Live Islamic date, local prayer times, and rotating source-attributed wisdom.
✦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]•✦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)]•✦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]•✦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]•
✦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]•✦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)]•✦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]•✦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]•
Explore selected questions across five major schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Compare the reasoning, read the cited evidence, and keep scholarly disagreement within the ethics of respect.
Five schools Source references Respectful comparison
The Prophet ﷺ raised his hands level with his shoulders.
Reference trail
Sahih al-Bukhari 735; Sahih Muslim 390. Reports and their reconciliation are discussed in the chapters on the description of prayer.
Reference listed for study; exact edition, grading, context and application should be checked with a qualified researcher.
Hanafi school — broad summary
The relied-upon Hanafi position raises the hands at the opening takbir; it does not treat raising them before and after ruku' as the regular practice. Reports supporting both practices are discussed by jurists.
Important nuance
The disagreement concerns how transmitted reports are evaluated and applied. It is not a basis for condemning another Muslim's prayer.
Quick comparison — all five
Questions & answers
Understanding the differences
Why do the five schools sometimes reach different rulings?
The schools use shared foundational sources but may differ in hadith evaluation, interpretation, legal principles, and how evidence is reconciled. A difference is not automatically a contradiction in faith.
Does this explorer issue fatwas?
No. It is an educational comparison tool. It summarizes broad, commonly taught positions and points to references; it cannot account for every circumstance or replace a qualified scholar.
Which school should I follow?
Follow the qualified scholarly guidance you trust and the tradition you are responsible to follow. This page is designed to explain differences respectfully, not to pressure users into changing schools.
Are all contemporary digital-asset rulings settled?
No. Cryptocurrency and other digital assets are contemporary questions. Scholars may classify particular assets differently, and a token's features and use matter.
Educational resource only. This page is not a fatwa, legal opinion, or substitute for consulting a qualified scholar in the school and community you follow. References and summaries should be reviewed against authoritative editions before being relied upon.
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