The History of an Islamic School of Law: The Early Spread of Hanafism

Islamic schools of law, which were, and still are, means of expression of identity in Muslim societies; although they have been so for more than a millennium, only recently have the Islamic schools of law drawn the attention of a few modern studies in recent times. The Early Spread of Hanafism therefore contributes to our understanding of this phenomenon in Muslim history. The book is mainly based on tabaqat literature, including the al-Jawåhir alMudiyya by al-Qurashi and Akhbår al-qudåh by al-Waki‘. The time span is from around the middle of the second century A.H. until the end of the third century A.H. (from the mid-eighth century to the end of the ninth century A. D.). Although the title and sub-title give the impression that the study includes the early history of the Hanafi school, in fact, it does not explore one of two main centers of Hanafi school, namely northeastern Iran (Khorasan) and Transoxania (Mawara’ al-Nahr); instead the book focuses only on other areas of the Abbasid Empire.