Ash-Shafi^iyy acquired astounding knowledge from a young age

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Imam Ash-Shafi^iyy was a mere fourteen years of age when Imam Malik granted him the authority to issue jurisprudential verdicts (fatwa). Beyond his stature as one of Islam's preeminent scholars, Ash-Shafi^iyy exhibited an unparalleled command of Arab genealogy and an extensive comprehension of their cultural, social, political, and economic history.

The day his ijtihad diverged from that of his shaykh

"One day, while Ash-Shafi^iyy was present in an assembly with Imam Malik, a question arose about a man who, in an attempt to sell his bird, made a conditional statement regarding his wife's divorce. Imam Malik ruled that the wife was indeed divorced, reasoning that the bird, a type of dove called Qumriyy, naturally ceases its vocalisation for various reasons such as sleep or eating."

Ash-Shafi^iyy approached the man inquiring about Imam Malik's ruling: "What did he tell you?" The man replied, "He said my wife is divorced." Young Ash-Shafi^iyy intervened: "No, your wife is not divorced." He based his judgment on the man's intended meaning behind his statement, highlighting that this bird cries out most of the time and is not silent. It was not a constant chirping but rather an intermittent one.

When Malik was told of Ash-Shafi^iyy's opinion, he asked him why his opinion differed from his own. Ash-Shafi^iyy responded: "Didn't you tell us the hadith of Fatimah bintou Qays who asked the Prophet ﷺ for advice about two men who had proposed to her? The Prophet ﷺ advised her against both, saying that the first man, Mu^awiyah, was poor and did not have enough to pay the obligatory charge. As for the second man, Abu Jahm, the Prophet said he does not lower the staff from his shoulder, meaning he strikes a lot. Did the Messenger ﷺ mean that he never lowered the staff from his shoulder, not even when he was sleeping, eating or washing? Or did he mean that he often carried his stick, in other words, that he struck a lot? That's how I deduced my judgement.

Malik remained silent and did not object. Ash-Shafi^iyy was only fourteen then and Malik granted him the authority to deliver legal opinions.

His meeting with Imam Ahmad ibnu Hanbal

Upon Ash-Shafi^iyy's return to Mecca to disseminate his teachings within the Sacred Enclosure during the pilgrimage season, he encountered esteemed scholars who benefited from his knowledge.

Later, Ash-Shafi^iyy met Ahmad ibnu Hanbal, the eminent scholar. When asked about Ash-Shafi^iyy, Ahmad responded, "This is a grace bestowed upon us by Allah. I had the opportunity to spend days and nights in his company, witnessing nothing but goodness in him. May Allah shower His mercy upon him!"

Ibnu Hanbal frequently attended Ash-Shafi^iyy 's gatherings, holding him in high esteem and showing him great honour.

It has been recounted that on one occasion, while Ash-Shafi^iyy was riding his donkey, Ibnu Hanbal walked alongside him, engaging in discussions on religious matters. When Yahya ibnu Mu^in, a distinguished scholar of hadith and a friend of Imam Ahmad, learned of this, he reproached Ahmad ibnu Hanbal. In response, Imam Ahmad remarked, "If you had been on the other side of the donkey, it would have been better for you."

His teaching in Baghdad

In the year 195 AH, Ash-Shafi^iyy returned to Baghdad, the present capital of Iraq, after mastering the fundamentals and principles of jurisprudence. Scholars, Muhaddiths, and experts in belief flocked to seek enlightenment from his vast knowledge. Thus, he disseminated his knowledge in Iraq, where he garnered pupils and disciples; his school gained renown throughout Iraq, earning the moniker of the "old school."

He, may Allah have mercy on him, was the pioneer in categorising the various branches of jurisprudence into distinct chapters, although these fields were already recognised elsewhere. Despite this, he humbly expressed his desire: "I wish for people to learn this discipline from me without necessarily associating it directly with my name." Such words reflect his humility.

One of his notable statements is: "I have never engaged in debate except with the sincere hope that Allah will illuminate the truth through my interlocutor." In essence, he didn't debate for the sake of argument or to display his knowledge, but with the noble intention that the truth would prevail for both himself and his debate partner.

He exhorted the Caliph Harun Ar-Rachid ...

One day, Harun Ar-Rachid sought his exhortation. Ash-Shafi^iyy imparted poignant words attributed to Tawus Al-Yamaniyy. These words moved Ar-Rachid to tears, prompting him to bestow upon Ash-Shafi^iyy substantial wealth and gifts. However, Ash-Shafi^iyy chose to distribute them publicly, right at the entrance of the caliph's place.

