Madzhab
/ˈmæd.zæb/noun
A school or method of Islamic jurisprudence, especially one of the four major Sunni legal schools.
Did you know?The term comes from the Arabic root ذ-ه-ب, which also produces dhahab, meaning “gold,” linking the idea of a legal path to a root associated with going or departing.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
dhahaba (ذَهَبَ)
“He went, departed, or proceeded”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
madhhab (مَذْهَب)
“A place of going; figuratively, a way, doctrine, or school of thought”
8th–10th Century
Arabic
madhhab
“A recognized method of interpreting Islamic law”
Medieval Islamic scholarship
Arabic
al-madhāhib (المذاهب)
“The legal schools or doctrinal paths of Islamic jurisprudence”
Modern transliteration
English
madhhab / mazhab / madzhab
“A school of Islamic jurisprudence, with spellings varying by transliteration system”