What is Meant by Established Schools of Thought
The established schools of thought refer to the four Madhahib attributed to the four Imams: Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Imam Malik — may Allah have mercy on them all. The followers of these schools consider absolute adherence to their respective Imams obligatory, and abandoning personal adherence (taqlid shakhsi) is not considered permissible by them in any way.
Definition of Taqlid
Taqlid is defined as: “Following another person in what one hears from him in his statements or actions, assuming he is correct, without examining the evidence.” [Hashiyah Nur al-Anwar, Lucknow, p. 216] That is, taqlid means accepting someone’s opinion merely on the assumption that it is in accordance with evidence — without investigating the evidence itself.
Statement from the Author of Muslim al-Thubut
The author of Muslim al-Thubut writes: “Taqlid is acting upon the statement of another without evidence.” [Muslim, p. 289] This is generally the method adopted by the followers of the four Madhahib.
Imam Bukhari and the Four Madhahib
In this light, attributing the noble scholar, the greatest muhaddith and esteemed mujtahid, Imam Bukhari — may Allah have mercy on him — to being a follower of any one of the four schools is like calling the shining sun the night. The truth is, Imam Bukhari was not a follower (muqallid) of any of the attributed schools. His knowledge and excellence, his rank in ijtihad and deduction, had reached such a high level that calling him a muqallid is sheer ignorance and foolishness. Allah had granted him the highest status.
Claim of Affiliation with the Shafi'i School
Some of the earlier scholars have included him among the ranks of the Shafi'is, but this is merely their misunderstanding, or they meant that in issues of disagreement, he mostly agreed with Imam Shafi'i — which is why he was referred to as Shafi'i. However, in reality, just as he disagreed with the Hanafi muqallids in his Sahih compilation, he also disagreed with the Malikis, Shafi'is, and Hanbalis in various matters.
