Life of Imam Al-Shaafi’i
Birth and Early Life:
Imam al-Shaafi’i was born in the same year that Abu Hanifah passed away, and he was born in Palestine in the year 150 AH.
Imam al-Shaafi’i’s ancestors were part of Abdi Manaf, the Quraysh tribe where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was from.
Imam al-Shaafi’i travelled with his father, Idris from Makkah to Gaza in search of a better life. However, his father passed away, which left Imam al-Shaafi’i as an orphan.
Imam al-Shaafi’i’s mother decided to take him from Palestine back to Makkah when he was two years old and she took on the responsibility of teaching her son the Quran, and how to read and write.
Despite her poverty, she sent Imam al-Shaafi’i to a school.
Imam al-Shaafi’i’s Powerful Memorisation:
Imam al-Shaafi’i said: When I was at Quran school, I would hear the teacher reciting the verses of the Quran, which the students needed to memorise. By the time the teacher had finished the recitation of the portion, I had already memorised it entirely.
Imam al-Shaafi’i’s teacher realised the gift that Allah had given him and he told al-Shaafi’i: it is impermissible for me to take any money from you.
Complete Memorisation of the Quran:
By the age of seven years old, Imam al-Shaafi’i had completed the memorisation of the Quran.
Travelling with Bedouins:
Imam al-Shaafi’i’s mother supported him and decided to send him away to travel with the Arab Bedouins to gain an understanding of the Arabic language.
Imam al-Shaafi’i would accompany an Arab Bedouin tribe for twenty years of his life, where he memorised their poetry and learnt the ancestry of their people.
Return to Makkah:
By the time he returned to Makkah, a man from the progeny of the companion of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, As-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam approached al-Shaafi’i and said: it really causes me so much pain that you have this mastery of the Arabic language, and you have this eloquence and intelligence, and you allow it to pass without mixing it with some Fiqh (Islamic Law). If you mix it with the knowledge of Fiqh, you will become the leader of your time.
Imam al-Shaafi’i replied: Who is left from the people of great knowledge that we can go to and learn?
The man replied: the great Imam Malik, the leader of the Muslims.
Memorising 1720 Narrations in Nine Days:
Imam al-Shaafi’i borrowed a copy of Imam Malik’s book al-Muwatta, which was the compilation of Hadith and Fiqh.
In nine days, he memorised the whole book (1720 narrations).
Imam al-Shaafi’i in Madinah:
Imam al-Shaafi’i visited the governor of Makkah and he got a written recommendation that was going to be communicated to the governor of Madinah, where Imam Malik was living.
Imam Al-Shaafi’i then headed towards Madinah.
Imam al-Shaafi’i Meets Imam Malik:
After some time, Al-Shaafi’i and the governor of Madinah went to the door of Imam Malik, where they knocked on the door and Imam Malik’s servant answered.
The governor of Madinah told his servant to tell Imam Malik: the governor of Madinah is at the door and he is here to speak to you.
His servant took a while to come back but when she returned, she said: Malik has conveyed his Salaams to you and he says: if it is a religious question you have, write it on a piece of paper and he will answer it for you. If you have come to learn Hadith, you should go to his public circles of knowledge.
The governor of Madinah told his servant: can you please tell Malik that I have a letter from him, from the governor of Makkah for a very important matter.
Imam Malik then came to the door and sat on a chair and the governor of Madinah then handed him the letter. He read the letter and threw it, saying: Subhanallah, has it come to this? Has it come to now that the knowledge of the Prophet now needs collections?
The governor of Madinah was speechless by this.
Imam Malik Recognises Imam Al-Shaafi’i’s Potential:
Imam al-Shaafi’i said: May Allah bless you O Imam, I am from the lineage of the Messenger of Allah.
Imam Malik asked: what is your name? Imam al-Shaafi’i replied: Muhammad.
Imam Malik then said: O Muhammad, be cautious of Allah, stay away from sins because you are going to reach lofty stations in your life. Allah has clearly placed light upon your heart, so don’t put out that light with sins.
Imam Malik told Imam al-Shaafi’i: Yes, I will teach with you, it will be my pleasure. Come back tomorrow and bring with you somebody that can read al-Muwatta.
Imam al-Shaafi’i replied: I will read it to you directly.
The next morning, he started to read al-Muwatta from memory and Imam Malik was so impressed with the eloquence of Imam al-Shaafi’i, who recited the whole book (al-Muwatta) within just a few days.
Imam al-Shaafi’i stayed in Madinah learning from Imam Malik, until he passed away.
