Imam Shafi`i
Radhiyallahu Anhu
“A scholar from Quraish will fill the
horizons of the universe with knowledge”
This is the
prophesy of The Messenger Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, according to many
of the Islamic scholars, about the great Imam Shafii Radhiyallahu anhu.
Imam
Shafi’i, al-Hijazi al-Qurashi al-Hashimi al-Muttalibi, Radhiyallu Anhu
is the peerless one among the great Mujtahid Imams (Islamic
jurisprudents).
His full name is
Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ibn Abbās ibn ‘Uthman ibn Shafi’i ibn
Sa'ib ibn ‘Ubaid ibn ‘Abdu Yazeed ibn Muthalib ibn ‘Abdu Manaf. ‘Abdu
Manaf was the great grandfather of Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.
Based on this lineage, he had the same linage as the Messenger of Allah
Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam starting from ’Abdu Manaf. So he was known
as Qurashiyy.
Birth and Childhood
He was born on the
last Friday of the month of Rajab in Ghazza of Asqalan in Palestine in
the 150 of Hijra (767 AD), the very year in which Imam al A’azam Abu
Hanifa Radhiyallahu Anhu passed away. His mother was Umm al Hasan bint
Hamza ibn Qasim ibn Yazeed ibn Imam al Hasan. His father died when he
was two years old, and he and his mother moved to Makkah, where they
lived in extreme poverty.
He memorized the
Qur’an at the age of seven, then the Muwatta of Malik Radhiyallahu Anhu
at the age of ten, during which age his teacher of Makthab would
deputize him to teach in his absence. Allah the Almighty bestowed upon
him a great passion for knowledge.
Seeking to have an
eloquent Arabic tongue, he went to the desert to join the Bedouin tribe
of Huthail, who were renowned for the best standard of literary Arabic.
He studied poetry and learnt their prose reporting and stories. He
accompanied the tribe on nomadic travels, until he mastered in the
language. During this time he also learnt archery and became very
skilful; he could hit the target 10 times out of 10.
Student of Al-Zangi and Sufyan ibnu
Uyaiyna
He continued his
learning language and poetry until he gave himself to Fiqh and
Hadith. His first Fiqh teacher was Muslim ibn Khalid Al-Zangi
Radhiyallahu Anhu and Hadith teacher was Sufyan bin ‘Uyaina
Radhiyallahu Anhu. Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu showed such greate
knowledge that his sheikh, Muslim ibn Khalid Al-Zingy Radhiyallahu Anhu,
authorized him to give fatwa at the age of fifteen.
His
Journeys
His
thirst of knowledge forced him to travel from one place to another
1.
1. To Madeena as a Student of
Imam Malik
At his age of
thirteen, the fame of Imam Malik had reached far and wide and his book
Al-Muwatta' was circulating among people. Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
earnestly intended to travel to Imam Malik in Madinah, but he postponed
the journey until he could study Al-Muwatta' well. After the age
of seventeen (H 167/781 AD) he went to Madeena as a student of Malik
Radhiyallahu Anhu. When he sat in front of Imam Malik and read Al-Muwatta',
Imam Malik admired his eloquence and way of reading. From then on, Imam
Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu continued to study under Imam Malik until the
latter passed away in 178 AH/792 AD. Imam Malik Radhiyallu Anhu used to
care more and give more attention to poor and needy students. Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu was one of them. Thus, he accompanied and studied under
Imam Malik Radhiyallu Anhu for about ten years. He never left him during
those years except to visit his mother, or to stay for a short while
with some Bedouin tribes.
He also came into
contact with other learned men like Ibrahim ibn Sa`d Al-Ansari, Abdul-`Aziz
ibn Muhammad Ad-Darawirdi, Muhammad ibn Sa`id ibn Abu Fadik and others.
