ZAHIRIYAH

(Arabic: Literalists), followers of an Islamic legal school that insisted on strict adherence to the literal text (zahir) of the Qur'an and Hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) as the only source of Muslim law. Founded in Iraq by Dawud Khalaf in the 9th century, it spread to Iran, North Africa, and Muslim Spain, where the philosopher Ibn Hazm was its chief exponent. Although it was strongly attacked by orthodox theologians, the Zahiri school nevertheless survived for about 500 years in various forms and seems finally to have merged with the Hanbali school.