"The creed of the four Imams — Abu Hanifah (d. AH 150), Malik (d. AH 179), Ash-Shafi'i (d. AH 204) and Ahmad (d. AH 241) — is what the Book and the Sunnah speak of, and what the Companions and those who followed them in righteousness were upon. And there is no disagreement between these Imams, all praise is due to Allah, in the fundamental matters of belief; rather, they are in agreement concerning the Attributes of Allah."
The Claim the Book Sets Out to Prove
That the four founders of the Sunni schools of law held one creed, and that the differences between their schools are matters of jurisprudence rather than belief.
That claim is significant because it is frequently disputed — positions in creed are attributed to one Imam or another to lend authority to a later view, and the Imams themselves are recruited to arguments they never took part in.
How the Case Is Made
From their own recorded statements and those of their direct students, rather than from what was later said about them. That method is the whole strength of the book: a reader is shown what each man actually said on the attributes of Allah, on the Qur'an, on faith, and on the Companions.
Why It Matters
Because it removes a source of division that rests on a misunderstanding. Muslims who follow different schools of fiqh and imagine they therefore differ in belief are in a position the four Imams would not have recognized.
Differing on how to position the hands in prayer is not the same kind of difference as differing about Allah, and the four never confused the two.
Who It Is For
Students of creed and of fiqh, and any reader who has encountered the argument that the schools represent competing theologies.
Related Reading
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