Why did legal schools become associated with individual jurists instead of particular cities?

Initially, Islamic legal traditions were regional, developing within study circles (ḥalqah) in cities like Medina and Kūfah. However, as legal culture transitioned from oral transmission to written texts, these regional doctrines became mobile and could be studied and applied beyond their original geographic locations.1

This shift toward a written legal culture necessitated a more systematic justification of doctrines, requiring scholars to engage with traditions from other regions. As these doctrines were codified and encased in books, the identity of a legal school became increasingly tied to the specific individuals responsible for their elaboration and systematization rather than the cities where they originated.1

Consequently, schools that were once defined by their geography became associated with prominent jurists. For example, the school of Medina became identified with Mālik ibn Anas and became known as the Mālikī school, while the school of Kūfah became the Ḥanafī school, named after Abū Ḥanīfah.1