al-Shafii

Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafii (150–204 AH / 767–820 CE) was an Arab jurist, traditionist, and the eponym of the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, renowned for establishing foundational principles of legal theory (usul al-fiqh) Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1.

Lineage and Early Life

He was Muhammad ibn Idris ibn al-Abbas ibn Uthman ibn Shafi ibn al-Sa'ib ibn Ubayd ibn Abd Yazid ibn Hashim ibn al-Muttalib ibn Abd Manaf al-Qurashi al-Muttalibi al-Intiqa fi Fadail al-Th…+1. His lineage joined that of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at Abd Manaf, and his mother belonged to the Azd tribe al-Intiqa fi Fadail al-Th…+1. He was born in Gaza in 150 AH (767 CE)—the year in which Abu Hanifah died—though variant reports mention Ascalon, Yemen, or Mina al-Intiqa fi Fadail al-Th…+1.

His father died while he was an infant, and his mother brought him to Mecca when he was two years old (another report states ten years old) to preserve his paternal ties Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1. He memorized the Quran by the age of seven and mastered the Muwatta of Malik ibn Anas by the age of ten Tarh al-Tathrib fi Sharh …. In his youth, he lived among the desert tribe of Hudhayl for roughly ten years, acquiring deep expertise in pure Arabic grammar, rhetoric, and classical poetry Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1. He studied jurisprudence in Mecca under its mufti, Muslim ibn Khalid al-Zanji, who authorized him to issue legal rulings (fatwas) when he was fifteen years old (or according to another report, under twenty) Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1.

Education and Public Career

Al-Shafii traveled to Medina to study under Malik ibn Anas, reciting the Muwatta to him from memory and remaining with him until Malik's death Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1. Among his other prominent teachers were Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, Ibrahim ibn Sad al-Zuhri, Abd al-Aziz al-Darawardi, Fudayl ibn Iyad, and his uncle Muhammad ibn Shafi Tarh al-Tathrib fi Sharh …+1.

He subsequently took up an administrative post in Najran in Yemen Tabaqat Fuqaha al-Yaman+1. His tenure provoked local opposition, and he was accused before the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid of aiding an Alid rebellion and seeking political power Tabaqat Fuqaha al-Yaman+1. In 184 AH (800 CE), at the age of thirty, he was brought in iron shackles to the caliph at al-Raqqah alongside Alid prisoners, nine of whom were executed Tabaqat Fuqaha al-Yaman+1. The jurist Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani intervened on his behalf, and al-Shafii defended himself eloquently, securing the caliph's pardon and monetary favor Tafsir al-Imam al-Shafii+1.

In Baghdad, al-Shafii engaged closely with Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, transcribing a large volume of his writings and debating the legal doctrines of the Iraqi school of legal reasoning (Ahl al-Ra'y) Nihayat al-Matlab fi Dira…+1. He returned to Mecca, then visited Baghdad again in 195 AH (810–811 CE), where he taught and articulated his "Old School" (al-qawl al-qadim), authoring al-Risala (The Epistle) on legal theory at the request of the traditionist Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi Tarh al-Tathrib fi Sharh …+1. In 199 AH (814–815 CE), he relocated to Egypt, residing with Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Hakam Tarikh Dimashq li-Ibn Asa…+1. There he established his "New School" (al-qawl al-jadid), revising many of his previous legal positions and compiling his extensive legal compendium Kitab al-Umm (The Mother Book) al-Madkhal ila Dirasat al…+1.

His prominent students in Iraq included Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Thawr, al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Za'farani, and al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Karabisi Tarh al-Tathrib fi Sharh …+1. In Egypt, his teachings were transmitted primarily by al-Buwayti, al-Muzani, al-Rabi ibn Sulayman al-Muradi, Harmalah ibn Yahya, and Yunus ibn Abd al-A'la al-Madkhal ila Dirasat al…+1.

Standing and Scholarly Reception

Al-Shafii was widely praised for his synthesis of the traditionist school (Ahl al-Hadith) and the jurists of systematic reasoning (Ahl al-Ra'y), establishing scriptural hermeneutics and the authoritative rank of prophetic traditions in jurisprudence Siyar al-Salaf al-Salihin…+1. Ahmad ibn Hanbal remarked: "Al-Shafii was like the sun to the world and like well-being to people," and noted that hadith scholars remained indebted to his legal reasoning Siyar al-Salaf al-Salihin…+1. Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam similarly stated that he had never seen anyone more complete in intellect and learning than al-Shafii Wafayat al-Ayan.

Death

Al-Shafii died in Egypt on the last day of Rajab in 204 AH (January 820 CE)—with another report mentioning the month of Rabi al-Awwal—at the age of fifty-four (or according to Ibn Zabr, fifty-two) Tarikh Baghdad+1. He was buried at sunset in al-Fustat, where his shrine remains well known Ilm Usul al-Fiqh wa Khula…+1.