Student of Muhammad
ibn Al-Hasan Al-Shaibani
The last three years
at Malik Radhiyallu Anhu’s study circle were doubly fruitful because the
eminent Iraqi scholar, Muhammad ibn Hasan Al-Shaibani (132-189 AH), who
recorded all the Hanafi scholarship, had come to study under Malik
Radhiyallu Anhu. He also acquired knowledge from Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaibani
now and later (the time of trial before Caliph).
2.
2. To
Makkah second time
When Malik Radhiyallu
Anhu died (178 AH), Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu returned to Makkah hoping
to earn his living. Now his age was twenty seven.
3.
To Yemen As a Judge
Witnessing
extreme poverty
of Imam, Some
people asked the governor of Yemen to help Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu, and
so he took him to Yemen where he was appointed justice in the city of
Najran
at the age of twenty eight (H 179/792 AD).
The people there soon realized that they had a judge who was devoted to
justice, unwilling to swing over for any favor or pressure. They
respected him so much and learnt a great deal from him.
In his fifth years at Najran, Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu’s
courage
was tested when a strong-fisted governor took over. Shafi’i Radhiyallu
Anhu did not spare him from criticism whenever the occasion arose. In
the process of curbing the governor’s injustice, Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
earned his enmity.
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.
The governor wrote to then Caliph Harun Al-Rasheed in Baghdad, accusing
Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
of backing a revolt by people loyal to the ‘Alawis, the descendants of
‘Ali ibn Talib Radhiyallu Anhu. He wrote:”I
have no authority over this man, and he achieves by
his tongue much more than a fighter can achieve with his sword”.
Was this
accusation false? Indeed it was, for Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu never
supported or advocated any revolt or rebellion against the Caliph. On
the contrary he used to love the Alawis, as they were the descendants of
‘Ali Radhiyallu Anhu and Fatimah Radhiyallu Anha, the daughter of
Prophet Mohammad Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam
4.
To Iraq as a captive
At the
age of 34, in 185 AH/ 798 AD, Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu was brought
before the Caliph in Baghdad (capital city of the Caliph), in fetters
and chains. Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan Al-Shaibani, the Chief Justice, was
one of his advisers and top officials present at the court. Two factors
affected the Caliph’s Judgement: a lucid and eloquent defense by the
accused himself; and Chief Justice Muhammad ibn Hasan Al-Shaibani’s
Testimony. Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu pointed out that his scholarship was
known to the Chief Justice, who described Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu as a
scholar of eminence who would not be involved in such matters.
Caliph
Rasheed, known to be kind and merciful, spared Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu.
He told Muhammad ibn Hasan Al-Shaibani to take Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
to his home while he thought the matter over. There the case ended, and,
moreover, Caliph granted him a gift of 50 thousand dinars. Shafi`i
Radhiyallahu Anhu distributed the gift to the
chamberlains and servants of the Caliph before he departed through the
gate of the palace. The charge was never revived. The governor who had
rid himself of a fearless critic was no longer interested in what
happened to him.
This episode was a blessing in disguise because it brought Shafi’i
Radhiyallahu Anhu back on track in his quest for knowledge. Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu stayed with Muhammad ibn Hasan Al-Shaibani and read
under his guidance all the books that he had written, recording the
Fiqh of Imam Abu Haneefah Radhiyallu Anhu and his disciples. After
two years, Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu left Baghdad, he said: I carried with me
a whole camel load of books, all of which I learnt directly from
Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan.
5.
To Makkah third time as a
teacher of Ahmad ibn Hanbal
After that, at the age
of thirty seven (H 188/801 AD), he returned to Makkah as a teacher of
Masjid ul Haram. At that time, during the season of Hajj he met the most
eminent scholars who would listen to him. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal also met
him during the same period and studied under him.
6.
To Iraq second time as a
teacher of Al Jami ‘ul Gharbi
At the age of 43 (H
194/807 AD), he again reached at Bagdad with his family as a teacher of
Al Jami ‘ul Gharbi and there he was surrounded by a large number of
students who were eager to acquire knowledge of the faith and practice
of Islam from him.