Busy days

Ar-Rabi^ ibnu Sulayman, a student of Ash-Shafi^iyy, recounted: " Ash-Shafi^iyy would commence his assembly immediately after completing the dawn prayer (as-soubh). It was during this time that those learning the Qur'an would gather. As the sun ascended, seekers of hadith knowledge would approach him, seeking elucidation on the meanings of hadith. Later, as the sun rose higher in the sky, he would lead sessions dedicated to reviewing and discussing matters of jurisprudence. The assembly would disperse by the end of the duha's time, welcoming students of Arabic language sciences, including al -^arud (the art of composing poetry), an-nahwu (Arabic grammar), and poetry. These sessions would continue until nearly midday." This structured schedule exemplifies Ash-Shafi^iyy 's commitment to imparting knowledge across various disciplines throughout the day. This exemplifies how many blessings Allah bestowed upon this scholar.

His exemplary rigour

Ash-Shafi^iyy, may Allah have mercy on him, upheld rigorous standards in transmitting prophetic sayings.

He stipulated that individuals transmitting hadith must embody truthfulness, asceticism, comprehension of the material, a robust memory, and direct acquaintance with the source of the hadith.

He regarded consensus (ijma^) -i.e. the unanimous agreement among the Mujtahid scholars of the community of Muhammad ﷺ at a particular time regarding a judgment- as a valid argument, provided certain conditions were met to prevent chaos. He abhorred religious extremism.

He believed it impermissible for an individual to derive legal rulings solely from personal opinion in Islamic law unless such opinion is based on analogy (qiyas). Analogy involves applying a legal ruling from an existing text to a similar situation for a specific reason. However, it is only permissible if the person making the analogy is qualified to do ijtihad or qiyas. In such instances, Mujtahids may hold differing opinions; however, if their judgment converges, it is deemed as consensus.

Ishaq ibnu Rahawayh recounted: "While we were in Mecca, Ahmad ibnu Hanbal invited me: “Come, let me introduce you to someone, unlike anyone you've ever seen before.' He then escorted me to Ash-Shafi^iyy." End of quote.

In the book " Al-Jarhu wa t-Ta^dil by Ar-Raziyy, ^Abdu r-Rahman Abu ^Uthman Al-Khawarizmiyy, in what he wrote to me, stated: I heard Muhammad ibnu Fadl Al-Bazzaz say: I heard my father say: "I performed the Hajj with Ahmad ibnu Hanbal, and we ended up in the same place. When I prayed the subh, I wandered around the mosque and stumbled upon the gathering of Soufyan Ibnu ^Uyaynah. I roamed from one congregation to another in search of Ahmad ibnu Hanbal until I spotted him with a young Arab man with a full head of hair. I quietly joined them and sat next to Ahmad ibnu Hanbal, addressing him: 'O Father of ^Abdu l-Lah, you left Ibnu ^Uyaynah, among whom are Az-Zuhriyy, ^Amr ibnu Dinar, Ziyad ibnu ^Allaqah, and the successors known to Allah.' He responded to me: 'Be silent. If you miss a hadith with a short chain of transmission, you can find it with a longer chain of transmission, and that will harm neither your faith nor your comprehension. But if you fail to grasp this young man's insight, I fear you may never encounter it until the Last Day. I have not seen anyone who understands the Book of Allah better than this young Qurashiyy man.” I inquired: 'Who is he?' He replied: 'Muhammad Ibnu Idris Ash-Shafi^iyy .'" End of quote.

Abu Thawr remarked, "I have not encountered anyone resembling Ash-Shafi^iyy, and likewise, he has not met anyone similar to himself." End of quote. And Harmalah said, "I heard Ash-Shafi^iyy say: 'In Baghdad, I have been referred to as the defender of the hadith.'" This statement has been authenticated by Ahmad and others like him. Abu Dawud stated, "I am not aware of Ash-Shafi^iyy reporting any erroneous hadith." And it has been attested that he said, "If the hadith proves to be authentic, then disregard my opinion." Ar-Rabi^ stated, "I heard him say, 'If a sahih h adith is relayed to you, which I would not have taken into consideration, then I testify that my deduction was flawed.'" Ar-Raziyy remarked on Ash-Shafi^iyy's jurisprudence, "Understand that Ash-Shafi^iyy's expertise in the science of legal principles (al-'usul) is akin to Aristotle's eloquence and Al-Khalil ibnu Ahmad's mastery in the science of poetry composition (^arud)."

Ash-Shafi^iyy, may Allah have mercy on him, attained profound knowledge, compelling arguments, exceptional merit, and a lofty rank. Indeed, his knowledge, dedication to his work, and sincerity solely elevated him to such an esteemed position. Despite his poverty, he remained undistracted from pursuing worldly goods, wholly devoted to knowledge.