Why we study through a madhab.
Arkview teaches the revealed sciences the way they have always been passed on: from qualified teachers, through the classical texts, within the established schools of law and creed. The aim is to connect you to the Qur’an and the Sunnah through the scholars who received them.
Revelation reaches us through people.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught the Qur’an and the Sunnah to his Companions. They taught the next generation, who taught the one after. This unbroken chain of teachers and students is the isnad.
Today many people think of the isnad as something that lives in books: a line of names in lifeless ink at the top of a hadith. The isnad is the people behind those names. Each one lived, sat with a teacher, taught students and died, and some links in the chain are alive today. Together they form a connection that runs back to the Prophet ﷺ and, through him, to Allah ‘Azza wa Jall.
The chain runs through each of the Islamic sciences.
Preserves sound belief.
Preserves the sacred law.
Preserves the science of the heart.
In Aqida and Fiqh, the chain is kept by the established schools of creed and law. In Tasawwuf, it is kept by the spiritual masters and the paths (turuq) they founded, each with its own chain of teachers back to the Prophet ﷺ. When you study a text with a qualified teacher, you join that chain: your teacher received it from his teachers, and they from theirs, back to the age of revelation.
What is a madhab?
A madhab is a school of law with its own method (usul) for reading the Qur’an and the Sunnah and deriving rulings from them. Each school was founded by a mujtahid imam and developed over centuries by the scholars who followed him, so that every question of the law, from worship to contracts, family life and the conduct of a society, is answered from one consistent set of principles.
The four Sunni schools of law are named after their founding imams: Abu Hanifa (d. 150 AH), Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafiʿi (d. 204 AH) and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (d. 241 AH). In creed, the Ashʿari and Maturidi schools take their names from Abu al-Hasan al-Ashʿari (d. 324 AH) and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 333 AH), and the Athari school follows the creed of Imam Ahmad and the early hadith scholars.
Deriving rulings directly from the Qur’an and the Sunnah (ijtihad) requires mastery of Arabic, the Qur’anic sciences, hadith, legal theory and the positions of earlier scholars. Those who have not reached that level follow the rulings of a qualified school (taqlid). This is how the great majority of Muslims, including many scholars, have practised their religion in every generation.
Why follow a madhab?
A school gives you a reliable way to live by the Qur’an and the Sunnah while you learn.
Protection from error
A school’s rulings have been examined and refined by generations of scholars, so you are not left to work out the law on your own.
Consistency and depth
A madhab gives principled answers across every area of the law, so your practice rests on one settled method instead of a mix of opinions.
Realistic for the learner
You can practise your religion with confidence from your first class, and deepen your understanding of the school step by step.
Our methodology at Arkview.
We teach the revealed sciences the way they have been taught for centuries, in a format that fits a working week.
Classical texts, cover to cover
Each class works through a foundational text with a teacher, in order, from the first page to the last.
Qualified, English-speaking scholars
Every subject is taught by a teacher trained in that science, who received it from teachers of their own. You can ask them questions directly.
A graded path
You start with short primers and build up through the longer manuals, one level at a time.
Fiqh paired with Aqida
Sound practice rests on sound belief, so each fiqh school is paired with its school of creed: Ashʿari, Maturidi or Athari.
Live, with full recordings
Join weekly live classes and ask your teacher questions, or study any session on demand at your own pace.
Companionship (suhba)
Knowledge is passed on through relationships. Teacher-led class groups keep you in touch with your teacher and classmates between sessions.
All four schools are valid. Choose one and begin.
The four schools of fiqh (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafiʿi and Hanbali) and the schools of creed within Ahl al-Sunna (Ashʿari, Maturidi and Athari) are all recognised, orthodox paths.
Choose carefully at the start, then study one school consistently rather than picking rulings from different schools as they suit you. If you later decide to move to another school, you can change your Arkview pairing at any time.
Not sure where to begin? Start with Maliki + Ashʿari.
See exactly what you'll study.
Every text and course included with your Essentials membership, and who teaches it. Arkview also offers Arabic and Advanced programs.
Questions? [email protected]
