“Seeking knowledge is better than voluntary prayer.

Whoever
seeks this world, let him pursue a path of knowledge; and whoever
seeks the life to come, let him pursue a path of knowledge. There
is nothing more virtuous that grants one proximity to God
Almighty after the obligatory prayers other than the pursuit of
knowledge.”

- Imām Al-Shāfi’ī
 A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WITH AL-SHĀFI’Ī

A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WITH

AL-SHĀFI’Ī
MUHAMMAD BIN IDRĪS

‫َال ّشا ِف ِعى‬

ALLIE KHALFE

AND COUNSEL OF OUR SHAYKH

ISLAMIC TEXT INSTITUTE

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PREFACE

The work before you is a summary of the school (madhab) and life of a remarkable
human being, Muhammad bin Idrīs al-Shāfi’ī, may God be pleased with him. It
commences with a timeline of the four schools of fiqh (madhāhib al-arba’a) and
continues with a timeline dedicated to the upbringing and journey of al-Shāfi’ī.

These timelines unfold into terse segments detailing some key aspects of the four
Imāms, followed by timelines dedicated to the school of al-Shāfi’ī, its adherents,
major works and how the school flourished. It includes an exposition of al-
Shāfi’ī’s direct students and their students, known as the Ashāb al-Wujūh. It also
looks at the foundational principles of the school, legal maxims, chains of
transmission, technical terminology, as well as some of the spiritual aspects
attributed to al-Shāfi’ī.

I have sifted through many books in writing, compiling, and summarising this
brief introductory work. Some of these works include Al-Shāfi’ī’s “Risāla” with
introductory remarks by Majid Khadduri, Imām Al-Nawawī’s “Majmū’ sharh al-
Muhadhab” and “Minhāj al-Tālibīn”, Imām al-Ghazālī’s “Al-Mustasfā”, Imām Abū
Zahrā’s “Lives of the Four Imāms”, Dr, Ibrahim Negm’s “Mapping the Sharī’a
studies”, Abdul Salam Muhammad Shukri’s “Relationship between knowledge
and information”, Abdul Karim ‘Ali’s “Al-Shāfi’ī’s contribution to Hadīth”, and
more.

One of the objectives of this book is to provide the English speaking reader with
a summary and some insight into the rich legacy of Islamic scholarship that
spread organically over the centuries to this very day.

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

FOREWORD

ENDORSEMENTS

BIOGRAPHY, ALLIE KHALFE

CHAPTER ONE – FOUR IMĀMS - TIMELINE 12

80 - 150 AH ABŪ HANĪFA 13
93 - 179 AH MĀLIK BIN ANAS 21
150 – 204 AH AL-SHĀFI’Ī 27
164 - 241 AH AHMAD BIN HANBAL 30
CHAPTER TWO – AL-SHĀFI’Ī TIMELINE 34
150 AH - UPBRINGING 37
152 AH - MAKKAH 39
163 AH - MADĪNA 47
179 AH - YEMEN 49
184 AH - BAGHDAD 50
184 AH – RETURN TO MAKKAH 55
195 AH – RETURN TO BAGHDAD 59
199 AH – EGYPT 62
204 AH – PASSING ON OF AL-SHĀFI’Ī 64
CHAPTER THREE – BOOKS OF THE SHĀFI’IYYA 67
CHAPTER FOUR – THE SHĀFI’Ī SCHOOL – FIVE STAGE SUMMARY 74
CHAPTER FIVE – THE OLD AND NEW SCHOOL (AL-QADĪM – AL-JADĪD) 76
CHAPTER SIX – IJTIHĀD 78
CHAPTER SEVEN – HIGHER OBJECTIVES & LEGAL MAXIMS 88
CHAPTER EIGHT – THE SCHOOLS OF HADĪTH AND RA’Ī 96
CHAPTER NINE – DIRECT STUDENTS OF AL-SHĀFI’Ī (OLD SCHOOL) TIMELINE 100
240 AH – ABŪ THAWR 101

