Taken from 'The Creed Of The Four Imaams'
By Muhammad ibn Abdur Rahmaan al-Khumayyis
(pp 56-58), with slight editions.
IMAAM ASH-SHAAFI'EE (240)
He is Muhammad Ibn Idrees Ibnul-'Abbaas Ibn 'Uthmaan Ibn Shaafi' Ibnus-Saa'ib Ibn 'Ubayd Ibn 'Abd Yazeed Ibn Haashim Ibnul-Muttalib Ibn 'Abd Manaaf Ibn Qusee Ibn Kilaab Ibn Murrah Ibn Ka'b Ibn Lu'ee Ibn Ghaalib, the Imaam, the Scholar of his era, the protector of Hadeeth, the Faqeeh of the Religion, Aboo 'Abdullaah al-Qurashee, then al-Muttalibee ash-Shaafi 'ee al-Makkee, al-Ghazziyee by birth, a relative of the Messenger of Allaah (Sallahhaahu- ‘alaihi-Wa-salam) by marriage, and the descendant of his paternal uncle. So al-Muttalib is the brother of Haashim who is the father of 'Abdul-Muttalib.
It is agreed that the Imaam was born in Ghazzah, and his father, Idrees, died as a youth. So Muhammad grew up as an orphan under the guardianship of his mother. So she feared the [effect of the] land upon him so she took him to his place of origin whilst he was a boy of two years. So he grew up in Makkah and he began to throw arrows until he excelled over his contemporaries. And he was able to hit nine out of ten targets. Then he began to study the Arabic language and poetry, so he became proficient in that. Then he fell in love with fiqh, so he became the master of the people in his era in it.
And al-Muzanee said, `I have not seen anyone with a better face than ashShaafi'ee - may Allaah bestow mercy upon him - and whenever he took hold of his beard, then there was nothing more excellent than his taking hold of it.'
And ar-Rabe' al-Mu'adhdhin said, `I heard ash-Shaafi'ee saying, `I used to shoot arrows until the doctor said to me, `I fear that you will contract pulmonary tuberculosis due to the amount of time you spend in the heat.' He said, `And I used to hit nine out often targets.' (241)
Ahmad Ibn Ibraaheem at-Taa'ee al-Aqtaa` said, al-Muzanee informed us that ash-Shaafi'ee said, `I memorized the Qur'aan when I was eight years old, and I memorized al-Muwatta` when I was ten years old.'
And there occurs in Manaaqibush-Shaafi'ee of al-Aaburee (242), `I heard az-Zubayr Ibn 'Abdul-Waahid al-Hamdhaanee saying that Alee Ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Eesaa informed us, I heard ar-Rabee' Ibn Sulaymaan saying, `Ash-Shaafi'ee was born upon the day that Aboo Haneefah died, may Allaah bestow mercy upon both of them."
And from ash-Shaafi'ee who said, `I came to Maalik when I was thirteen years old - and it is as he says, even though he seemed as if he was twenty three years old - he said, `So I came with the son of my uncle to al-Madeenah. So Maalik spoke, so he said, `I seek someone to read for you.' I said, `I will read,' so I read to him. So whenever he would ask me about something which he had already passed, `Count it,' then I would relate it from memory. So it was as if he was amazed. Then he asked me about an issue, so I answered, then another issue. So he said, `You would love to be a judge! (243)
Aboo 'Ubayd said, "I have not seen anyone more intelligent than ash-Shaafi'ee," and likewise, Yoonus Ibn 'Abdul-A'laa said, "If the Ummah was gathered up, his intelligence would be more than what they put forth."
And az-Zubayr al-Istiraabaadhee said, Muhammad Ibn Yahyaa Ibn Aadam of Egypt informed us, Ibn 'Abdul-Hakam informed us, "I heard ash-Shaafi'ee saying, `If the people knew what was contained in kalaam from desires they would have fled from it just as one would flee from a lion.'"
