Al-Jarīriyyah was an Islamic legal school (madhhab) started by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. He was a famous scholar, Qur’an commentator, and historian who lived in the 3rd Islamic century (9th century CE) in Baghdad.
This school did not last for a long time and slowly disappeared. However, al-Tabari’s opinions and ideas were respected by many Sunni scholars. His school remained important for about 200 years after his death.
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was an independent scholar. When he gave legal rulings, he followed a clear order:
The Qur’an was the first and main source of Islamic law for al-Tabari. He believed that Qur’anic verses should be understood by their clear and normal meaning, unless there is strong proof to understand them differently.
He repeatedly said that:
In simple words:
What the Qur’an clearly says should be accepted as it is.
Al-Tabari believed that the Sunnah explains the Qur’an and protects people from mistakes.
He said that when scholars disagree, the final answer is found in the Prophet’s Sunnah ﷺ.
He believed that:
Al-Tabari believed that agreement of the main scholars is a valid proof in Islam.
He did not require every single scholar to agree. If the major scholars agreed, and only one or two disagreed, he still considered it ijmaʿ.
Later scholars like Ibn Kathir and Taqi al-Din al-Subki explained this clearly when discussing al-Tabari’s method.
Qiyās means solving new issues by comparing them to known rulings.
Al-Tabari used qiyās often. He defined it simply as:
“Connecting new issues to agreed-upon principles.”
Because of this, his method combined:
Al-Tabari’s school spread mainly in Baghdad. Some of his students later traveled to Egypt.
However:
Scholars mention several main reasons:
Because of this, the school slowly faded, even though al-Tabari himself remained highly respected.