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241 AH – IMĀM AHMAD 103

240 AH – AL-KARĀBĪSĪ 105
240 AH – AL-ZA’FARĀNĪ 106
CHAPTER TEN – DIRECT STUDENTS OF AL-SHĀFI’Ī (NEW SCHOOL) TIMELINE 107
231 AH – AL-BUWAYTĪ 108
264 AH – IMĀM MUZANĪ 111
270 AH – AL-RABĪ’ 115
CHAPTER ELEVEN – STUDENTS OF THE DIRECT STUDENTS (ASHĀB AL-WUJŪH) TIMELINE 117
INTRODUCTION 118
288 AH - ABUL QĀSIM AL-ANMATĪ 120
306 AH – AHMAD BIN SURAYJ 121
318 AH – IBN MUNDHIR 124
328 & 375 AH – AL-ISTAKHRĪ AND AL-DĀRAKI 125
340 AH – ABŪ IS’HĀQ AL-MARWAZĪ 126
CHAPTER TWELVE – TWO PATHS (TARĪQĀN - TIMELINE 128
INTRODUCTION 129
THE ‘IRAQI TARĪQA – BRIEF OVERVIEW 130
406 AH – ABŪ HĀMID AL-ISFARAYĪNĪ 132
406 AH – IMĀM AL-MĀWARDĪ 134
384 AH – AL-MĀSARJĪSĪ 137
450 AH – QĀDĪ AL-TABARĪ 138
THE KHURASANI TARĪQA – BRIEF OVERVIEW 139
417 AH – ABŪ BAKR AL-QAFFĀL AL-NARWAZĪ 141
438 AH – ABŪ MUHAMMAD AL-JUWAYNĪ 143
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – RECONCILING BETWEEN THE TWO TARĪQAS - TIMELINE 146
476 AH – ABŪ IS’HĀQ AL-SHĪRĀZĪ 147
478 AH – IMĀM AL-HARAMAYN AL-JUWAYNĪ 152
505 AH – ABŪ HĀMID AL-GHAZĀLĪ 155
643 AH – IBN SALĀH 160

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN – REVISION OF THE MADHAB - TIMELINE 163

623 AH – ‘ABDUL KARĪM AL-RĀFI’Ī 164
676 AH – IMĀM AL-NAWAWĪ 168
CHAPTER FIFTEEN – IMPORTANT FIGURES - 8TH
CENTURY - TIMELINE 173
710 AH – NAJM AL-DĪN IBN RIF’A 174
756 AH – TAQ AL-DĪN AL-SUBKĪ 176
771 AH – TĀJ AL-DĪN AL-SUBKĪ 180
772 AH – JAMĀL AL-DĪN AL-SASNAWĪ 183
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – IMPORTANT FIGURES – 10 TH
CENTURY - TIMELINE 186
INTRODUCTION 187
926AH – SHAYKH AL-ISLAM ZAKARIYYĀ AL-ANSĀRĪ 188
957 AH – SHIHĀ AL-DĪN AL-RAMLĪ 192
974 AH – IBN HAJAR AL-HAYTAMĪ 195
977 AH – KHATĪB AL-SHIRBĪNĪ 198
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – CONNECTION THROUGH BOOKS 200
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – GOLDEN CHAINS 201
GLOSSARY OF TERMS 205
BIBLIOGRAPHY 206

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CHAPTER ONE

THE FOUR IMĀMS

80 – 150 AH

Abū Hanīfa

93 – 179 AH

Mālik bin Anas

150– 204 AH

Al-Shāfi’ī

164 – 241 AH

Ahmad bin Hanbal

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ABŪ HANĪFA 80 -150 AH

“Then I turned to fiqh and no matter which way I looked at it, it only increased in
esteem and I could not find any fault in it. I saw that it involved sitting with
scholars, jurists, shaykhs and people of insight and taking on their character. I saw
that it is only by knowing it that the obligations are properly performed and the
religion and worship established. Seeking this world and the Next World can only
be done through it. – Abū Hanīfa

ALLUSION
The Prophet  once placed his blessed hand on Salmān the Persian (al-Fārsī),
and said to his companions who were present,

“Even if faith was left amongst the stars, one of this man’s descendants would
grab it”.

