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XLVI.—THE FOUR ORTHODOX
SECTS.
There are four orthodox sects or schools of interpretation amongst the Sunnís, the Hanifi, the Sháfaʾí, the Málikí, and the Hambalí.
1. The Hanifis are found in Turkey, Central Asia, and North India. The founder of this sect was Imám Abu Hanífa, who was born at Koofa, the capital of Irák, A.D. 702, or A.H. 80, at which time four of the "Prophet's" companions were still alive. He is the great oracle of jurisprudence, and (with his two pupils Imám Abu Yusaf and Imám Muhammad) was the founder of the Hanifi Code of Law.[1]
2. The Sháfaʾías are found in South India and Egypt. The founder of this school of interpretation was Imam Muhammad ibn i Idrís al
- ↑ A Digest of the Hanifi Code of Law has been published in English by Mr. N. B. E. Baillie.