shaykh Talal al-Azem. The full seminar is available here.

Read One New Book a Year, in Every Subject

Mastery is a method, not a moment. Any scholar who has taught for a quarter century will have built a reading list across a lifetime, one book at a time.

Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi advised that anyone serious about the way of knowledge should read at least one new book every year in every subject of Islam—not only the subjects one already prefers. He lives this himself, despite being blind.

The seeker should always have something working on within the core sciences, progressing step by step and starting smaller than seems necessary. Be clear about a book’s purpose, and know how one has fulfilled that purpose before moving to the next one.

If one finds oneself reading a text studied once but never truly known, go back and study it again properly. Even while progressing elsewhere, keep mastering Nur al-Idah. Beyond that, choose one complete text one feels drawn to—Mukhtasar al-Quduri, Kanz al-Daqaʾiq, or Multaqa al-Abhur—and put real effort into mastering it.

Why Practical Knowledge Matters

At the end of the day, people need to know how to practice their religion. What does one do after childbirth? What about a contract dispute? Did a divorce occur or not? When does one turn off the ventilator? Is this postnatal bleeding? What if there is a miscarriage? What do people do about burying an infant? The one who knows is not like the one who does not.

Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) was asked how Islamic jurisprudence is retained. He said: “By gathering one’s concern.” [Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Faqi wa l-Mutafaqqih]

Part of gathering one’s concern is removing what is useless from one’s life. The student should look honestly at what wastes time, and replace it with a plan for how to prepare, attend, and review.

Humility is the True Purpose of Knowledge

Knowledge that does not produce humility has gone wrong somewhere. One of the things that made Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) greater in potential than the angels was precisely this: humility.

The name Adam refers to the soil of the earth. Iblis claimed to be better than Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), yet in Adam’s humble address upon being sent down to earth, we see the distinguishing Adamic virtue.

Humility is seeing oneself as nothing before the greatness of Allah Most High, and there is a misalignment in one’s knowledge if it fails to produce this. Mufti Mahmood Ashraf Usmani (Allah have mercy on him) taught that the true purpose of knowledge is to produce humility. If contempt for others arises in the heart, this is not knowledge but a trial. [Usmani, Talib-i-ilm Kya Niyyat Rakhey]

If the student looks down on others, feels envy or jealousy toward them, views scholars with contempt, or finds oneself drawn into arguments, he should stop and examine how the heart truly stands in seeking knowledge.

Further Study, for the Firm-Footed

If one wants to become firm-footed in knowledge, stay on the path. One of the beautiful features of the Levantine tradition of learning is that people never stopped studying. 

What was taught in a seminary formed only the core; students kept working through complementary texts alongside it, such as al-Durar of Mulla Khusro and Sharh al-Wiqaya.

The student ought to delve into sustained research in Ibn Abidin’s Radd al-Muhtar, one of the most brilliant texts of the Hanafi school. This work points toward the relied-upon (muʿtamad) position in the school, again and again. One Damascene scholar said: “Were it not for Ibn Abidin, we would not have understood the religion.”

Radd al-Muhtar is a great entry point into the vast world of legal detail and discussion. Once one reaches an intermediate level, make it a habit to look up an issue there, then bring it to one’s teachers and explain what was understood.

This is part of what the student does with teachers: bring them issues. The nature of knowledge is discussion, and discussion is what has always kept students connected to it. Know, too, which contemporary scholars are worth reading, and when and how—this one learns by asking one’s teachers. There are many contemporary scholars worth reading, especially in Islamic jurisprudence, given that it is an applied science. 

Mastery requires more than method and discipline alone. The right company and a rectified heart both matter in one’s pursuit of mastery, as the next article will explore.

Related Articles

Mastering the Hanafi School: Knowledge That Remains—Why many seekers never reach the fruits of learning, and what mastery actually requires. First in the series.

Mastering the Hanafi School: Keys to Mastery—Real mastery rests on three habits: genuine preparation, full presence, and same-day review. Second in the series.

Mastering the Hanafi School: Where Real Understanding Begins—Real mastery is through core texts, active reflection, and focused study. Third the series.