The Shafi'i School of Jurisprudence

The Shafi'i school (al-Madhhab al-Shafi'i) was founded by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (150-204 AH / 767-820 CE), one of the most brilliant minds in Islamic intellectual history. Often called the "father of usul al-fiqh" (principles of jurisprudence) for systematizing the methodology of legal reasoning, al-Shafi'i produced a school that balances textual evidence with analogical reasoning. The Shafi'i school is predominant in Egypt, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines), Yemen, and parts of the Levant (Palestine, Jordan).

The Founder: Imam al-Shafi'i

Al-Shafi'i was born in Gaza, Palestine, and raised in Mecca. He memorized the Quran by age seven and the Muwatta of Imam Malik by age ten. He studied under Imam Malik in Medina and under Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (Abu Hanifah's student) in Iraq, gaining mastery of both the hadith-oriented Medinan tradition and the reason-oriented Iraqi tradition. This unique training allowed him to synthesize both approaches. He taught in Baghdad and later settled in Egypt, where he revised many of his positions (giving rise to the "old school" and "new school" of Shafi'i jurisprudence). He died in Cairo at age 54.

Al-Risalah: The Foundation of Usul al-Fiqh

Al-Shafi'i's al-Risalah is the first systematic treatise on Islamic legal methodology. It establishes the hierarchy of legal sources: the Quran first, then the Sunnah, then ijma (consensus), and then qiyas (analogy). Al-Shafi'i argued powerfully for the authority of hadith over personal opinion, establishing the principle that a single authentic hadith is sufficient proof, even if it contradicts the opinion of a companion or a scholar. This work transformed Islamic jurisprudence from a collection of individual legal opinions into a discipline with clear, systematic rules of evidence and derivation.

Methodology and Key Positions

The Shafi'i methodology gives primacy to the Quran and Sunnah, followed by consensus and analogy. Unlike the Malikis, al-Shafi'i did not accept the practice of the people of Medina as an independent source. Unlike the Hanafis, he restricted istihsan (juristic preference), famously saying: "Whoever employs istihsan has legislated." Key Shafi'i positions include: Bismillah is recited aloud in prayer; touching a member of the opposite sex breaks wudu; the qunut dua is recited in Fajr prayer; Witr prayer is one rak'ah; the intention for fasting must be made the night before; and the Eid khutbah has two parts like the Friday khutbah.

Legacy and Major Scholars

The Shafi'i school produced some of Islam's greatest scholars. Al-Muzani and al-Buwayti were al-Shafi'i's direct students. Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH) authored the school's most authoritative works: Minhaj al-Talibin, Rawdat al-Talibin, and his famous collections of hadith commentary (Sharh Muslim) and supplications (al-Adhkar and Riyad al-Salihin). Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani authored the monumental Fath al-Bari (commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari). The school's influence in Southeast Asia is particularly noteworthy, as it was carried by Yemeni and Hadhrami traders and scholars who established Islam in the Malay world.