Yoonus as-Sadafee said, "I have not seen anyone more intelligent than ash-Shaafi'ee. I debated with him one day about an issue, then we parted ways. When we met again, he took me by my hand, then he said, 'O Abaa Moosaa, is it not correct that we be brothers, even though we do not agree upon an issue?' I say, this shows the completeness of this imaam's intellect and his understanding of his self; since debaters never cease to differ." Aboo Ja'far at-Tirmidhee: Abul-Fadl al-Waashjirdee informed us, `I heard 'Abdullaah as-Saaghaanee say, `I asked Yahyaa Ibn Aktham about Abee 'Ubayd and ash-Shaafi'ee: Which of them is more knowledgeable? He said, "Aboo 'Ubayd used to come to us often. He was a man, who if he had the good fortune of receiving books, he would improve the form of their writing. He would organize them with beautiful phrases due to his high aptitude in the Arabic language. As for ash-Shaafi'ee, then we were with Muhammad Ibnul-Hasan for many discussions, and he was a man who was Qurashee in his undetstanding and intellect, he was quick in correction. And if he had not heard anymore hadeeths, he would have been sufficient for the Ummah of Muhammad (Sallahhaahu- ‘alaihi-Wa-salam) over the other fuqahaa' (jurists)."
Ma'mar Ibn Shabeeb said, "I heard al-Ma'moon saying, `Indeed I tested Muhammad Ibn Idrees in everything, so I found him to be complete.'"
Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Bintush-Shaafi'ee said, "I heard my father and my uncle saying, `Whenever a man came to Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah with something of tafseer or fataawaa, he would pass it onto ash-Shaafi'ee and say, 'Deal with this'.'"
Indeed,(244) ash-Shaafi'ee (rahimahu Allah) was from the most knowledgeable of the people with respect to the meanings of the Book and the Sunnah and from the severest of people with regards to holding firmly to the two
of them. He was from the most excellent of people with regards to giving attention to knowledge and hoping for goodness. He used to say, `I desired that the people would learn this knowledge, and nothing from it would ever be attributed to me. So they would receive rewards and I would not be praised.'
He used to say, 'If I say something: then something is authenticated from the Messenger of Allaah (Sallahhaahu- ‘alaihi-Wa-salam) in contradiction to my statement, then that has more right to be followed and do not blindly follow me.' And he said, `If I relate an authentic hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (Sallahhaahu- ‘alaihi-Wa-salam) and I do not act upon it, then bear witness that my intellect has left.' And he said to Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (rahimahu Allah) `You are more knowledgeable about the authentic narrations than us. So if there is an authentic narration, then inform me of it; whether it has come from Koofah, Basrah, or Shaam.'
And his strict adherence to the Sunnah reached the point that he used to advise his companions to stick to it, so he used to say, `Stick to the people of Hadeeth, since they are the most correct from amongst the people.' And he said, `If I see a man from amongst the people of Hadeeth, then it is as if I have seen a man from the Companions of the Prophet (Sallahhaahu- ‘alaihi-Wa-salam). May Allaah reward them with good, they preserved the foundations for us, so they have an excellence over us.'245 And he recited the following verses of poetry,
‘All forms of knowledge besides the Qur'aan are a pre-occupation;
Except for the Hadeeth and knowing the fiqh (jurisprudence) of the Religion;
Knowledge is that which contains, `He said...' or `He informed us...'
Anything other than that is from the whisperings of the Devil.’ (246)
Indeed, more than one from amongst the major scholars have praised ash-Shaafi'ee. From them is 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee and he asked him to write a book about the usool for him. So he wrote a book for him, and it became the first book written about this science. So after that, Ibn Mahdee used to supplicate for him in the Prayer. And from those who praised him in a similar fashion is his Shaykh, Maalik Ibn Anas and Qutaybah Ibn Sa'eed. And he said, 'He is an Imam.'
And from those who praised him are: Sufyaati Ibn 'Uyaynak, Yahyaa Ibn Sa'eed al-Qattaan, Aboo 'Ubayd Ibn Sallaam, and he said, 'I have not seen anyone more eloquent, nor intelligent, nor more abstemious than ash-Shaafi'ee.' And from amongst those who praised ash-Sliaafi'ee are: Yahyaa Ibn Aktham al-Qaadee, Ishaaq Ibn Rahaawayah Muhammad Ibnul-Hasan.
