JAMB Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) 2015 Paper

Concept:The school of thought known for using personal opinion or analogical reasoning ($\mathrm{ra'y}$) extensively is the Ḥanafī school, founded by Imām Abū Ḥanīfah.Explanation:The four Sunni schools differ in how much they rely on personal reasoning when clear texts are silent.Imām Abū Ḥanīfah and his students frequently used $\mathrm{ra'y}$ and $\text{qiy\={a}s}$ (analogy) to derive rulings.His method gave considerable weight to juristic preference ($\text{istihs\={a}n}$) and public interest.By contrast, Imām Mālik emphasised the practice of Madīnah, Imām al-Shāfiʿī limited $\text{qiy\={a}s}$ with strict textual principles, and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal focused heavily on $\mathrm{ḥadīth}$.Thus the Ḥanafī school is historically noted for its frequent resort to personal opinion.Answer:The correct option is B: Abū Ḥanīfah.