Career and Governance:
Imam al-Shaafi’i then left Madinah and went back to Makkah.
A governor from Yemen asked al-Shaafi’i: why don’t you come to Yemen and work.
Imam al-Shaafi’i agreed and went to Yemen and became the governor of Najran.
There were many corrupt people in Najran and a group of them (nine individuals) made their way to their Caliph, Haroon and made false allegations against al-Shaafi’i.
In the year 184 AH, Imam al-Shaafi’i was summoned to speak to the Khalifah himself in Baghdad.
Haroon was amazed by the eloquence of al-Shaafi’i and the power of his arguments. Because of this, the nine men were executed and al-Shaafi’i was set free.
Imam Al-Shaaf’i’ Studies the Two Schools of Thought:
In Baghdad, Imam al-Shaafi’i met Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaybani, who one of Imam Abu Hanifah’s students.
Imam al-Shaafi’i was now familiar with Abu Hanifah’s Fiqh.
There were two schools of thought at that time and they were:
- ‘The People of Opinion’ – who emphasised scholarly judgement.
- ‘The People of Hadith’ – who emphasised strict adherence to narrations of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud taught the school of thought of ‘The People of Opinion’ in Iraq and he was influenced by this approach because of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Umar ibn al-Khattab would employ the use of opinion when there was an absence of clear text from the Quran and the Sunnah, and this was adopted by Abu Hanifah and taught to Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaybani.
The school of thought of ‘The People of Hadith’ was taught in the Arabian Peninsula and it was passed down to the likes of Imam Malik.
The methodology of this school of Hadith was that if they could not find a tradition in the Quran or Sunnah, they would search for the traditions of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Synthesis of Knowledge:
Imam al-Shaafi’i, having benefited from the teachers of both schools, tried to bring the two schools together as much as possible.
He went to Egypt and accessed new parts of knowledge there.
His teacher, Muslim ibn Khalid al-Zanji (The Mufti of Makkah) gave him permission and a licence to issue fatwah at the age of fifteen.
Imam Al-Shafii’i’s Students:
- Ahmad ibn Hanbal
- Al-Muzani (Yahya ibn Yahya al-Muzani)
- Al-Rabee ibn Sulayman
- Abu Thawr
- Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shaybani
- Husain ibn Ali
- Yunus ibn Abd al-A’ala
Character and Spirituality:
Abu Thawr once said: I have never in my life seen a person like al-Shaafi’i, nor has al-Shaafi’i seen a person like himself.
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hakam said: I have never seen a person like al-Shaafi’i. The students of Hadith would come to him and they would ask him about intricate matters about Hadith, and he would guide them to the secrets of knowledge that they had never heard of before. The students of Fiqh would come to the gatherings of al-Shaafi’i and they would leave in a state of submission.
Extraordinary Productivity:
A student of Imam al-Shaafi’i, Yunus Ibn ‘Abd al-A’ala said: al-Shaafi’i used to complete the authoring of a whole book between the early morning hours and Zuhr time.
Imam Ahmad who studied directly under al-Shaafi’i said: There isn’t anyone who has touched a pen or a paper, except that al-Shaafi’i somehow has virtue over him for it.
Imam Ahmad on the Greatness of Imam Al-Shaafi’i:
Imam Ahmad’s son once asked his father: what kind of person was al-Shaafi’i, I heard you making so much Dua for him.
Imam Ahmad replied: O my son, al-Shaafi’i was like the Sun for the world, and like well-being and health for the body. Can there be a replacement for either?
Imam Ahmad’s Prayers for Imam Al-Shaafi’i:
Imam Ahmad would make Dua for al-Shaafi’i in his prayer for around forty consecutive years.
The Renewal of the Ummah:
Imam Ahmad would cite the narration of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ where the Prophet said: Allah Almighty will bring about for this Muslim Ummah, at the end of each 100 years, a person who will renew the religion for it.
Imam Ahmad would say: Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz was the revivalist for the first one hundred years and Imam al-Shaafi’i was the revivalist at the end of the second.
Devotion to the Quran in Ramadan:
One of his students, Ar-Rabee said: Al-Shaafi’i would complete the recitation of the Quran from cover to cover, sixty times just in the month of Ramadan.
All of his recitation at night would be during his prayer.
Night Prayers and Compassionate Supplications:
Husayn ibn Ali once said: I spent more than one night with al-Shaafi’i and he would pray for around a third of the night. I never saw him recite more than fifty verses, and whenever he would recite an Ayah about Allah’s mercy, he would beg Allah’s mercy for himself and the believers. And whenever he would come across an Ayat from the Quran about his punishment, he would implore Allah for His protection for himself and the believers.
