Archive for June, 2008

Sidi Abdullah asked me in an email:

“I was noting that in the recent discussion about Shafi’i fiqh and the Maliki madhab, there was no actual articulation of exactly what people love about Shafi’i madhab.  So I am assigning it to you in, say, 250 words or less, insha’llah.”

My Response:

Wa’alaykum Salam my beloved Sidi Abdullah,

It is interesting that you have asked me this question as I have been working on an article I titled “What They Said about Imām Ash-Shāfi’ī”. I have decided to take this opportunity to utilize the quotes I translated for that article so that I can shed light on this important issue. Though I do not speak for every Shāfi’ī and their personal reasons for choosing this madh-hab to guide them along their path in seeking divine legal knowledge, what I am producing in this response is five objective reasons that do not, in themselves surpass 250 words, though their explanations unfortunately surpass 250 words. I am certain that many Shafi’is will echo the same reasons, and may even add more. The following are the five reasons I chose this school: Imam Ash-Shafi’i’s spectacular learning and teaching career, his authoring of the Risālah as well as other works that have come to us only in pieces, the fact that both Imāms Mālik and Ahmad attested to his immense understanding of law, his mastery of the language, and the overall strength of his school in relying upon hadith.

Continued

From Kitab Ar-Ruh by Ibn Al-Qayyim:

What causes people to be tortured in the grave?

The response to this question is general and specific.

The general response: they are tortured for their ignorance and disobedience, hence no soul is tortured by Allaah which is beloved and obedient to him, nor the body which contained it. The torture of the grave and the nextlife is the result of the anger of Allaah toward his servant. Thus, whoever has angered Allaah on earth without repenting will be tortured during the intermediate stage according to the extent of his anger, and this is affirmed and denied.

The specific response: the prophet (may Allaah send salutations upon him) has informed us of the two men whom he saw being tortured in their graves. One was a tale carrier while the other did not protect himself from his urine. The later neglected obligatory purification while the formed created hostility among people, but was truthful. There is a warning here that a greater punishment awaits one who falsely creates hostility between people, as well as one who neglects prayer where purity from urine is a prerequisite.

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Imam Tajud-Din As-Subki in his Tabaqat reports the following beneath his entry on Abi Ibrahim Isma’il ibn Yahya Al-Muzani:

“And Al-Muzani reported from Imam Ash-Shafi’i that he heard him saying, ‘It is not permitted (لا يحل) for anyone who hears the the hadith of Rasulullah (’alayhis salam) regarding raising the hands at the beginning of Salah, upon bowing, upon rising from bowing to abandon his [exemplary] model of his actions.”

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Alhamdulilah: A sister recently requested that I compile some statements of the Shafi’i jurists regarding the ‘awrah of a woman amongst other women. Some of the quotes within this article have previously been translated by me in other articles on this website. So do not be surprised if you see repetitive quotes. However, I have added new material. The strongest view of the madh-hab, without doubt, is that it is permitted for a woman to look at another woman save for what is between her navel and knees. There is disagreement amongst the Shafi’i jurists regarding what can be exposed in front of a disbelieving woman however.

Continued