Sources & further reading

The Qur'an

Revelation — translations by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem or Saheeh International

The first and final reference for every school. Read a clear translation alongside a short tafsir.

Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

al-Bukhari (d. 870), Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875)

The two most widely relied-upon hadith collections in Sunni scholarship; available in full in English.

Al-Kafi

al-Kulayni (d. 941)

The foundational hadith collection for Twelver Shi'i scholarship.

The Evolution of Fiqh

Bilal Philips

A short beginner introduction to how the schools of law formed and why they differ.

The Four Imams

Muhammad Abu Zahra

Standard biographies of Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad and their methods.

Islamic Legal Theories / An Introduction to Islamic Law

Wael Hallaq

Academic surveys of legal method and the history of the schools.

Al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya

al-Tahawi (d. 933)

A concise creed accepted very widely; the usual starting point.

Kitab al-Irshad

al-Juwayni (d. 1085)

A classical statement of Ash'ari theology.

Al-Iqtisad fi al-I'tiqad

al-Ghazali (d. 1111)

A measured presentation of the school's arguments.

Umm al-Barahin (al-Sanusiyya)

al-Sanusi (d. 1490)

The short creed memorised across North and West Africa.

Al-Aqida al-Wasitiyya

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328)

A short, widely translated statement of the textual creed.

Al-Sunna

Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 903)

Early creedal reports gathered from Imam Ahmad and his circle.

Sharh al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya

Ibn Abi al-Izz (d. 1390)

Commentary on al-Tahawi's creed, standard in English translation.

Al-Ibana 'an Usul al-Diyana

Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (d. 936)

Often cited by Atharis for its affirmation of the narrated wording.

Al-Mabsut

al-Sarakhsi (d. 1090)

The great reference work of Hanafi law, explaining the school's reasoning at length.

Al-Hidaya

al-Marghinani (d. 1197)

The classical teaching text of the school; translated into English by Imran Nyazee.

Mukhtasar al-Quduri

al-Quduri (d. 1037)

The short primer students begin with; available in English.

Radd al-Muhtar

Ibn Abidin (d. 1836)

The late authoritative commentary used for present-day Hanafi rulings.

Musnad Ahmad

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 855)

His vast hadith collection, the backbone of the school's method.

Al-Mughni

Ibn Qudama (d. 1223)

A comparative encyclopedia of Hanbali law that also records other schools' views.

Umdat al-Fiqh

Ibn Qudama

A short primer, widely taught and available in English.

Zad al-Ma'ad

Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 1350)

The Prophet's ﷺ guidance in worship and daily life, read across the school.

Musnad al-Rabi' ibn Habib

al-Rabi' ibn Habib (d. c. 786)

The principal Ibadi hadith collection.

Kitab al-Nil

Abd al-Aziz al-Thamini (d. 1808)

A central Ibadi law manual with its commentaries.

Qamus al-Shari'a

Jamil ibn Khamis al-Sa'di (d. 1878)

A large Omani legal encyclopedia.

Ibadi Islam: An Introduction

Valerie Hoffman, The Essentials of Ibadi Islam

English-language introduction with translated texts.

Nahj al-Balagha

compiled by al-Sharif al-Radi (d. 1015)

Sermons, letters and sayings attributed to Imam Ali; widely available in English.

Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih

Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 991)

One of the four canonical Twelver hadith collections.

Al-Risala al-'Amaliyya of a living marja'

e.g. Sistani, Khoei

Practical rulings are taken from a living scholar of reference; his manual is the everyday guide.

Shi'a Islam: Origins, Faith and Practices

modern introductions such as Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i's Shi'ite Islam

Accessible overview of belief and practice.

Al-Muwatta

Imam Malik (d. 795)

Hadith and Madinan practice combined; the earliest surviving law book, in English translation.

Al-Mudawwana

Sahnun (d. 854)

The record of Malik's positions transmitted through Ibn al-Qasim.

Risala of Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani

Ibn Abi Zayd (d. 996)

The classic beginner's manual of Maliki practice and creed.

Mukhtasar Khalil

Khalil ibn Ishaq (d. 1365)

The concise reference relied on across North and West Africa.

Kitab al-Tawhid

Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 944)

The founding work of the school.

Al-Fiqh al-Akbar

attributed to Abu Hanifa

The early creedal text the school builds upon; short and translated.

Al-Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya

Najm al-Din al-Nasafi (d. 1142)

The standard teaching creed, with al-Taftazani's commentary.

Bahr al-Kalam

Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi (d. 1114)

A fuller exposition of Maturidi theology.

Al-Risala

Imam al-Shafi'i (d. 820)

The founding text of Islamic legal theory; translated by Majid Khadduri.

Kitab al-Umm

Imam al-Shafi'i

His own detailed collection of legal positions and arguments.

Reliance of the Traveller ('Umdat al-Salik)

Ibn al-Naqib al-Misri (d. 1368)

The most widely used English-language Shafi'i manual, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller.

Minhaj al-Talibin

Imam al-Nawawi (d. 1277)

The core reference text of later Shafi'i scholarship.

Musnad Zayd ibn Ali

attributed to Zayd ibn Ali (d. 740)

The earliest legal-hadith collection of the school.

Kitab al-Azhar

al-Mahdi Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Murtada (d. 1437)

The standard Zaydi law manual in Yemen.

Al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar

Ibn al-Murtada

A comparative work setting Zaydi views beside Sunni schools.

The Zaydi Imamate

modern scholarship, e.g. Wilferd Madelung

Historical studies for readers without Arabic.