الرحلةThe Journey

محمد بن إدريس الشافعي

Imam al-Shafi'i (RH)

Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i

Also known as: Shafii, Syafie, Imam Syafi'i

150–204 AH · 767–820 CE

Fiqh Shafi'i

Founder of the Shafi'i school and of usul al-fiqh, the principles of jurisprudence.

Born in Gaza in the year Abu Hanifa died, al-Shafi'i was a Qurashi orphan raised in poverty in Makkah. He memorised the Quran as a child, mastered Arabic among the Bedouin of Hudhayl, and then studied with Imam Malik in Madinah. In Baghdad he studied the Hanafi tradition under Muhammad al-Shaybani, which gave him knowledge of both the Hijazi and Iraqi schools.

His al-Risala was the first systematic work on the sources of law: Quran, Sunnah, ijma' (consensus) and qiyas (analogy). In Egypt he reworked his teaching into his 'new' doctrine, recorded in Kitab al-Umm. His school became dominant in Egypt, Syria, Yemen and East Africa, and it is the madhhab of most Muslims in Southeast Asia.

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Life journey

  1. 767 CE Gaza غزة
  2. 769 CE Makkah مكة
    Brought to Makkah as a small child by his widowed mother.
  3. 786 CE Madinah المدينة
    Studied with Imam Malik until Malik's death.
  4. 795 CE San'a صنعاء
    Served in an administrative post in Yemen.
  5. 800 CE Baghdad بغداد
    Brought before Harun al-Rashid; studied Hanafi fiqh with al-Shaybani.
  6. 803 CE Makkah مكة
  7. 810 CE Baghdad بغداد
    Taught his 'old' (qadim) doctrine.
  8. 814 CE Fustat (Old Cairo) الفسطاط
    Died 820 CE · 204 AH
    Revised his views as the 'new' (jadid) doctrine. Buried in the Qarafa cemetery.

Teachers

  • Imam Malik (RH) 711–795 CE
    Al-Shafi'i came to Madinah having memorised the Muwatta', read it to Malik, and studied with him until Malik's death.
  • al-Shaybani (RH) 750–805 CE
    In Baghdad al-Shafi'i studied the Iraqi school with al-Shaybani and said he carried away a camel-load of his books.

Students

  • Imam Ahmad (RH) 780–855 CE
    Ahmad attended al-Shafi'i's lessons in Baghdad and esteemed him highly.
  • al-Rabi' al-Muradi (RH) 790–884 CE
    Al-Rabi' served and studied with al-Shafi'i in Egypt and transmitted his works, including al-Umm and al-Risala.
  • al-Muzani (RH) 791–878 CE
    Al-Muzani studied with al-Shafi'i in Egypt; his Mukhtasar became the standard summary of the school.

Key works

  • al-Risala الرسالة
    The Epistle
    The first systematic work on the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh).
  • Kitab al-Umm كتاب الأم
    The Mother Book
    His comprehensive legal work from the Egyptian period, the core of the 'new' doctrine.

Places in their life

The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
Photo: Adli Wahid (minor modifications by Basile Morin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
Photo: TheHadiRahim, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
al-Mustansiriyyah, an Abbasid college of 1233, Baghdad
al-Mustansiriyyah, an Abbasid college of 1233, Baghdad
Photo: Taisir Mahdi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Mosque of 'Amr ibn al-'As, al-Fustat
The Mosque of 'Amr ibn al-'As, al-Fustat
Photo: لا روسا, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
  • al-Bayhaqi, Manaqib al-Shafi'i
  • Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-A'yan
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Years for the moves between Madinah, Yemen, Baghdad and Makkah are approximate; sources differ.