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal supplicated for him in his Prayer for the span of forty years, and he used to say about the hadeeth that is related by Aboo Daawood, from the hadeeth of Abee Hurayrah from the Prophet (Sallahhaahu-‘alaihi-Wa-salam), "Verily Allaah sends for this Ummah at the head of every one hundred years one who revives its Religion for them.(247) He said, 'So 'Umar Ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez came at the head of the first one hundred years and ash-Shaafi'ee came at the head of the second one hundred years.' Ahmad used to say, 'Ash-Shaafi'ee was like a sun for the world and like a pardon for the people.' Aboo Thawr said, "I have not seen the likes of ash-Shaafi'ee, nor has he seen the likes of himself.'
And ar-Rabee' said, `Ash-Shaafi'ee died on Thursday and we performed his Funeral Prayer on Thursday night. So we saw the moon of Sha'baan in the year two hundred and four, and he was seventy two years old." (248)
Footnotes:
240 The following is a summarized translation of Siyar A'laamun NubaLaa' (10/5-99). For more biographies of Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee, refer to: Taareekhul- Kabeer (1/42), at-TaareekhusSagheer (2/302), al-Jarh wat Ta'deet (7/201), Hilyatul-Awliyaa' (9/63-161), Taareekh Baghdaad(2/56-73), Tabaqaatul-Hanaabilah (1/280), Tarteebul-Madaarik (2/382), al Ansaab (7/251254), Taareekh Ibn 'Asaakir (14/395-418, 15/-25), Sifatus-Safwah (2/95), Mu'jamul-Ubada` (17/281-327), Tahdheebul-Asmaa' wal-Lughaat (1/44-67), Wafiyaatul-A'yaan (4/163-169), al-Mukhtasar fee Akhbaanul-Bashr (2/28-29), Taareekhul-Islaam (11/29), Tadhkiratul-Huffaadh (1/361-363), al-Kaashif (3/17), al-Waafee bil-Wafiyyaat (2/171-181), Maraatul-Jinaan (2/1328), al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah (10/251-254), ad-Deebaajul-Madhhab (2/156-161), Ghaayatun-Nihaayah(2/95), Tabaqaatun-Nihaat (1/21) of Ibn Qaadee Shahbah, Tahdheebut-Tahdheeb (9/25), an-Nujoomuz-Zaahirah (2/176), Husnul-Muhaadirah (1/303-304), Tabagaatul. Mufassireen (2/98), Miftaahus-Sa'aadah (2/88-94), Taareekhul- Khamees (2/ 335), Shadharaudh-Dhahab (2/9 -11) and Sharh Ihyaa' 'Uloomud-Deen (1/191-201).
241 Al-Manaaqib (2/128) of al-Bayhaqee
242 He is Abul-Hasan Muhammad Ibnul-Husayn Ibn Ibraaheem al-Aaburee as-Sijjistaanee (d.363H), refer to at-Tabaqaat (1/344) of as-Subkee.
243 at-Taareekh (14/402) of Ibn 'Asaakir
244 The following section is take n from Wasiyyatul-Imaamush-Shaafi'ee (p. 14-22) with the checking of Sa'dud-Deen Ibn Muhammad al-Kibbee.
245 Refer to al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah (10/254) of Ibn Katheer, and Siyar A'laamun-Nubalaa' (10/60) of Imaam adh-Dhahabee.
246 These verses of poetry have b een confirmed upon ash-Shaafi'ee as is found in al-Bidaayah (10/256) and Deewaanush-Shaafi'ee (p. 88)
247 Related by Aboo Daawood (no. 4291), al-Haakim (4/522), al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee in Taareekh Baghdaad (2/61), Ibn 'Adee in al-Kaamil (1/123), al-Bayhaqee in Ma'rifatus-Sunan wal-Aathaar (1/137). It was authenticated by Imaam Ahmad, as is found in Siyar A'laamun-Nubalaa'(10/46), and by al-Haakim and adh-Dhahabee as is found in Faydul-Qader (2/282). It was also authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Abee Dawood (no. 3606).
248 Refer to al-Bidaayah wan-Ninihayah (10/251) of Ibn Katheer.
Imaam Shaafi'ee
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