الرحلةThe Journey

محمد بن الحسن الشيباني

al-Shaybani (RH)

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani

Also known as: Imam Muhammad

132–189 AH · 750–805 CE

Fiqh Hanafi

Abu Hanifa's student, whose books recorded the Hanafi school; teacher of al-Shafi'i.

Al-Shaybani studied briefly with Abu Hanifa and then with Abu Yusuf, and he also spent about three years in Madinah learning the Muwatta' from Imam Malik. In Baghdad he became one of the most respected jurists of his time, and al-Shafi'i studied with him and copied his books.

His writings, known as Zahir al-Riwayah (al-Asl, al-Jami' al-Saghir, al-Jami' al-Kabir, al-Ziyadat and the Siyar works), are the primary record of the early Hanafi school. His al-Siyar al-Kabir, on the law of war and relations with other states, has led some to call him a founder of international law.

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Life journey

  1. 750 CE Wasit واسط
  2. 751 CE Kufa الكوفة
    Raised in Kufa; studied with Abu Hanifa and then Abu Yusuf.
  3. 770 CE Madinah المدينة
    Studied the Muwatta' with Imam Malik for about three years; the dates are approximate.
  4. 773 CE Baghdad بغداد
    Taught in Baghdad, where al-Shafi'i studied with him.
  5. 796 CE al-Raqqa الرقة
    Judge of al-Raqqa under Harun al-Rashid.
  6. 805 CE Rayy الري
    Died 805 CE · 189 AH
    Died while travelling with the caliph.

Teachers

  • Imam Abu Hanifa (RH) 699–767 CE
    Al-Shaybani attended Abu Hanifa's circle as a young man for a short time before Abu Hanifa's death, then completed his training with Abu Yusuf.
  • Imam Malik (RH) 711–795 CE
    Al-Shaybani spent about three years with Malik in Madinah; his transmission of the Muwatta' is one of the best known.
  • Abu Yusuf (RH) 731–798 CE
    After Abu Hanifa's death al-Shaybani completed his study of the school with Abu Yusuf.

Students

  • Imam al-Shafi'i (RH) 767–820 CE
    In Baghdad al-Shafi'i studied the Iraqi school with al-Shaybani and said he carried away a camel-load of his books.

Key works

  • al-Siyar al-Kabir السير الكبير
    The Great Book on the Law of Nations
    On the law of war, peace and relations between states.
  • al-Asl (al-Mabsut) الأصل
    The Foundation
    The largest of the core books recording the early Hanafi school.

Places in their life

The Great Mosque of Kufa
The Great Mosque of Kufa
Photo: ن.عامری, 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

Sources

  • al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
  • al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad
  • Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-A'yan
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Birth 131 or 132 AH. Years for Madinah, Baghdad and Raqqa are approximate.