School of Muslim Law

There are two main sects of Muslim Law-The Sunnis and Shias. Both sects are again divided into a number of schools, the majority of the Muslims are Sunni and hence it is presumed that the parties to a suit are Sunnis unless proved otherwise.’ Apart from these sects of another sect "Motazila" was in existence but now the existence of this sect becomes History.

Thus the three sects of Muslim are :

(1) Sunni

(2) Shia

(3) Motazila.

The Sunni Sub-Schools

The Sunni sect is further classified into following sub-schools

(a) Hanafi ( By Abu Hanifa)

(b) Maliki ( By Imam Malik)

(c) Shafei (By Imam Shafei)

(d) Hanbali (By Imam Abu Hanbal)

The Shia sub-schools.

The main Shia sect is further categorized into following three schools

(i) Ithna Asharia school;

(ii) lsmailya school; and

(iii) Zaidya school.

Motazilas sect of muslim law

Only the two abovementioned sects Sunnis and Shias have their schools; and Motazilas have no such school. Motazilas, says Ameer Ali “are taken sometimes as an independent sect, and sometimes as an early offshoot of the Shia sect closely alike to the Usuli school. They must be treated as dead schools that have played its part in history”. They have no organised community, and no separate body of law. Shahrashimi, a classical Medieval, authority on Muslim sect, treats the Motazilas as a distinct class from the Shias.