His Lineage He is Aboo Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Abas bin Uthman bin Shaafi bin as-Saaeb bin Ubayd bin Abu Yazeed bin Haashem bin al- Muttalib bin Abdu Manaf bin Quraysh. His great grandfather Shaafi bin as-Saeeb was among the young companions. He lost his father at a tender age, so he grew up as an orphan under the guardianship of his mother. His mother took him to his land of origin (Makkah) when he was two. He memorized the Quran at the age of seven and he was also an expert in throwing arrows. His search for knowledge He started learning at an early age and studied under many scholars amongst them Imaam Maalik and Muslim ibn Khalid.
His Ibaadah: lmaam Shaafi was among those who combined knowledge with deeds. He divided his night into three parts; one part he devoted to knowledge (reading, writing and teaching), another part for worship and the third part for sleep. His high moral standard He spoke little and he would speak only about what he knows. Once, when he was asked a question, he kept silent. He was then asked why he kept silent. He responded, "Until I know which one benefits me more, my answer or my silence". He was a humble scholar, he did not discriminate, he answered the invitation of both the young and old.
What the scholars say concerning him
Daud bin Aliyun ad-Dhaheree said about the merits of as-Shaafi, "as-Shaafi has merits other scholars do not have, he has noble lineage, his religion and creed is healthy and his understanding of the Book and Sunnah and the biography of the Khalifs, he is an outstanding author, he has outstanding companions and students like Ahmad bin Hambal.
(His merits include) his generosity, his knowledge of authentic and weak ahadeeths and his knowledge of abrogation and what abrogates" His respect for hadeeth Shaafi said: "There is no one among us who has not had a Sunnah of Allaah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) elude him or have one slip his mind; so no matter what rulings I have made or fundamental principles I have proposed , there will be in them things contrary to rulings of Allaah Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, the correct ruling is according to what Allaah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and that is my ruling"
His students: The most notable of his students who held on to the madhhab are Rabee ibn Sulaymanal-Maraadee, Ismaeel ibn Yahyaa al-Muzani and Yoosuf ibn Yahyaa al-Buwaytee.
Some Shaafi Texts: Al-Umm: A seven volume collection of as-Shaafis final school of jiqh. ar-Risaalah: by Imaam Shaafi, a book on the fundamental principles of fiqh. Minhaaj at- Taalibln: by Imaam an-Nawawi , a reference book for the Shaafi school. AI-Ahkaam as-Sultaaniiya: by Aboo Hasan al-Maawardii, a classical work on the laws of Islamic governance in practice.
Followers of the Madhhab The majority of the followers of the Shaafi Madhhab are now to be found in Egypt, Southern Arabia (Yemen, Hadramout), Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and Surinam in South America.
His death Imaam Shaafi died towards the end of Rajab in the year 204AH at the age of 54 years. May Allaah have mercy on him.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited