Al-La Madhhabiyya
Abandoning the Schools of Law
is the Most Dangerous Innovation
Threatening the Sacred Law
By Shaykh Muhammad Saʿid Ramadan al-Buti
Translated by M. Merza, M.A. Absi & S. Abdul Aziz
Second Edition, 2017 (2007)
Sunni Publications, Rotterdam
Paperback, 160 pages, 220 grams
ISBN 978-90-79294-24-4
In the last century, a movement has appeared calling for the abandonment of the traditional schools of law [madhahib]. This misleading call, which scholars have termed ‘al-la madhhabiyya,’ was presented as ‘following the Qurʾan and Sunna’ and caused much confusion amongst ordinary Muslims. One of the sources for the spread of this innovation was a book written by Muhammad Sultan al-Maʿsumi al-Khajnadi al-Makki, which was translated and distributed to English and published as as ‘Should a Muslim Follow a Particular Madhhab?’ and ‘The Blind Following of Madhhabs’.
It was in response to this book, taught and revered by prominent opponents of the schools of law, that Shaykh al-Buti first wrote his ground breaking work. Later editions of this work, the translation of which we have before us, included the aftermath of various debates Shaykh al-Buti was subsequently challenged to by his opponents and also incorporated counter-replies to the likes of Shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Muhammad ʿId ʿAbbasi, Mahmud Mahdi al-Istanbuli, and Khayr al-Din Wanli.
This book is a decisive refutation of those who call to the misguidance of abandoning the schools of law, for it is the most dangerous innovation threatening the Sacred Law.