Scholars
gathered around him to learn from his abundant knowledge and were
influenced by the new approach he initiated in his Fiqh. The
scholars were, al-Buwaiti, al-Muzni, al-Rabi’a-Muradi, al-Bulqini, Ahmad
ibn Hanbal, Abu Thawr, Az-Za`farani, and Al-Qarabisi.
7.
To Makkah fourth time
This time he only
aimed at performing Umra and visiting relatives. So he returned from
Iraq at the age of 45 (H 196/809 AD)
8.
To Iraq for months
After spending 1 year
in Makkah, he again headed for Iraq at his 46 (H 197/810 AD)
9.
To Makka fifth time
Since he
had so many disciples and followers in Iraq spreading his juristic
approach, he did not remain there for long and headed for Makkah and
from there he proceeded to Egypt where he settled down.
10.
To Egypt as
a teacher at `Amr ibn Al-`As Mosque
As a pupil of Imam
Malik he was received with great honor and respect by the Egyptians and
remained in Egypt teaching at `Amr ibn Al-`As Mosque in
his blessed circle with his students around him until he passed away.
There he began the teaching at his
47 (H 198/811 AD)
Knowledge seekers in Egypt at that time were divided into two
categories: those who supported Imam Malik's juristic methodology, on
the one hand, and those who supported the juristic methodology of Imam
Abu Haneefah, on the other. In addition, there were the students of the
Mujtahid
Imam
Laith ibn Sa’d whom Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
described as more knowledgeable than Imam Malik himself. Nevertheless,
he did not meet with and study under him due to his financial
incapability at the time to afford the journey. He often expressed his
regret for not studying under Al-Laith ibn Sa’d.
His Death
At the age of 53
Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
passed away on 20th
Rajab (January 20th) in the Year 204 A.H / 817 A.D. and was
laid to rest in Fustat, Egypt. Salahuddin Ayyubi
Radhiyallu Anhu
built a Madrassa on
the site.
Places of his service
Baghdad
in Iraq and Cairo in Egypt were the chief centers of Imam Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu’s activities. It is from these two cities that teachings
of the Shafi'i school spread. During the time of Sultan Salahuddeen
(Saladin), the Shafi’i Madhhab was the most prominent in Egypt, and to
the present day the Imam of the Al-Azhar Masjid is always a Shafi’i and
the Shafi’i Madhhab is industriously studied along with that of the
other three schools of the Sunnis.
Two main chains from Imam Shafi’i to
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam
1)
Rasulullah
Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam
2)
Ibn ‘Umar
Radhiyallu Anhu
3)
Nafi’i bin ‘Umar
Radhiyallu Anhu
4)
Malik
Radhiyallu Anhu
And
1)
Rasulullah
Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam
2)
‘Aliyy
Radhiyallu Anhu
3)
Masrooq
Radhiyallu Anhu
4)
‘Amir bin Shurahbeel
Radhiyallu Anhu
5)
Hammad bin Abu Sulaiman
Radhiyallu Anhu
6)
Imam Abu Haneefah
Radhiyallu Anhu
7)
Muhammad bin Hasan Shaibani
Radhiyallu Anhu
Prominent students of Imam Shafi’i
The disciples of
Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu disseminated his scholarly views to the
countries they traveled to or settled in. Three of his Egyptian
disciples, however, were particularly significant in spreading his views.
These were Yusuf ibn Yahya Al-Buwaiti
(died in 231 AH/854 AD); Isma’il ibn Yahya al-Muzni
(died in 264 AH/877 AC); and Rabi’i ibn Sulaiman
Al-Muradi (died in 270 AH/883 AC).
Al-Subki
related that the Shafi`i scholars considered al-Rabi’s narration from
Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu sounder from the viewpoint of transmission,
while they considered al-Muzini’s sounder from the viewpoint of Fiqh,
although both were established hadeeth masters.
