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Imam Ash Shafeie
Imam Ash Shafeie
old child who was weeping. His mother embraced him, took him close to
her chest, and patted his shoulders with tenderness and compassion. The
youngster quickly went into sleep as his mother stared at the far horizon
saying in a low weakened voice : “may Allah have mercy on your soul:
father of Muhammad (her husband); you took us with you from Makkah to
Gaza in search of our daily bread and good life, yet you died and were
buried here. Here am I on my way to Makkah again to have your son raised
among his tribe and clan 'Banu Al-Muttalib'.”
The poor mother went into a bitter fit of weeping and crying as she
remembered those few years she had spent in Palestine with her beloved
husband, who was the best husband, brother, and friend for her. However,
the happy and beautiful days passed as quickly as clouds, or as a short but
pretty dream.
In the honorable Makkah, the mother lived with her child in the protection
of her husband's family. She raised her son by giving him a good education
and instructions, flowing on him her love and compassion, so the youngster
grew up with a well balanced psyche, a peaceful nature, and great ethics. The
virtuous mother took on her shoulders the responsibility of teaching her son
the Quran, reading, and writing so that he may be well acquired with both
religious and other fundamental knowledge. Thus, she sent her son to one of
the small elementary schools despite her poverty and inability to save the
instructor's wage. Yet, Muhammad went to his first day at school almost
unable to walk properly, and when the instructor saw Muhammad, he sort
of belittled him and told him: “O my son, just sit next to me and listen
carefully to your elders so that you may get used to reading and
memorization.”
Being in great happiness for her son's completion of the memorization of the
Quran in that fast manner, she started thinking how could she best direct this
smart child towards more excellence. She sent him to attend the lessons
given around the Sacred Mosque of Makkah. The boy started to listen to
prominent scholars; and as he did not have the price for paper on which to
write what he listened to, he used parchment, palm tree leaves, and camel
shoulder bones. During this early period of his quest for knowledge, Imam
Ash-Shafi'ee intelligently realized the importance of the learning the
classical Arabic language from its pure sources, in order to understand the
Quran and the Sunnah, (the Prophet Muhammad's sayings, acts, and
approvals) in the best possible way. He went to the Huthayl tribe, which was
among the most eloquent Arab tribes, and stayed with them for long years in
which he learned their eloquence, memorized their poems, studied the
biographies of Arabs from pre-Islamic era as well as the Islamic era, and
learned the skill of knighthood and archery. He eventually became a brave
unrivaled knight and a skillful archer who rarely missed his target.
In 195 A.H the Imam Ash-Shafi'ee traveled to Baghdad for the second
time and continued to teach there for two years. Many studied under his
supervision including Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who later said “Had it not
been for Imam Ash-Shafi'ee we would not have known the
understanding of Hadeeth.” Before he left Iraq he had finished writing his
large book Al Hujjah (the Proof), in which he put down the essence of his new
school of jurisprudence.
In 199 A.H the Imam went to Egypt where he stared to spread his knowledge
between the Egyptians who loved him very much. More students came to
him from all over the world. Towards the end of his life, the Imam became
very sick. This illness continued with him for four years yet it did not stop
him from teaching or lecturing. When he came back to his house after
teaching, he used to force himself to ignore the pains of the sickness and get
absorbed in writing, and editing and proofreading the book of Hujjah which
he wrote in Iraq. After completed the proofreading and editing works he
renamed the book’s name as Al-Umm (The Mother). The Imam remained to
follow his daily routine until illness forced him to retire and stop teaching.
His students used to visit him to console him in his sickness. One day one of
his students entered his room and asked him: “How do you feel this morning
O Imam?” Ash-Shafi'ee answered: “I feel that I am traveling away from
this world, away from the brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and
approaching Allah the Glorious. By Allah I do not know if my soul will go to
heaven so that I may congratulate it, or to hell so that I may lament.” He then
went into crying. On a Friday, the last day of Rajab in the year 204 A.H, his
pure soul went up to its Provider and Caretaker. He was buried in the
cemetery of Qurashiyyeen amidst the cemeteries of Banu Al-Hakam in Egypt.
May Allah bless the Imam's soul and admit him into his wide paradises.