Ar-Rabee said: Imam Al-Shaafi’i had divided his night into three parts. The first for writing, the second for praying and the third to sleep.
Discipline and Avoidance of Excess Food:
Imam Al-Shaafi’i once said: I have not eaten to my full for the last 16 years of my life, except on one occasion, where I ate to my full. So, I put my finger in my mouth and vomited. This is because, being full causes laziness, it hardens the heart, limits your sharpness and brings sleepiness and weakens your worship.
Overwhelming Devotion and Reverence:
Sufyan ibn Uyaynah narrated: once a prophetic narration was stated, regarding heart softeners, and the fear of love and hope in Allah. al-Shaafi’i heard this and he passed out.
They looked at his motionless body and said: He has died.
Sufyan responded: If he has died, then the greatest human being of his era has died.
However, Imam al-Shaafi’i did not pass away.
Living As a Traveller in this World:
Imam al-Shaafi’i would always keep a walking stick with him in his hand, despite the fact that he was not a weak man and in fact, he was strong.
The people asked him: why do you do this? He replied: so that I always remember that I am in this world as a traveller.
Humility, Sincerity and the True Purpose of Knowledge:
Imam al-Shaafi’i remained one of the most humble human beings despite what he achieved. He said: the highest person in status, is he who believes he has none and the most virtuous of people, is he who believes he has none.
Imam Al-Shaafi’i said: If you fear that your good deeds will be affected by self-admiration, just remember the pleasure of whom it is you are seeking. And remember which reward you are aspiring to (Paradise) and which punishment you fear (Hellfire). Whoever thinks of these matters, his deeds will seem a lot more insignificant.
He continued: In every debate of mine, my wish was always that Allah helps my opponent, guides him, and that Allah would preserve him and guard him. And in all of my debates, I have never cared about whether the truth becomes apparent through me or through him. And I have never in all of my debates, debated with someone and wanted my adversary to make a mistake. And never did I debate anyone for the purpose of overcoming him. The only intention was to advise.
The Value of Knowledge and its True Purpose:
Imam Al-Shaafi’i would say: I wish that people could have learnt this knowledge without any of it being attributed to me. So, Allah SWT would reward me for it without the need of people’s praise.
He said: the pursuit of knowledge is better than the voluntary Salah.
Imam Al-Shaafi’i stated: whoever learns the Quran, his worth will increase. And whoever studies Fiqh (halal or haram), his status increases. Whoever studies the Arabic language, his demeanour will begin to soften. Whoever studies Mathematics, his opinions become precise. Whoever writes Hadith, his arguments become strong. Whoever does not guard himself from sins, then his knowledge will be of absolutely no use to him.
Six Essential Tools For Gaining Knowledge:
Imam al-Shaafi’i said; you will never gain knowledge in the absence of six tools. They were: sharpness, eagerness, sacrifice, means of wealth, the companionship of a scholar and a large length of time.
Final Days and the Passing of Imam al-Shaaf’i:
Imam al-Shaafi’i decided to make his way to Egypt in the year 199 AH and he said: Egypt will be the place of my death.
He began to suffer from haemorrhoids but despite his condition, he continued to stay active with his teaching.
However, the haemorrhoids fatigued him to the point where he eventually was on his deathbed.
One of his students, Muzani asked him: O Imam, how are you feeling?
Imam al-Shaafi’i replied: it looks like I will be departing this world today, and bidding farewell to my friends. And finally, meeting my Lord. And I do not know if my soul will be taken to Paradise to congratulate it, or whether it will be driven to Hell, so I shall mourn it.
Imam al-Shaafi’i broke down into heavy weeping and he began to recite his famous lines of poetry.
He said: My heart has become hardened and my paths have become so narrow. And during that time, I took my hope in your pardon, O Allah, as my opening and escape. My sins have seemed so great but when I compared them to your forgiveness, O Allah, I found that your forgiveness is far greater than them.
On the last night of the month of the Rajab, in the year 204 AH in Egypt, Imam Al-Shaafi’i passed away at the age of 54.
Ar-Rabee ibn Sulayman’s Dream:
One of his students, Ar-Rabee, had a dream where he saw Imam al-Shaafi’i after he passed away and asked him: How did Allah receive you?
Imam al-Shaafi’i replied: Allah sat me on a throne of gold and he poured over me, the purest of pearls.