The most prominent
among Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu’s students are
Principles of His School of Fiqh
Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
Anhu wrote the principles upon which he based his Fiqh and the rules
that governed his ijtihad in his well-known juristic book
entitled Al-Risalah. These principles were practical, not
theoretical. This was clearly visible in his book Al-Umm in which
he mentioned the legal verdict along with the proof upon which it was
based. He then demonstrated his viewpoint in deducing this verdict from
the proof he presented and the rules of ijtihad and principles of
deduction that he adhered to.
Yunus ibn Abi Ya`la
narrated that Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu defined the "principles" as: "The
Qur’an, the Sunnah, analogy (al-qiyas), and consensus (al-ijmâ`)";
he defined the latter to mean: "The adherence of the Congregation (jamâ`a)
of the Muslims to the conclusion of a given verdict pertaining to what
is permitted and what is forbidden after the passing of the Prophet,
Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam."
Accordingly, he used
to refer to the Qur'an first and consider the outward meaning that a
verse might carry. Unless he reached a firm conclusion from the outward
meaning of a verse, he would then refer to the Sunnah of Allah's
Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and accept even khabar Al-Wahid
(Arabic for a hadeeth transmitted by a single narrator) so long as the
narrator was known for his piety, truthfulness and accuracy.
Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
Anhu dedicated his life to defending the Sunnah and proving the
correctness of the opinion that Khabar al-Wahid could be employed
as legal proof. These efforts on his part made him more revered in the
eyes of the scholars of hadeeth to the extent that they called him 'The
Defender of the Sunnah'.
He considered the
Sunnah as important as the Qur'an. According to him, to reach a specific
legal verdict, it was not sufficient to refer solely to the Qur'an; it
is necessary as well to review the Sunnah which elucidates and explains
what is in the Qur'an. The Qur'an gives the general legal verdicts while
the Sunnah provides the detailed explanation of these verdicts; the
Sunnah may also specify or restrict what is mentioned in the Qur'an in
general terms; it may also clarify what is mentioned briefly in the
Qur'an.
Unlike Imam Malik, he
did not stipulate that for a hadeeth to be authentic, it should not
contradict what the people of Madinah did and agreed upon, or that the
hadeeth ought to be widely known and not contradicted by the acts
of its narrator.
Perhaps what made
Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu assign more significance to the science of
Hadeeth as a source for deducing legal verdict than Abu Haneefah did,
was his firm memorization and immense knowledge of Hadeeth. He only
accepted as sahih (Arabic for authentic) those hadiths that he
considered as such, according to the conditions set by him in this
respect.
After referring to the
Qur'an and Sunnah, legal proof may be reached through scholarly
consensus (Ijma’a) unless there is a scholar who breaks the consensus.
Thereafter, the approach of analogical reasoning
(Qiyas)
could be proved as it has roots in the Qur'an and Sunnah. This approach,
however, was not extensively used by Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu as was
the case with Imam Abu Haneefah.
Those learned men and
their students as well as the succeeding generations from the Shafi`i
school contributed to the establishment of the Shafi`i school of Fiqh
with the large scholarly heritage that we have now.
His approach was a
mixture of the Fiqh of Iraq and that of Madinah. It reached maturity on
account of his brilliant mind, great knowledge of the Qur'an and the
Sunnah, Arabic language and its literature, and the circumstances and
affairs of the people, in addition to his skill of reasoning and
qiyas (analogy).
A major contribution
of Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu in the foundations of the Law was his
division of innovation (al-bid ‘a) into good and bad on the basis
of ‘Umar Radhiyallahu Anhu’s words about the Taraweeh or
congregational supererogatory night prayers in the month of Ramadan:
"What a fine innovation this is!" Harmala narrated that Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu concluded: "Therefore, whatever innovation conforms to
the Sunnah is approved (Mahmud), and whatever opposes it is
abominable (madhmûm)." Agreement formed in the Four Schools
around his division, as illustrated by the endorsement of some major
later authorities in each school like Ibn `Abideen, al-Turkumani, and
al-Tahanawi among the Hanafis: al-Turtushi, Ibn al-Hajj, and al-Shatibi
among the Malikis.
