The following is a brief summary of the essential features of the four main schools of Sunni thought

Hanafi School
Named after the great Muslim jurist Imam abu Hanifa (Nu'maan bin Thabit, died 150 AH). Abu Hanifa originated from Kufa, now in Southern Iraq, and had two great followers, Abu Yusuf and Mohammed, both of whom where remarkable jurists in their own right. The Hanafi school of thought is based on the verdicts, legal thought and analysis of all three of these scholars and is believed to be the most liberal of in its interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah. So much so that the traditionists (those who gathered and compiled Hadith) called them 'The People of Opinion' as opposed to the 'People of Tradition'. This school is therefore said to be the most flexible and easiest to accept. Their use of Qiyas is unparalleled but they nevertheless regarded the Hadith as important. Abu Hanifa would not give preference to his analogy over the opinion of any Companion. One of Abu Hanifa's verdicts regarding interest is that a Muslim in Darul Harb (a non-Muslim country) may engage in the un-Islamic transactions of the indigenous people if, i) he has a valid need and reason to do so, ii) he has no intention of any deception and fraud, iii) he has no other course of action open to him. The Hanafi school of thought does cater for diverse cultures, norms and circumstances. This is precisely why it has been adopted primarily by non-Arabs (the Iranians, Afghanis, Turks, Muslims in Russia and the sub-continent, and also in Syria).

Hanbali School
Named after the great traditionist Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (died 241 AH). Imam Hanbal was a student of Imam Shafi'i and a teacher of Imam Bukhari, the traditionist. He was a scholar of great repute. The Hanbali school of thought is said to be the most literal of all the schools, taking almost every text by its words only. Although there is a methodology that the Hanbali scholars claim and maintain, the emphasis is on not making any academic somersaults in order to interpret the text. The approach is often regarded as being most suitable to those who have little inclination towards philosophy and other humanities. Ibn Taymiyah and his students Ibn Qayyim and Ibn Khatir were the main advocates of the Hanbali school of thought. A substantial number of people in Saudi Arabia follow this school of thought in the present day.

Maliki School
Named after the great traditionist and jurist of Madinah, Malik ibn Anas (died 159 AH) was renowned for his narration of Hadith and is credited with being one of the very best and earliest. Imam Malik's approach to jurisprudence is to follow the practice of the people of Madinah, whom he thought were the closest to the original Sunnah of the Prophet. He argued that if the community of Madinah agreed or sanctioned a certain act, then their view should be given priority over any other since Madinah was the hub of Islamic knowledge and practice. In fact, Malik has given preference to the practice of the people of Madinah over some Hadith that did not conform with the known practice. Most of his verdicts originate from the collection of Hadith which he himself compiled in his book Muwatta. Most of Imam Malik's students travelled to North Africa and Spain and hence almost all of North Africa (excluding Egypt), Spain and Sudan follow the Maliki school of thought.

Shafi' School
Named after the traditionist and jurist Mohammed ibn Idris as-Shafi'i (died 204 AH). Imam Shafi'i is credited with being the first Muslim jurist to form a legal doctrine and systematic analysis. His work entitled Al-Risalah is unique in this regard. However, the Hanafi doctrine was established much earlier than that of Shafi'i even though the former was not codified in any book. Shafi'i is one of the first traditionists who sifted the chain of narrators and called for Muslim scholars to look at their chain of narrators with a critical eye. His jurisprudence falls into two phases of his life, the first before he moved to Egypt and second subsequent to this. After his move to Egypt, Shafi'i retracted a number of his earlier verdicts. His verdicts are usually based on giving priority to any sound Hadith over analogy. He does not accept the authority of the Companions, arguing that they had a right to their opinions as much as others have a right to their own. He was a student of Imam Malik and a contemporary of the two students of Abu Hanifa. His verdicts have been gathered in a book written by his famous student Muzni, entitled Al-Umm. Most of the rest of the Muslim world (Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia Iraq and some of the African countries) follow his school of thought.