Madhab
/ˈmæd.hæb/noun
A school or established system of Islamic jurisprudence, especially one of the Sunni legal schools.
Did you know?Madhab comes from the Arabic root meaning “to go,” so a legal tradition is metaphorically understood as a path or destination followed by its adherents.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḏ-h-b
“To go or depart; the reconstructed root underlying the Arabic verb.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ذهب (dhahaba)
“He went or departed.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
مَذْهَب (madhhab)
“A place or manner of going; a path, opinion, or school of thought.”
Medieval Islamic scholarship
Arabic
مَذْهَب
“A recognized school of Islamic jurisprudence or theology.”
20th Century–Present
English
madhab / madhhab
“An English loanword for an Islamic legal school; transliterations vary.”