Schools of Muslim Law — KSLU Family Law 2 Notes

Schools of Muslim Law

The killing of Hussein at Karbala (680 CE) crystallised the Sunni–Shia divide into two distinct jurisprudences, each reading the same Quran through a different lens.

flowchart TD
    ROOT["Schools of Muslim Law"]:::root
    ROOT --> SUN["SUNNI<br/>(majority in India)"]:::sunni
    ROOT --> SHI["SHIA<br/>(minority)"]:::shia
    SUN --> H["Hanafi<br/>(most common in India)"]:::leaf
    SUN --> M["Maliki"]:::leaf
    SUN --> S["Shafi'i<br/>(South India / Kerala)"]:::leaf
    SUN --> HB["Hanbali<br/>(most conservative)"]:::leaf
    SHI --> IA["Ithna Ashari<br/>(Twelvers — main Shia in India)"]:::leaf
    SHI --> IS["Ismaili<br/>(Aga Khan)"]:::leaf
    SHI --> ZA["Zaidi"]:::leaf

    classDef root fill:#FFF8DC,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px,color:#000;
    classDef sunni fill:#D4EDDA,stroke:#155724,color:#000;
    classDef shia fill:#F8D7DA,stroke:#721C24,color:#000;
    classDef leaf fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    linkStyle default stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px;

Aspect	Sunni (Hanafi)	Shia (Ithna Ashari)
Marriage witnesses	Required (2 male, or 1M + 2F)	Not required for validity
Muta (temporary) marriage	Totally prohibited	Recognised as valid
Triple talaq in one sitting	Counted as three divorces	Counts as one revocable divorce
Doctrine of Aul	Applied when shares exceed estate	Not applied; proportional method
Widow in inheritance	A full sharer	Inherits, but less if blood-relatives present

In India, Hanafi (Sunni) law is the default; Shia law applies to Shia parties. The Shariat Act, 1937 ensures custom cannot override Muslim personal law on marriage, divorce, dower, gift, wakf, and inheritance — Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India (1995) confirms a colourable conversion to Islam to take a second wife is bigamy under S.494 IPC.