As a
writer
At the time of Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu, the Prophet Sallallahu aalihi wasallam's ahadith were
gathered from different countries, and the disagreements among the
scholars increased until Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu wrote his famous book,
Al-Risalah, which is considered the foundation of Islamic jurisprudence.
In it, Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu relied on the literal meaning of the
Qur'an, then on the authentic Sunnah. He strongly argued for the
acceptance of ahadeeth which were authentic. He considered following and
applying the Sunnah as equally important as following the Qur'an. He
supported the use of consensus and discouraged the use of one's personal
judgment without relying on the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the consensus or the
juristic reasoning by analogy (Qiyas). One of the things that
distinguished Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu from other scholars was that he
himself wrote the fundamentals of his school of thought, as well as
other books that are considered the body of his jurisprudence.
Ash-Shāfi‘ī was also a
significant poet. His poetry is noted for its beauty, wisdom, despite
the fact that during his life time he stood off becoming a poet because
of his rank as an Islamic scholar. He said once:
و لولا الشعر بالعلماء يزري
لكنت اليوم أشعر من لبيد
For scholars, if
poetry did not degrade,
Finer than Labīd's
I would have said.
However, the beauty of
his poetry made people collect it in one famous book under the name
Diwān
u-Shafi’i. Many verses are popularly known and repeated in the Arab
world as proverbs:
نعيب
زماننا و العيب فينا
و ما
لزماننا عيب سوانا
و نهجو
ذا الزمان بغير ذنب
و لو
نطق الزمان لنا هجانا
We blame our time
though we are to blame.
No fault has time
but only us.
We scold the time
for all the shame.
Did it have
tongue, it would scold us
(Diwān al-Shafi’i,
Damascus, Syria: Karam Publishing House
Verses are translated by Salma al-Helali.)
Major Works
1.
Kitāb
al-Risalah Fi-Usul al-Fiqh commonly known as Al-Risalah:
Unlike the other
great Imams, Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu wrote down the methodology
of his school of fiqh by himself. Most significant among these books are
Al-Risalah fi Usul Al-Fiqh and Al- Umm. It was printed in
the Cairo-based Amiriyah (government) printing house In 1321 AH/1903
AD).
2.
Kitāb
al-Umm:
Al-Umm is a
multi-volume book that examines the various topics of fiqh and is
characterized by its beautiful style and easy expression. This book also
presents and debates the conflicting legal opinions adopted by other
scholars. The entire book was published after successful endeavors by
the Egyptian jurist, Ahmad Al-Husini, to find its manuscripts and print
it at his own expense. Al-Husini then explained the worship section of
Al-Umm in (24) volumes under the title, Murshid Al-Anaam li
Bur' Umm Al-Imam. He began this book with a large preface on various
biographies of the Shafi`i Imam. The original manuscript of this
multi-volume book is retained by the Egyptian Dar Al-Kut. The first
volume of Al-Umm was printed in the Cairo-based Amiriyah
(government) printing house in 1321 AH/1903 AD). It was later reviewed
and republished by the erudite scholar of Hadith, Ahmad Muhammad
Shakir in 1358 AH/1939 AC.
3.
Jima’
Al-`Ilm:
It
was also separately published by Ahmad Shakir in 1359 AH/1940 AC.
4.
Ibtal
Al-Istihsan:
It is dealing views
about Al-Istihsan in which he debated with the Hanafi jurists.
5.
Ikhtilaf:
It examines the
scholarly differences between the great Imams, Malik Radhiyallahu Anhu
and himself.
His Linguistic
Competency
Shafi’i Radhiyallu
Anhu was known for his peculiar strength in Arabic language, poetry, and
philology. Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu had a unique exquisite literary
style, lucidity of expression and command over the language. His very
clear use of words made him an influential speaker.
