DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF HADITH METHODOLOGY IN THE HANAFI SCHOOL OF JURISPRUDENCE

Abstract

This article highlights the central role of hadith methodology in the formation and development of the Hanafi school of Islamic law (fiqh). Within the Muslim intellectual tradition, the scholarly study of hadith—the second primary source of Islamic law after the Quran—has undergone significant historical evolution. The systematic examination of the methodological principles employed by Hanafi jurists reveals both the school's internal consistency and contemporary debates surrounding its interpretive approaches. In particular, some critics in Kazakh religious discourse argue that Hanafi scholars ignore certain authentic hadith and rely excessively on analogy (qiyas), allegedly due to an insufficient study of hadith literature. Such assumptions highlight the need for a rigorous reassessment of Hanafi hadith methodology. Therefore, this study analyzes the historical conditions and classificatory principles governing the treatment of hadith in the Hanafi tradition. The positions of early Hanafi mujtahids regarding the authority, authenticity, and application of prophetic messages are also examined. Based on a critical analysis of representative hadith, the study identifies the distinctive methodological features of the Hanafi madhhab. The results demonstrate that the methodology of Hanafi hadith interpretation is based on consistent theoretical and epistemological foundations and reflects a historically continuous scholarly tradition, rather than a deviation from hadith-based jurisprudence.