Download PDF: [S] Life of Imam Shafi (Islamic story)

Mohammed bin Idris bin Abbas bin ‘Uthman bin Shaafi – may Allah be pleased with him – is of the most noted Imams of Islamic Fiqh and Hadith and the leader of his own Madhab. His title is “Abu Abdullah”. There is no doubt that he comes from a royal family which is also part of the Quraish.

 

He was born in 150 A.H. in Palestine in the city of Gaza. Some people have mentioned that he was born on exactly the same day that Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Abu Hanifah – may Allah be pleased with him – passed away.

 

It is said that when the great Imam was in the blessed womb of his mother, she saw a dream whereby the planet Jupiter appeared from her womb and spread in the sky and its pieces spread to all corners of the universe. The people who interpreted this dream informed her that her son would be someone through whose knowledge the four corners of the globe would be illuminated and brightened.

 

When the great Imam was only two years old, the blessed family moved to Mecca Shareef. In fact, it is said that the blessed family was extremely poor at that stage.

 

In his young age, Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – once saw himself in a dream reading Salaah behind the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then came near him and removed a scale from his blessed clothing and gave it to the great Imam. The people interpreted that it means he will follow the Sunnah. He will be the Imam of Hadith and Sunnah and his knowledge and his actions will all be based on truth. It will also be a scale through which misguidance is also recognized.

 

Once, in one dream, the great Imam saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – who placed his blessed saliva in the mouth of the great Imam and said to him, “Go, Allah Almighty will give you Barakah”.

 

In Mecca Shareef, the first people Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him –  approached to acquire knowledge was Imam Sufyan bin Ayniyah and Imam Muslim bin Khalid – may Allah be pleased with them. He learned Fiqh and Hadith from them.

 

At the age of thirteen, he departed for Madina Shareef and became a student of Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Malik – may Allah be pleased with him.  The minute that Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – saw him, he realized through his spiritual knowledge and acumen that this young man would be someone whose Nur and brightness would shine all over the world. He then advised the young Imam to adopt a life of piety and Taqwah and that very soon, he would be someone that would be famous around the world.

 

It is said that when his paternal uncle became the Qadi of Yemen, Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – also went to Yemen. At this place also, his knowledge and acumen also began to spread.

 

He then travelled to Iraq and sought knowledge among the Mashaa’ikh there. Among his famous teachers in this region was Imam Mohammed Ash Shaybani – may Allah be pleased with him – the famous student of Imam Abu Hanifah – may Allah be pleased with him – who had actually married the mother of Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – years earlier. The great Imam also admits that the person he owes the greatest favour to in the science of Fiqh was actually Imam Mohammed Ash Shaybani – may Allah be pleased with him.

 

In the final years of his life, the great Imam left Baghdad Shareef and travelled to Egypt. He passed away in that country on Friday, (Thursday night) in 204 A.H. He was only 54 years old.

 

However, the list of his students certainly reads like a who’s who in the history of Islam. They were eminent Muhaditteen themselves and include, Hadrat Sayyyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal, Imam Abu Thur Ebrahim bin Khalid, Imam Ebrahim Mazani, Imam Rabee bin Sulaim Muraadi – may Allah be pleased with him.

 

It is reported that Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – was extremely intelligent and had an amazing memory. Besides this, he was extremely handsome and possessed amazing Taqwah. In fact, it is mentioned that the great Imam had such an air of awe and greatness around him that people around him were even afraid to drink a glass of water. He was unmatched in Ibadah and piety and someone who displayed many miracles. Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – divided his nights into three portions. One of resting, one for Ibaaah and one for writing. Every day, he completed one Qur’an. It is reported that in his entire life, he never spoke a lie and he never swore an oath. For sixteen years, he never eat a stomach full and even in the coldest of winters, he never missed the Ghusal for Friday.

 

Besides being in the blessed company of the most eminent Muhaditheen and scholars of his era, he also spent a large part of his life in the blessed company of the Awliya. He had an immense love and reverence for the Ahle Bayt and some idiots have accused him of being a Shia in this regard. Yet, this was nothing but a false accusation made by his enemies and the enemies of the Ahle Sunnah wa Jamaah.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – used to show immense hatred and dislike for the non-Sunni sects such as the Marjiyah, the Qadarriyah, the Raafidi, the Khaariji, etc. In fact, the great Imam has stated that even if a non-Sunni flies in the air, still too, in his eyes, this person will have never be accepted (as a true believer). By virtue of his amazing qualities and greatness, his followers in regard to Islamic Fiqh, span the entire globe. (Akmaal, Tabqaat Imam She’rani, Tahzeeb)