Tabaqat al-Fuqaha al-Shafiiyya
- Author died
- 643 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Bashāʼir al-Islāmīyah
Tabaqat al-Fuqaha al-Shafiiyya (The Generations of Shafi'i Jurists) is a biographical dictionary of scholars of the Shafi'i school of law, authored by Ibn al-Salah (577–643 AH / 1181–1245 CE) .
Composition and Transmission
Ibn al-Salah began writing the work to document the biographies and ranks of Shafi'i scholars, but died before completing a final version, leaving the text in draft form . Subsequently, al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH) took up the draft, abridged it, reordered and supplemented it with a small number of entries, yet also passed away before producing a finalized copy . Decades later, the traditionist al-Mizzi (d. 742 AH) reviewed the textual materials, edited them, and transcribed the clean, finalized manuscript .
Structure and Approach
The work provides biographical entries for jurists belonging to the Shafi'i legal school. In contrast to biographical works that arrange scholars strictly by chronological generations or time periods—such as centuries or decades—the text organizes entries in alphabetical order . In outlining the purpose of such compilations, Ibn al-Salah highlighted the necessity for students of sacred knowledge to recognize the differing ranks, eras, and authoritative standing among jurists, citing as an example the necessity of distinguishing between figures across disparate periods such as al-Muzani and al-Ghazali .
Publication
The work was edited by Muhyi al-Din 'Ali Najib and published in two volumes by Dar al-Basha'ir al-Islamiyya in Beirut in 1413 AH / 1992 CE .
Answer updated