IMAM SHAFI-EE Scholar

ABU Abdullah Muhammad bin Idris descended from the Hashimi family of the
Quaraish tribe to which the Holy Prophet belonged. He was born in Ghazza, Syria in
767 A.C., and became famous as Imam Shafi-ee.
He lost his father early in life and was brought up by his mother in very poor
circumstances in the city of Mecca. He spent much time among the Bedouins and
acquired a very great knowledge of Arabic poetry.
At the age of twenty, he went to Medina and remained there as a student of Imam
Malik till the lather’s death in 796 A.C.
He also came into contact with other learned men from whom he acquired knowledge
of the Holy Qur’an and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Imam Shafi-ee possessed a vey sharp memory and knew the whole of Imam Malik's
Muwatta by heart.
In 804 A.C. he visited Syria and from there proceeded to Egypt where he settled. As
pupil of Imam Malik he was received with great honour and respect by the Egyptians.
In 810 A.C. he went to Baghdad and there he was sur rounded by a large number of
students who were eager to acquire knowledge of the faith and practice of Islam from
him.
The Shafi-ee school of law emerged from these students who practised and
propagated the views and rulings of Imam Shafi-ee through their writings and
preachings.
Imam Shafi-ee wrote several books, the most well known of which is called Kitab-al-
Umm, which is a collection of writings and lectures of the Imam. A number of his
students have also collected his writings, lectures and rulings in the form of books, or
quoted him in their books.
Baghdad in Iraq and Cairo in Egypt were the chief centres of Imam Shafiee's
activities. It is from these two cities that teachings of the Shafi-ee school spread in the
9th century of the Christian era. During the time of Sultan Salahuddeen (Saladin), the
Shafi-ee Madhhab was the most prominent in Egypt, and to this day the Imam of the
Al-Azhar Musjid is always a Shafi-ee and the Shafi-ee Madhhab is industriously
studied along with that of the other three schools of the Sunnis.
Imam Shafi- ee, according to Sayed Ameer Ali, was "a man of strong and vigorous
mind, better aquatinted with the world than Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik... He
formed, from the materials furnished by Imam Jafar Sadiq, Imam Malik and Imam
Abu Hanifa, an eclectic school, which found acceptance chiefly among the middle
classes". The Shafi- ee Madhab has followers in Northern Africa, partially in Egypt, in
Southern Arabia, and the Malayan Peninsula and among the Muslims of Ceylon and
the Bombay State in India.
During his life Imam Shafi-ee also suffered from political intrigues. For instance, after
studying under Imam Malik in Medina he was sent to fill an office in Yemen, where
he was accused of political involvement which resulted in his arrest.

He was taken as prisoner to Haroun al-Rasheed. The Khalifa however found him
innocent and the Imam was honourably released. Imam Shafiee died in the year 820
A.C. in Egypt.