Imam Shaafai

By Naima Sohaib

Imam Shaafai, the founder of the Shaafai school of thought, was a well travelled scholar and a magnificent teacher. While a youth, he was considered the king of experts in Arabic linguistics. He later achieved mastery in the study of the Quran, Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) and Islamic jurisprudence. His main contribution is his highly original work in determining the bases and guidelines for the principles of jurisprudence. In this he integrated the knowledge of Madinah’s traditionalists with the insights of Iraq’s rationalists.He had a superb memory and extraordinary intellect, often astounding those around him with the brilliance of his insights. His work was and has been much appreciated in the Muslim world, and he is one of the most famous scholars in Muslim history. The Shaafai school of thought is dominant in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and southeast Asia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naima Sohaib
• Release date: Aug 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370531417

Book preview

IMAM SHAAFAI

Naima Sohaib

Muslim Heroes series No. 6

Translated by Eman Asif Misbah

Copyright  2016 Naima Sohaib

Smashwords Edition

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, including photocopying, recording, Internet or any storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the Publisher.

Available in print at Dawah Books

dawahbooks.com.pk

Translated from the Urdu book Tareekh-e-Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat by Naima Sohaib

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

Imam Shaafai - Introduction

Birth

Childhood Events

Education and Upbringing

Under Imam Malik’s Tutelage

The Period of Hardship

Under Imam Muhammad’s Tutelage

Stay in Makkah and Widespread Fame

The Basis of Principles of Fiqh

Disagreement with Imam Malik

A Balance Between Ahl-e-Sunnah and Ahl-e-Rai

The Shaafai School of Thought

Death

Dealings and Morality

References

About the Author

About the Translator

Foreword

All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

This booklet is sixth in a series, translated from a book compiled on Muslim heroes by my good friend Naima Sohaib. The selection includes Muslim scholars, philosophers, reformers and military generals. It tells us about these unique individuals who selflessly worked for the cause of Islam.

This booklet is about an extraordinary Muslim hero from the world of learning. Imam Shaafai was a well-traveled scholar and a magnificent teacher. In the beginning, our hero was mainly interested in the study of Arabic linguistics, but later he decided to focus on the study of the Quran, the Hadith and Islamic Jurisprudence.

Imam Shaafai’s main contribution is his highly original work in determining the bases and guidelines for the principles of Fiqh. In this he integrated the knowledge of the traditionalists of Madinah with the insights of the rationalists of Iraq. He was the founder of the Shaafai School of Thought which is dominant in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South East Asia.

May Allah reward Sana Dossul, Misbah Anwar and Sohaib Umar for editing this piece of work, Nadeem Siddiqui for the design work, and Asif Misbah, my husband for his constant encouragement and support.

Eeman Asif Misbah

Imam Shaafai

The Founder of the Shaafai School of Thought and the Compiler of Principles of Islamic Fiqh

Introduction

His name was Mohammad Bin Idrees, his Kuniat Abu Abdullah, and his title Nasir-us-Sunnah (The Helper of Sunnah). He was related to the Prophet (SAW) in the seventh generation. He was proud to belong to the family of Abdul Muttalib. His mother came from the famous and honorable Yemeni tribe of Azd.

According to traditions, his grandfather Saaib bin Ubaid and his great-grandfather Shaafay were both Companions of the Prophet (SAW). They accepted Islam after the Battle of Badr. His father Idrees bin Abbas