Al-Shafi'i

Imam Shafi (150H - 204H)(767 - 820) He was Muhammad ibn Idris ibn al ‘Abbas ibn ‘Uthman ibn Shafi’i ibn al Sa’ib ibn ‘Ubayd ibn Abd Yazid ibn Hashim ibn al Muttalib ibn ‘Abd Manaf. His mother was Umm al Hasan bint Hamza ibn Qasim ibn Yazid ibn Imam al Hasan. He was born in the Hijri year 150 or the year 767 of the common era in Asqalan, Gaza, Palestine. His father died when he was two, and he and his mother moved to Makkah, where they lived in extreme poverty.

He memorized al Qur’an at the age of seven; by ten, he had memorized the Muwatta of Imam Malik; he was a mufti (given authorization to issue fatwa) at the age of fifteen. He recited the Qur’an every day in prayer, and twice a day in Ramadan. Some said he was very handsome, that his beard did not exceed the length of his fist, and that it was very black. He wore a ring that was inscribed with the words, “Allah suffices Muhammad ibn Idris as a reliance.” He was also known to be very generous.

He was also an accomplished archer, a poet, and said to be of the most eloquent of his time. There were a group of Bedouin who would come and sit to listen to him, not for the sake of learning, but just to listen to his eloquent use of the language. Even in latter eras, his speeches and works were used by Arabic grammarians. He was given the title of Nasir al Sunnah, the Defender of the Sunnah.

As is fitting, he loved the Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) very deeply. Al Muzani said of him, “He said in the Old School: ‘Supplication ends with the invocation of blessings on the Prophet, and its end is but by means of it.’” Al-Karabisi said: “I heard al-Shafi’i say that he disliked for someone to say ‘the Messenger’ (al-Rasul), but that he should say ‘Allah’s Messenger’ (Rasul Allah) out of veneration for him.” He divided his night into three parts: one for writing, one for praying, and one for sleeping.

Among his teachers were Malik ibn Anas and Muhammad ibn al Hasan al Shaybani, whom he studied under in Madinah and Baghdad. At the time of al Harun ar Rashid, he had an appointment in Yemen, as a judge in Najran. His devotion to justice, even when it meant criticizing the governor, caused him some problems, and he was taken before the Caliph, falsely accused of aiding the ‘Alawis in a revolt. At this time, al Shaybani was the chief justice, and his defense of Imam Shafi’i, coupled with the imam’s own eloquent defense, convinced al Harun ar Rashid to dismiss the charge, and to direct al Shaybani to take Imam Shafi’i to Baghdad.

In Baghdad, he developed his first madhab, influnced by the teachings of both Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik. Thus, his work there is known as “al Madhab al Qadim lil Imam as Shafi’i,” or the Old School of Imam Shafi’i.

Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller writes, “When the persecution arose over the uncreatedness of the Qur’an, he spoke to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and they mutually agreed that rather than risk the loss of both Islam’s living mujtahids, they should part company, Shafi’i travelling with his books and belongings to Cairo, and Imam Ahmad remaining in ‘Iraq.” In less than four years, Imam Shafi’i had re-established his second school of fiqh, al Jadid, or the New School, which is transmitted mainly in his work Kitab al Umm.

It is said that Imam Ahmad said of Imam Shafi’i, “I never saw anyone adhere more to hadith than al-Shafi’i. No one preceded him in writing down the hadith in a book.” Imam Ahmad also said, “Not one of the scholars of hadith touched an inkwell nor a pen except he owed a huge debt to al-Shafi’i.”

Among the gifts that Imam Shafi’i gave to the Muslims is al Risala, the first book wherein the bases of fiqh were examined: the Qur’an, the Sunnah, Qiyas (analogy), and Ijma’ (scholarly consensus). He also divided innovation into good and bad, based on the recorded saying of Sayiduna ‘Umar about tarawih. He authored more than 100 books. Imam al Shaybani said, “If the scholars of hadith speak, it is in the language of al Shafi’i.”

He was asked why he used a walking stick. He replied, “To remind myself that I am on a journey out of this life.” He died at the age of 53 in the on the 20th of Rajab in the Hijri year 204 (or, January 20, 820). He was buried in al Fustat. The great Salahuddin al Ayyubi built a madrassa on the site.

Among the followers of Imam Shafi’i’s school were many of Islam's greatest scholars, including the foremost scholars of hadith: Imam al Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Nasa’i, Imam Ibn Majah, Imam Bayhaqi, Imam al Hakim. Other great followers of the Shafi’i madhab were: ibn Hibban, Imam Suyuti, al Dhahabi, Imam al Ghazali, and of course, Imam Nawawi.

The school of Imam Shafi’i is followed in many places throughout the world, including Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Yemen, Iraq, southern India and among the Kurdish people. Today, many English speaking Muslims are introduced to the madhab of Imam Shafi’i through the translated works Umdat as Salik (Reliance of the Traveller) and al Maqasid, both done by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.

We learn in Rawdah-al-Manazir fi al-Awai'l wa al 'Awakhir Volume 11 page 133 that:

"Imam Shafi'i said that the testimony of four companions will not be accepted and those four are Muawiya, Amr ibn al-As, Mugheera and Ziyad"

This view of Imam Shafi'i has also been attributed to him by his student Hadhrath Rabi in Tareekh Abul Fidah Volume 1 under the chapter addressing the events of 45 Hijri. (ref 1, 2)

See also

Fatwas:

• triple talaq

External links

• Imam Shafi Biography
• Imam Shafiee (RA)
• Short bio
• The online Shafi'i fiqh group