Madhhab
/ˈmæd.hæb/noun
A recognized school or method of Islamic jurisprudence, theology, or religious interpretation.
Did you know?Madhhab comes from the Arabic root ذ-ه-ب, associated with going or departing, so a school of interpretation is metaphorically a route one follows through religious knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḏhb
“A reconstructed root associated with going or departing”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ḏahaba (ذَهَبَ)
“He went, departed, or proceeded”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
maḏhab (مَذْهَب)
“A place or way of going; by extension, a method, doctrine, or school”
Medieval Islamic Period
Arabic
madhhab
“A developed school of Islamic jurisprudence, especially one associated with a legal tradition”
19th–20th Century
English
madhhab
“A transliterated term for a school of Islamic law or religious interpretation”
Modern English
English
madhhab
“A school or methodology within Islamic jurisprudence or theology”