Pengasas mazhab ini, Daawood ibn ‘Alee, dilahirkan di Kufah pada tahun 815 M. Pada peringkat awal, beliau mempelajari fiqh di bawah murid-murid Imam ash-Shaafi’ee, tetapi kemudian beliau cenderung kepada pengajian hadith dan menyertai halaqah hadith Imam Ahmad ibn Hambal. Beliau terus belajar di bawah Ahmad sehinggalah beliau diusir daripada kelas-kelas Ahmad kerana beliau menyuarakan pendapat bahawa al-Quran adalah Muhdath (baharu wujudnya) dan oleh itu adalah makhluk.

The founder of this school of thought, Daawood ibn ‘Alee, was born in Kufah in the year 815 CE. His early Fiqh studies were under Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee’s students, but he later inclined towards the study of Hadeeth and joined the Hadeeth circle of Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal. He continued to study under Ahmad until he was expelled from Ahmad’s classes because he voiced the opinion that the Quraan was Muhdath (newly existent) and therefore created.

Setelah pengusirannya, beliau menempuh jalan ijtihad yang bebas, berdasarkan makna yang zahir dan harfiah (ḌHāhir) dari nas-nas Al-Qur'an dan Sunnah. Kerana pendekatan ini, mazhabnya dinamakan Mazhab Ḍhāhiriyy, dan beliau dikenali sebagai Dāwūd aḍ-Ḍhāhiriyy.148

After his expulsion, he took and independent path of reasoning based on the obvious and literal meanings (DHaahir) of the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Because of this approach, his Madh-hab was called the DHaahiree Madh-hab and he became known as Daawood adH-DHaahiree.148

Seperti semua Imam yang lain, Daawood menganggap al-Qur'an sebagai sumber utama hukum Islam, diikuti oleh Sunnah. Namun, beliau hanya menganggap tafsiran literal terhadap teks-teks tersebut sebagai sah. Maksudnya, teks-teks itu hanya boleh diterapkan dalam keadaan-keadaan tertentu yang diterangkannya.

Like all of the other Imaams, Daawood considered the Qur’aan to be the foremost source of Islamic law follwed by the Sunnah. However, only literal interpretations of their texts were insidered by him to be valid . that is, they were only to be applied in the particular circumstances which they described.

Imam Daud memberi kredibiliti kepada Ijmak para Sahabat. Beliau berhujah bahawa kesepakatan mereka hanya mungkin berlaku dalam perkara hukum yang telah diwahyukan kepada Nabi ﷺ dan diketahui oleh para Sahabat, tetapi tidak diriwayatkan sebagai Hadis atas sebab tertentu.

Imaam Daawood gave credence to the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah, He reasoned that their unanimity would only have been on points of law revealed to the Prophet (s.w.) and known to the Sahaabah, but not narrated as Hadeeths for some reason or other.

Oleh itu, Ijma' para Sahabah tidak dianggap oleh beliau sebagai hasil daripada penaakulan (Qiyas).

There fore, the Ijmaa’ of the Sahaabah were not considered by himas resulting from reasoning (Qiyaas).

Oleh kerana Imam Daawood membataskan penggunaan Al-Qur'an dan As-Sunnah kepada makna literal (zahir) keduanya, beliau secara automatik menolak kesahihan hukum-hukum yang berasaskan apa jua bentuk pendapat akal, termasuk Qiyaas.149 Namun, prinsip Mafhoom (makna yang difahami) yang beliau gunakan pada Al-Qur'an dan As-Sunnah sebagai ganti Qiyaas ternyata hampir tidak dapat dibezakan daripada Qiyaas (penaakulan secara analogi).150

Since Imaam Daawood limited the application of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah to their literal meaning, he automatically denied the validity of rulings based on any form of reasoned opinion, including Qiyaas.149 However, the principle of Mafhoom (understood meaning) which he applied to the Qur’aan and Sunnah in place of Qiyaas turned out to be virtually indistinguishable from Qiyaas (analogical deduction)150

Oleh kerana skop Mazhab Zahiri yang terhad serta ketiadaan para ulama terkemuka yang meneruskan prinsip dan hukum-hukumnya, mazhab ini tidak bertahan lama. Malah, ia tidak mendapat tapak di mana-mana kawasan empayar Muslim semasa hayat Imam Daud, mahupun dalam tempoh satu setengah abad selepas kewafatannya.

Due to the limited scope of the DHaahiree Madh-hab and the absense of outstanding scholars to pass on its principles and rulings, it did not last very long. In fact, it did not get a foothold in any area of the Muslim empire during Imaam Daawood’s lifetime, nor in the century and a half which followed his death.

Pada zaman kemudian, setiap ulama yang menolak keabsahan Qiyaas dilabelkan sebagai Dhaahiriyyah, walaupun mereka sebenarnya tidak pernah berguru kepada Daawood atau murid-muridnya, malah tidak pernah membaca karya-karya mereka.

In later times, all scholars who denied the validity of Qiyaas were labelled as DHaahirees, even though they had not actually studied under Daawood or his students, or even read their works.

Murid yang paling terkenal dari Mazhab Zahiri ialah seorang ulama Sepanyol yang cemerlang pada abad ke-11 Masihi bernama 'Ali bin Ahmad bin Hazm al-Andalusi (wafat 1070 Masihi). Ibnu Hazm menghidupkan kembali mazhab ini dan mempertahankannya dalam banyak karya yang luar biasa yang beliau tulis dalam pelbagai bidang pengajian Islam; contohnya, Ihkam al-Ahkam dalam bidang Usul al-Fiqh, al-Fisal dalam ilmu kalam dan al-Muhalla dalam fiqh. Berkat usaha Ibnu Hazm yang tidak mengenal lelah, mazhab ini berakar di Sepanyol Islam, di mana ia berkembang pesat, dan dari situ ia tersebar ke beberapa kawasan di Afrika Utara dan tempat lain. Ia kekal tersebar luas di Sepanyol sehingga negara Islam mula runtuh di sana pada awal abad ke-15 Masihi. Dengan lenyapnya negara Islam Andalus, mazhab ini turut hilang, hanya meninggalkan sejumlah tulisan ilmiah, kebanyakannya ditulis oleh Ibnu Hazm sendiri.151

The most noted student of the DHaahiree Madh-hab was a brilliant 11th century CE Spanish scholar named ‘Alee ibn Ahmad ibn Hazm al-Andaloosee (died 1070 CE). Ibn Hazm revived this Madh-hab and defended it in the numerous outstanding works which he wrote in various fields of Islamic study; for example, Ihkaam alAhkaam in the field of Usool al-Fiqh, al-Fisal in theology and alMuhallaa in Fiqh. Due to Ibn Hazm’s tireless efforts, the Madh-hab took hold in Islamic Spain where it flourished, and from there it spread to some areas of North Africa and elsewhere. It remained prevalent in Spain until the Islamic State began to crumble there in the early 1400’s. Whith the disappearance of the Muslim state of Andalus, the Madh-hab also disappeared, leaving behind only a number of scholarly writings, most of which were done by Ibn Hazm himself.151