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the scholars of Iraq, such as Abū Hanīfah, al-Thawrī and others like them, as did Wakī‘ and Yahyā ibn Sa‘īd. Others incline towards the school of the scholars of Medina, such as Mālik and others like him, as did ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn Mahdī.
As for al-Bayhaqī, he followed the school of al-Shāfi‘ī, defending most of his views. Al-Dāraqutnī also inclined towards the school of al-Shāfi‘ī and the imams of transmission and hadith, but he did not follow al-Shāfi‘ī’s authority to the same extent as al-Bayhaqī. Although al-Bayhaqī exercised independent legal judgment on many issues, al-Dāraqutnī’s independent legal judgment was stronger, for he was more knowledgeable and had a deeper understanding of jurisprudence.
الْعِرَاقِيِّينَ كَأَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَالثَّوْرِيِّ وَنَحْوِهِمَا كَوَكِيعِ؛
وَيَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمِيلُ إلَى مَذْهَبِ الْمَدَنِيِّينَ:
مَالِكٌ وَنَحْوُهُ كَعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ. وَأَمَّا البيهقي فَكَانَ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ الشَّافِعِيِّ؛ مُنْتَصِرًا لَهُ فِي عَامَّةِ أَقْوَالِهِ. وَالدَّارَقُطْنِي هُوَ أَيْضًا يَمِيلُ إلَى مَذْهَبِ الشَّافِعِيِّ وَأَئِمَّةِ السَّنَدِ وَالْحَدِيثِ لَكِنْ لَيْسَ هُوَ فِي تَقْلِيدِ الشَّافِعِيِّ كالبيهقي مَعَ أَنَّ البيهقي لَهُ اجْتِهَادٌ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنْ الْمَسَائِلِ وَاجْتِهَادُ الدارقطني أَقْوَى مِنْهُ؛ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ أَعْلَمَ وَأَفْقَهَ مِنْهُ.