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✦إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَىاعمال کا دارومدار نیتوں پر ہے، اور ہر شخص کے لیے وہی ہے جس کی اُس نے نیت کی۔Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person shall have only that which he intended.— Rasul Allah Muhammad (ﷺ)[Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1]•✦طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍعلم کا حاصل کرنا ہر مسلمان پر فرض ہے۔Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.— Rasul Allah Muhammad (ﷺ)[Sunan Ibn Majah 224; al-Kafi 1/30]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦قِيمَةُ كُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا يُحْسِنُهُہر انسان کی قیمت وہ ہے جو وہ اچھا کر سکتا ہے۔The worth of every person is measured by what he does well.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 81]•✦اَلنَّاسُ صِنْفَانِ: إِمَّا أَخٌ لَكَ فِي الدِّينِ، أَوْ نَظِيرٌ لَكَ فِي الْخَلْقِلوگ دو قسم کے ہیں: یا تمہارے دینی بھائی ہیں، یا خلقت میں تمہارے جیسے انسان۔People are of two kinds: either your brother in faith, or your equal in humanity.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53 (to Malik al-Ashtar)]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦لَا تَكُنْ عَبْدَ غَيْرِكَ وَقَدْ جَعَلَكَ اللّٰهُ حُرًّاکسی اور کے غلام نہ بنو جبکہ اللہ نے تمہیں آزاد پیدا کیا ہے۔Do not be the slave of another when Allah has created you free.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 31]•✦اَلصَّبْرُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ، وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي جَسَدٍ لَا رَأْسَ مَعَهُصبر کی ایمان میں وہی حیثیت ہے جو جسم میں سر کی ہے؛ جس جسم کا سر نہ ہو اُس میں کوئی بھلائی نہیں۔Patience is to faith what the head is to the body; there is no good in a body without a head.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 82]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦اَلْعَالِمُ حَيٌّ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَيِّتًا، وَالْجَاهِلُ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنْ كَانَ حَيًّاعالم زندہ ہے اگرچہ مر جائے، اور جاہل مردہ ہے اگرچہ زندہ ہو۔The scholar lives even though he is dead, and the ignorant is dead even though he is alive.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 147]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian

✦إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَىاعمال کا دارومدار نیتوں پر ہے، اور ہر شخص کے لیے وہی ہے جس کی اُس نے نیت کی۔Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person shall have only that which he intended.— Rasul Allah Muhammad (ﷺ)[Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1]•✦طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍعلم کا حاصل کرنا ہر مسلمان پر فرض ہے۔Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.— Rasul Allah Muhammad (ﷺ)[Sunan Ibn Majah 224; al-Kafi 1/30]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦قِيمَةُ كُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا يُحْسِنُهُہر انسان کی قیمت وہ ہے جو وہ اچھا کر سکتا ہے۔The worth of every person is measured by what he does well.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 81]•✦اَلنَّاسُ صِنْفَانِ: إِمَّا أَخٌ لَكَ فِي الدِّينِ، أَوْ نَظِيرٌ لَكَ فِي الْخَلْقِلوگ دو قسم کے ہیں: یا تمہارے دینی بھائی ہیں، یا خلقت میں تمہارے جیسے انسان۔People are of two kinds: either your brother in faith, or your equal in humanity.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53 (to Malik al-Ashtar)]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦لَا تَكُنْ عَبْدَ غَيْرِكَ وَقَدْ جَعَلَكَ اللّٰهُ حُرًّاکسی اور کے غلام نہ بنو جبکہ اللہ نے تمہیں آزاد پیدا کیا ہے۔Do not be the slave of another when Allah has created you free.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 31]•✦اَلصَّبْرُ مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ، وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي جَسَدٍ لَا رَأْسَ مَعَهُصبر کی ایمان میں وہی حیثیت ہے جو جسم میں سر کی ہے؛ جس جسم کا سر نہ ہو اُس میں کوئی بھلائی نہیں۔Patience is to faith what the head is to the body; there is no good in a body without a head.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 82]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian✦اَلْعَالِمُ حَيٌّ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَيِّتًا، وَالْجَاهِلُ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنْ كَانَ حَيًّاعالم زندہ ہے اگرچہ مر جائے، اور جاہل مردہ ہے اگرچہ زندہ ہو۔The scholar lives even though he is dead, and the ignorant is dead even though he is alive.— Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s)[Nahj al-Balagha, Hikmah 147]•Karachi•Hijri•Gregorian

Learning with adab

Comparative Fiqh

Explore shared foundations and distinct scholarly methods across five major legal schools. This learning resource is not a personal fatwa.

Shared foundations · Illustrative overview

One scholarly family, five schools

“90% shared core” is shown here as a visual teaching metaphor requested for this explorer; it is not a measured statistic or a claim that every ruling is shared. All five traditions study the Qur’an, Prophetic guidance, inherited scholarship, and disciplined legal reasoning. Their methods, source evaluations, and conclusions can differ on particular questions.

Shared foundationsSchool-specific methods

Ahl al-Bayt legal tradition

Jaʿfari

Studies Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt, ijmaʿ, and reason within its usul framework.

Sunni legal school

Hanafi

A major Sunni school with a developed usul tradition and extensive juristic literature.

Sunni legal school

Maliki

A major Sunni school whose jurists developed distinctive methods within the shared scriptural tradition.

Sunni legal school

Shafiʿi

A major Sunni school associated with a systematic treatment of legal evidence and usul al-fiqh.

Sunni legal school

Hanbali

A major Sunni school with a rich transmitted legal and hadith scholarship.

Primary study anchors

Qur’an 4:59 — a foundational passage discussed in questions of authority and obedience. Read Surah 4
Qur’an 16:43 — a passage cited in discussions of seeking knowledge from those who know. Read Surah 16
Usul al-fiqh — compare how each school defines evidence and applies interpretive principles; this overview does not issue a ruling.

Scholarly adab

A difference in a legal conclusion does not by itself imply bad faith. Read each position with its named school, scholar, source edition, and method. For personal worship or a binding ruling, consult a qualified scholar from the tradition you follow.

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Research tool

Academic citation generator

Enter the edition details from the book or paper you used. Hawza citation conventions vary by institution and publication.

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