Many scholars including Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūtī mentioned that the Prophet was
predicting the coming of the great Imām Abū Hanīfa

UPBRINGING
Abū Hanīfa was born in Kufa in 80 AH was born during the reign of the Umayyad
Khalīfa, Abdul Malik ibn Marwān (65-86). Historians and hadīth scholars agree
that he had at least seen some of the companions. Al-Dāraqutnī mentions:

“Abu Hanifah saw Anas (ibn Malik) with his eye, but he did not hear (hadīth)
from him.”

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His father’s name was Thābit ibn Zawtī al-Fārisī. His grandfather was one of the
people of Kabil who was captured in the Arab conquest of the region. He was
enslaved to one of the Banu Taym and then freed.

KUFA
Abū Hanīfa grew up in Kufa and was educated there and lived most of his life
there as a student, debater and teacher. Most books which recount the
biography of Abū Hanīfa states that his father met ‘Ali ibn Abī Tālib  as a child
and that his grandfather gave Sayyidunā ‘Ali some sweet dishes. It is related that
Sayyidunā ‘Ali prayed for blessing for Thābit and his descendants when he saw
him.

Abū Hanīfa frequented the market before he frequented scholars. He engaged

in trade, a skill he must have inherited from that his father, was said to be a
merchant. It seems probable that he was a merchant in silk and that Abū Hanīfa
followed his father’s occupation as is the custom of people both past and
present. Abū Hanīfa was also a devout reciter of the Quran. It is reported that
he used to recite the entire Quran seven times during the month of Ramadān.

Kufa was one of the two great ‘Iraqi cities of the time. ‘Iraq was home to a
number of different religions, sects and beliefs and of various ancient
civilisations. Knowledge of the religion was transmitted freely there. It was an
environment of clashing sects and conflicting opinions. Abū Hanīfa observed
these diverse currents and his intellect was sharpened and sifted these differing
views. It appears that while still in his youth he debated and argued people from
various sects. This reveals his upright natural disposition. He concentrated,
however, on commerce, going mainly to the markets and rarely to scholars. This
remained the state of things until one day a scholar noticed his intelligence and

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cleverness and thought that he should not devote himself entirely to trade. He
told him to frequent the scholars as he did the markets.

It is narrated that Abū Hanīfa said,

“One day I passed by the great scholar, Al-Sha‘bī, who was sitting down. He
called to me, ‘Where are you going?’ I said, ‘I am going to the market.’ He said,
‘I do not frequent the market. I am concerned with going to the scholars.’ I told
him, ‘I rarely frequent them.’ He told me, ‘Do not be heedless. You must look
into knowledge and sit with the scholars. I discern alertness and energy in you.’
That affected my heart and I ceased to frequent the market and began to turn
to knowledge and Allah let me benefit from what he said.”

After al-Sha‘bī’s advice, Abū Hanīfa turned to knowledge and frequented the
circles of the scholars.

Abū Hanīfa stated,

“I learned the fiqh of ‘Umar, the fiqh of ‘Ali, the fiqh of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd
and the fiqh of Ibn ‘Abbās from their companions (tābi’īn).”1

In 150 AH Abū Ḥanīfa died in prison. The reason of his death is not clear, as some
say that the Imām was poisoned to death. It was said that so many people
attended his funeral that service was repeated six times for more than 50,000
people who had amassed before he was buried.

1 The lives of the four Imams, Muhammad Abu Zahrā.

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CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION
 Abū Hanīfa
 from Hammād bin Sulaymān (d. 120).
 from Ibrāhīm al-Nakha’ī (d. 96)
 from ‘Alqama (d. 62)
 from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ūd (d. 32), may Allah be pleased with them.