Bayhaqi narrated
[From Ibn Hisham]: I was Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu’s sitting-companion
for a long time, and I never heard him use except a word which,
carefully considered, one would not find (in its context) a better word
in the entire Arabic language. So Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu’s discourse,
in relation to language, is a proof in itself.
One of his students
said: “Every scholar gives more in his books than when you meet him
personally, except for Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu whose verbal discussion
gives you more than his books”. From al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Za`farani:
A group of Bedouins used to frequent Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu’s
gathering with us and sit in a corner. One day I asked their leader:
"You are not interested in scholarship; why do you keep coming to sit
with us?" They said: "We come to hear Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu’s
language." Even in latter eras, his speeches and works were used by
Arabic grammarians.
Piety
He recited the
entire Qur’an each day, and twice a day in the month of Ramadan. He
always gave due respect to all especially to his forerunners in the
knowledge as Ibn Hajar al-Haitami mentioned in the thirty-fifth chapter
of his book on Imam Abu Hanifa entitled al-Khayrat al-Hisan:
"When Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu was in Baghdad, he would visit the
grave of Imam Abu Hanifa, greet him, and then ask Allah for the
fulfillment of his need through his means." His dedication to Allah can
be apparent by his sayings:
1.
Imam
Ghazali in his Ihya quotes Imam Shafi’i saying:"I used not to take food
with satisfaction for the last 16 years, as a full stomach makes the
body heavy, makes the heart hard, increases sleep and renders a man lazy
for Worship."
Satiation weighs down
the body, hardens the heart, does away with sagacity, brings on sleep,
and weakens one from worship.
2.
"I never
swore by Allah - neither truthfully nor deceptively." Among the manners
of the truthful saints (al-siddîqeen) is that they never swear by Allah,
nor commit backbiting, nor do they eat to satiation, if they promise
they are true to their word, and they never speak in jest.
3.
In the
introduction of his book entitled al-Majmu`, Navavi Imam mentions that
Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu used a walking stick for which he was asked:
"Why do you carry a stick when you are neither old nor ailing?" He
replied: "To remember I am only a traveler in this world."
Attitude towards
Thasawwuf
Shafi’i
Radhiyallahu Anhu’s attitude towards Thasawwuf was as strict as
with kalâm, and he praised it and belittled its abuse by the
hands of its corrupters. True knowledge is the knowledge that leads to
god-wariness (taqwa). This is confirmed by Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
Anhu’s saying: "Knowledge is what benefits. Knowledge is not what one
has memorized." This is a corrective for those content to define
knowledge as "the knowledge of the proof" (ma`rifa al-dalîl).
Allah says:
يُؤۡتِى ٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ
مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَمَن يُؤۡتَ ٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ فَقَدۡ أُوتِىَ خَيۡرً۬ا
ڪَثِيرً۬اۗ
"He gives wisdom
to whomever He will, and whoever receives wisdom receives immense good."
(2:269)
"You [the scholars
of hadith] are the pharmacists but we [the jurists] are the physicians."
This was explained by `Ali al-Qari in his book Mu`taqad Abi Hanifa
al-Imam (p. 42).
The early scholars
said: "The hadith scholar without knowledge of Fiqh is like a
seller of drugs who is no physician: he has them but he does not know
what to do with them; and the Fiqh scholar without knowledge of
hadith is like a physician without drugs: he knows what constitutes a
remedy, but does not dispose of it."In criticism of the latter Shafi’i
Radhiyallahu Anhu said: "No-one becomes a Sufi in the morning except he
ends up a dolt by noon" while on the other hand he declared in his
Diwān: "Be at the same time a faqeeh and a Sufi."
فقيها
وصوفيا فكن ليس واحدا فاني واخلاء اياك انصح
فذالك
قاس لم يذق قلبه تقى وهذا جهول كيف ذوالجهل يصلح
Be both a jurisprudent
and a Sufi - never just one of the two.
