During the Middle Ages, the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt delineated the acceptable Sunni schools as only Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali, excluding the Ẓāhirī school. The Ottoman Empire later reaffirmed the official status of four schools as a reaction to the Shiite character of their ideological and political archrival, the Persian Safavids.Chibli Mallat, Introduction to Middle Eastern Law, p. 116. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. In the contemporary era, former Prime Minister of Sudan Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, as well as the Amman Message issued by King Abdullah II of Jordan, recognize the Ẓāhirīs and keep the number of Sunni schools at five.Hassan Ahmed Ibrahim, "An Overview of al-Sadiq al-Madhi's Islamic Discourse". Taken from The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought, p. 172. Ed. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi'. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.
during the middle ages the mamluk sultanate in egypt delineated the acceptable sunni schools as only hanafi maliki shafi'i and hanbali excluding the ẓāhirī school the ottoman empire later reaffirmed the official status of four schools as a reaction to the shiite character of their ideological and political archrival the persian safavidschibli mallat introduction to middle eastern law p 116 oxford oxford university press 2007 in the contemporary era former prime minister of sudan al-sadiq al-mahdi as well as the amman message issued by king abdullah ii of jordan recognize the ẓāhirīs and keep the number of sunni schools at fivehassan ahmed ibrahim "an overview of al-sadiq al-madhi's islamic discourse" taken from the blackwell companion to contemporary islamic thought p 172 ed ibrahim abu-rabi' hoboken wiley-blackwell 2008