TEACHERS
 ‘Āmir al--Sha’bī (d. 104)
 ‘Atā ibn Abī Rabāh (d. 115)
 Al‐Zuhurī (d. 124)
 Hammād bin Sulaymān (d. 120)
 ‘Amr ibn Dinār al-Makkī (d. 126)
 Qatāda ibn Di’āma al-‐Sadūsī al-Basrī (d. 118)
 Abū Is’haq al-Sabi’ī (d. 127)
 Sulaymān ibn Mihrān al-A’mash (d. 148)
 Al-Hakam ibn ‘Utayba (d. 115)
 Sālim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn’ Umar (d. 106)
 Nāfi’ al-Madanī Mawlā ibn ‘Umar (d. 117)
 Hishām ibn Urwa ibn Zubayr (d. 146)
 Sulaymān ibn Yasār Mawlā Umm al- Mu’minīn al-Maymūna (d. 110)
 Salama ibn Kuhyal (d. 121)
 Mansūr ibn al-Mu’tamir al‐Sulamī (d. 132)

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STUDENTS
 Zufar ibn Hudhayl (d. 158)
 Abū Yūsuf (d. 182): Qādī Abū Yūsuf was born in Kūfa in 113 and passed away on
the 5th Rabī’ al-Awwal in the year 182 AH or 183 AH. He served as a judge under
three different leaders, namely; Al-Mahdī, Al-Hādī and Al-Rashīd.
 Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybānī (d. 189): Imām Muhammad bin al-Hasan
al-Shaybānī was born in 135 AH and passed away in 189 AH. He commenced his
studies under Abū Hanīfa and then continued with Abū Yūsuf. Imām Shāfi’ī said:
“Whenever Imām Muhammad (al-Shaybānī) expounded a point of law, it seemed
as if the revealing angel had descended upon him.”
 Al-Hāsan ibn Ziyād al-Lu’lū'iyy (d. 204)

MAJOR WORKS
LEVEL ONE - THE FOUNDATIONAL WORKS (USŪL)
The foundational books contain the popular opinions of the school. These are
the works of Imām Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaybānī known as the “Kutub
Dhāhir al-Riwāyāt”. These works contain the opinions narrated by Imām
Muhammad on the authority of Abū Yūsuf, who narrates on the authority of
Imām Abū Hanīfa. Also included are those Muhammad narrated on the
authority of Abū Hanīfa alone. These works were written in Baghdad and he
provided corroborative continuity in his narrations.

KUTUB DHĀHIR AL-RIWĀYĀT

 Al-Mabsūt, Al‐Ziyādāt,
 Al-Jāmi’ al‐Saghīr
 Al‐Jāmi’ al‐Kabīr,
 Al-Sīyar al-Saghīr
 Al-Sīyar al-Kabīr

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In the late third century, Abul Fadl Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Marwazī
al-Balkhī compiled the book Al-Kāfī (The Sufficing), an abridged collection of
the legal rulings from all six books of the Dhāhir al-Riwāyāt.

LEVEL TWO - THE BOOKS OF RARE OPINIONS (NAWĀDIR)

 Al-Ruqayat - These opinions were given during Abū Hanīfa’s term as judge
of the Ruqa area, a township south of Baghdad when he was appointed by
Harūn al-Rashīd.
 Al-Kisāniyāt - These opinions were recorded and narrated by Shu’ayb ibn
Sulaymān al-Kisānī.
 Al-Jurjaniyāt - These are the opinions of ‘Alī ibn Jurjānī, narrated by his
companions.
 Al-Muntaqā by Al-Hākim al-Shahīd. It is a collection the works of Imām
Muhammad al-Shaybānī not found in the foundational works, so these
opinions fall in this second category.
 Al-Amālī wal Jawāmi’ by Abū Yūsuf
 Al-Mujarrad by Hasan ibn Ziyād
 Nawādir by Hishām ibn ‘Abdallah al-Rāzī.

The six Foundational books for the Hanafī jurists function like the two Sahīhs
of hadīth studies (Bukhārī and Muslim), and the books of Nawādir are akin to
the four of Sunan collections (Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd, Nasā’ī and Ibn Māja).

LEVEL THREE - THE BOOKS OF LEGAL RULINGS

These books contain the opinions derived by the jurists who lived after the
companions of Muhammad al-Shāybānī, Abū Yūsuf, Zufar, al-Hasan ibn a Ziyād
and the rest.

 Al-Nawāzil by Abū Layth al-Samarqandi in which he compiled the

opinions of his teachers and his teachers’ teachers, including Muhammad
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