Truly, by the Divine Right, I am advising you sincerely!
For the former is hardened, his heart tastes no God
wariness,
while the latter is ignorant - of what use is the ignorant?
[Diwān (p:
177/45)
In
Makkah Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu was the student of Fudhail ibn `Iyadh
Radhiyallahu Anhu. Imam al-Navavi in his Bustan al-`Arifeen fi al-Zuhd
wa al-Thasawwuf ("The Garden of the Gnostics in Asceticism and
Thasawwuf") narrated from Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu the saying:
"Only the sincere one (al-mukhlis) can recognize self-display
(al-riyâ’)." Al-Navavi comments: "This means that it is impossible
to know the reality of self-display and see its hidden shades except for
one who resolutely seeks (arâda) sincerity. Such a one strives
for a long time, searching, meditating, examining at length within
himself until he knows something of what self-display is. This does not
happen for everyone. Indeed, this happens only with special ones (al-khawâss).
But for a common individual, to claim that he knows what self-display
is, is real ignorance on his part."
Shafi’i Radhiyallu
Anhu said:
1.
“I accompanied the Sûfees
for ten years and benefited from them but not from two words: their
statements are “time is a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you”, and
“deprivation is immunity”(Manâqib
al-Shafi’i by al-Baihaqî (2:208) cf. Ibn al-Qayyim in Madârij al-Sâlikeen
(3:128) and al-Jawâb al-Kâfî (p. 208-209) and al-Suyût.î in Ta'yîd al-H.aqîqat
al-`Aliyya (p. 15)).
2.
“If a rational man does not
become a Sufi he does not reach noon except he is a dolt!”(Narrated from
Yûnus ibn `Abdu al-A’lha by Abu Nu`aim, H.ilya (1985 ed. 9:142)).
Love
of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the offspring
1)
Al-Muzni
said: "I never saw any of the scholars make something obligatory on
behalf of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam as much as Shafi’i
Radhiyallu Anhu in his books, and this was due to his high remembrance
of the Prophet.
2)
Al-Qarabisi
said: "I heard Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu say that he disliked for
someone to say ‘the Messenger’ (al-Rasûl), but that he should say
Allah’s Messenger’ (Rasûl Allah) out of veneration (ta`zîm)
for him."
3)
He
recites:
ال النبي
ذريعتي وهمو
اليه وسيلتي
ارجو بهم اعطى
غدا بيد اليمين صحيفتي
(The Family of the Prophet are my asylum and they are my
intermediary to Him! Through them I hope to be given my record in the
right hand.)
4)
And he
said:
“O Family of Allah’s
Messenger! To love you is an obligation which Allah ordained and
revealed in the Qur’an. It is enough proof of your immense glory that
whoever invokes not blessings upon you, his prayer is invalid.”
From Shafi’i
Radhiyallahu Anhu’s sayings:
1)
He
re-read the holy Quran four hundred times, then said: "Only Allah’s Book
is perfect and free from error."
2)
Al-Buwaiti
asked: "Should I pray behind the Rafidhi?" Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu
said:"do not pray behind the Rafidhi, nor behind the Qadari, nor behind
the Murjii’." Al-Buwaiti said: "Define them for us." He replied:
"Whoever says ‘Belief consists only in speech’ is a Murjii’, and whoever
says ‘Abu Bakr and `Umar Radhiyallu Anhuma are not Imams is a Rafidhi,
and whoever attributes destiny to himself is a Qadari."
Appearance
Al-Muzni Radhiyallu
Anhu said: "I never saw handsome face than that of Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
Anhu. If he grasped his beard it would not exceed his fist."
Ibn Rahuyah
described him in Mecca as wearing bright white clothes with an intensely
black beard.
Al-Za`farani said
that when he was in Baghdad in the year 195(H) he tinted his beard with
henna.
