AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 *Imam Shafi‘i – Part 1*

Imam Shafi‘i’s name was Muhammad, his father’s name was Idris, and his grandfather’s name was Abbas bin Uthman bin Shafi‘i. Due to this relation, he is called Shafi‘i. His kunyah was Abu Abdullah. He belonged to the Quraysh tribe. His lineage meets that of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the eighth generation. He was born in 150 AH in Gaza, in the region of Palestine. After his birth, his father passed away. His mother brought him to Makkah Mukarramah at the age of 2, and they settled in the valley of Khayf.

*Education and Upbringing* — He was both poor and an orphan, but his mother’s effort and his own passion made the journey of learning easy. Imam Shafi‘i was intelligent and hardworking. By the age of 9 he memorized the Noble Qur’an, and began acquiring education in language and literature in Masjid al-Haram. He also gained knowledge of Qur’anic exegesis and Hadith there. Among his teachers in Masjid al-Haram, Ali, Isma‘il bin Qustuntin, Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah, Muslim bin Khalid al-Zanji, Sa‘id bin Salim, Dawud bin Abdur-Rahman al-Attar, and Abdul Majid bin Abdul Aziz are especially notable. Muslim bin Khalid al-Zanji, who had benefited from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, played a special part in Imam Shafi‘i’s training and advised him to go to Madinah and acquire knowledge of Hadith from Imam Malik and others. Accordingly, at the age of 13, Imam Shafi‘i reached Madinah to Imam Malik and requested to be taken as his student. In the initial conversation, Imam Malik recognized the student’s intelligence and aptitude and said: “Make taqwa your hallmark. A time will come, if Allah wills, when you will have a high status. Allah has placed light in your heart — do not extinguish it with sin.” So the next day when he formally joined Imam Malik’s class and recited the _Muwatta_ from memory, Imam Malik was impressed by his manner of recitation and said: “Continue reading.” In a short time Imam Shafi‘i completed the _Muwatta_, but the chain of studentship continued as long as Imam Malik lived. Besides Imam Malik, in Madinah Imam Shafi‘i also benefited from Ibrahim bin Sa‘d al-Ansari, Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad al-Darawardi, Ibrahim bin Asami, Abdullah bin Nafi‘, and Muhammad bin Sa‘id.  

In 179 AH Imam Malik passed away, and Imam Shafi‘i, having finished his studies, began to think about livelihood. During those days a government delegation had come to Makkah. The virtuous people of Makkah recommended that Shafi‘i be given some post. So he was appointed as the administrator of Najran.

*Employment and Trial* — Najran was a troubled region of Yemen. The governor there ruled with oppression and force. After accepting this post, Imam Shafi‘i realized that this place was not suitable, so he worked with justice, fairness, and wisdom. In enforcing Shari‘ah matters he accepted no pressure or bias. Instead of being pleased, the governor of Najran became envious and, considering him an obstacle in his path, began planning to remove him. He wrote to the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid that Shafi‘i was an enemy of the Abbasid family and there was fear of rebellion from him in the country. By Harun al-Rashid’s order, Imam Shafi‘i was arrested and sent to Baghdad. But Shafi‘i refuted the accusations leveled against him, and Imam Muhammad Hasan al-Shaybani testified in his favor. Consequently, he was acquitted.