A law school, named after Ahmad ibn Hanbal, which strongly preferred basing legal rulings on hadith, even those with a weak chain of transmitters, to basing them on legal argumentation involving personal judgment (ra'y). The school became associated with traditionalist theology, which rejected rationalist kalam argumentation in favor of a literal interpretation of revelation.
The Hanbalites have had a strong influence on the course of Islamic thought, even though their numbers were small at times. Their vision was revitalized by Ibn Taymiyya, whose views have greatly influenced the present Saudia Arabian regime and many islamist movements.
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