Intelligence
Among
the most important characteristic of
Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
was his native intelligence that gave him an easy and
good grasp of even the most difficult of questions. He always studied
matters in depth, so as to reach the right solutions and the right
answers regarding any question put to him. His cleverness was coupled
with a superb memory and ready argument.
Abu`Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam said: "If the intelligence of an entire
nation was brought together he would have encompassed it."
Similarly, al-Muzni
Radhiyallu Anhu said: "I have been looking into Shafi’i Radhiyallahu
Anhu’s Risalah for fifty years, and I do not recall a single time
I looked at it without learning some new benefit."
Al-Sakhawi in the
introduction to his al-Jawahir wa al-Durra and others narrate
that someone criticized Ahmad ibn Hanbal for attending the Fiqh
sessions of Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu and leaving the hadith sessions of
Sufyan ibn`Uyaina. Ahmad Radhiyallahu replied: "Keep quiet! If you miss
a hadith with a shorter chain you can find it elsewhere with a longer
chain and it will not harm you. But if you do not have the reasoning of
this man [Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu], I fear you will never be able to
find it elsewhere."
Behaviour
Shafi’i Radhiyallu
Anhu said to al-Rabi`: "How I love you!" and another time: "O Rabi`! If
I could feed you the Science I would feed it to you."
Al-Qaffal al-Shashi in
his Fatâwa relates that al-Rabi’a was slow in his understanding,
and that Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu once repeated an explanation forty
times for him in a gathering, yet he did not understand it then got up
and left in embarrassment. Later, Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu called him in
private and resumed explaining it to him until he understood.
Ibn Rahuyah’s
statement runs like this: "I consider the best part of me the time when
I fully understand Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu’s discourse."
In
addition to being a great scholar, he was also a clever and honest
debater who only sought to reach the truth, not fame or renown. He was
reported, for example, to have said:"Whenever I engaged in a scholarly
debate with someone, I loved that he would win. I cared only about
reaching the truth, irrespective of where it would be found; with me or
the other party."
Others’ opinions about
him
Scholars
of
Fiqh, Hadith and (Arabic) linguistics attested to the
honesty, integrity, piety and high status of Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu
Anhu.
1.
The great and dignified Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal Radhiyallu
Anhu held his sheikh, Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu,
in such high esteem that when his son, Abdullah, asked
him: What kind of man was Ash-Shafi`i,
for I saw you pray for him so much? Ibn Hanbal's reply
was as follows:"Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu was like the sun for the day
and health for the bodies. Behold! Can these two things be replaced or
dispensed with?"
2.
Ahmad
Radhiyallahu Anhu is also related by his students Abu Talib and Humaid
ibn Zanjuyah to say: "I never saw anyone adhere more to hadith than
Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu. No-one preceded him in writing down the
hadith in a book."
3.
Yunus
ibn Abi Ya`la said: "Whenever Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu went into
tafsîr, it was as if he had witnessed the revelation."
4.
Ahmad
ibn Hanbal
Radhiyallu Anhu
also said: "Not one of the scholars of hadith touched an inkwell nor a
pen except he owed a huge debt to Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu."
5.
Al-Navavi
listed three peculiar merits of Shafi’i Radhiyallahu Anhu : his sharing
the Prophet’s lineage at the level of their common ancestor `Abdu Manaf;
his birth in the Holy Land of Palestine and upbringing in Mecca; and his
education at the hands of superlative scholars together with his own
superlative intelligence and knowledge of the Arabic language.
6.
To this
Ibn Hajar added the hadith of the Prophet, "O Allah! Guide Quraish, for
the science of the scholar that comes from them will encompass the
earth. O Allah! You have let the first of them taste bitterness, so let
the latter of them taste reward." The scholars agreed, among them Abu
Qilaba (d. 276) and Imam Ahmad, that the narration signified Shafi’i
Radhiyallahu Anhu.
Countries
of shafi'i Madhhab
The
Mazhab of Imam Shafi’i Radhiyallu Anhu spread to
1.