A Call for Coexistence

Episode 14

In the name of Allah[1], The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful.  Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)[2].

Let me welcome you all and let us continue our program "A Call for Coexistence" with a new episode about Imam ash-Shafi'y.  He is one of the four Imams whose lives are considered great examples of coexistence. 

Ash-Shafi'y was given many titles by great scholars.  The most popular one is 'the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions) defender'.  Actually, I love to call him “the Imam of coexistence” for his unique approach is indeed based on the principle of coexistence. 

Before talking about Imam ash-Shafi'y in details, I want to repeat the 10 rules I mentioned in the last episode which you can apply in your life to live and coexist with others.  In the coming episodes, we will see how Imam ash-Shafi'y utilized these rules in his life.

The Ten Rules are:

1-     Create an overlap area for communication with the other party.

2-     Discover and be acquainted with new sciences, which can help you build a bridge to communicate with the other.

3-     Merge with society and do not isolate yourself.  Ash-Shafi'y learnt from all the scholars of his time.  He respected all and coexisted with all. However he did not dissolve, he remained an independent individual.

4-     Do not entirely refuse new ideas. You should hear it first then think carefully; it may need only some amendments. Ash-Shafi'y studied all issues that were listed as forbidden in Islamic jurisprudence, and he modified them to be permissible.

5-     Do not oppress those who have different opinions from yours.  This will let them be your enemies.  Difference is a universal tradition.  Allah (SWT[3]) created us as different to exchange thoughts and get acquainted.

6-     Have a sincere intention that truth should prevail and that you are working on uniting people and joining them.

7-     Respect others so that you can win their hearts.  We will see how ash-Shafi'y respected those who have different opinions from his.

8-     Be flexible.

9-     Be a true human being, love humanity and all human beings at least because Allah created them.

10- Coexistence does not mean dissolving in the other party and erasing your identity.  You must be proud of your personality and of being a Muslim.

Now let us focus on the life of ash-Shafi'y and come closer to him as a true example for coexistence.

When ash-Shafi'y was 13 years old, Imam Laith Ibn-Sa’d, the Egyptian scholar, arrived at Makkah giving his lessons there.  The 13 years old child, with a pen and paper, was sitting among grown ups writing down the teachings of Laith Ibn-Sa’d.  He heard him saying, "People’s argument on linguistics is one of the reasons behind their separation and being apart.  He then added, "If someone dedicates himself to studying the Arabic language and its linguistics, he can strictly collect the interpretation of the Qur’an as well as the hadith[4].  Consequently, this will unite the ummah (Muslim nation) and bring it together and this cannot be obtained except in a tribe called Hudhail." 

Ash-Shafi'y narrated this to his mother who instructed him to go to Hudhail.  He went there and stayed for four years.  Then he returned back to Makkah when he was 18 years old, after having learnt Qur’an, hadith, and interpretation of the Qur’an.  Moreover, he has learnt poetry, ancestry and hurling.  Now he has become a scholar, a sportsman and a poet.

When he returned, the scholars in Makkah asked him to start giving fatwas (legal opinions issued by Islamic scholars).  However, his mother advised him not to do that, as he must first study all the current schools of jurisprudence to have a broad vision. 

He then decided to go to Imam Malik and join his session.  He stayed with him for nine years studying his jurisprudence school of thought.  While he was there, he asked Malik to go to Iraq to know about the school of Abu-Hanifa, the opponent of Malik's school.  Imam Malik gave him the permission to go there.  Moreover, he gave him the money he needed to cover his stay. 

He went to Iraq where he met Muhammad Ibnul-Hassan, a student of Abu-Hanifa’s.  Muhammad Ibnul-Hassan was impressed by the knowledge and personality of ash-Shafi'y.  He previously thought that people in Hijaz are isolated, but after meeting with ash-Shafi'y, he changed his mind especially after learning that ash-Shaf’iy visited Iraq to gain true knowledge about its people.

He returned to Madinah after two months.  Imam Malik welcomed him passionately and told him "Now it’s time to sit on my chair and give fatwa."  However, ash-Shafi'y replied, "It is not the time yet; I want to continue studying the school of Iraq."  Imam Malik implied that this would be when Allah wills.  He did not oppose him or tell him that it is enough to study his school.

Imam Malik died, and ash-Shafi'y went to Yemen to work there and collect money so that he can go to Iraq.  On his way to Yemen, he studied the juristic school of Shi’ah (Shiites).  He did not agree with their opinions, but he studied them to be able to create a dialogue with its scholars.  He also studied physiognomy. 

During his stay in Yemen, the region suffered from instability.  The ruler of Yemen was known to oppress those with vigorous wrong thoughts, taking their properties.  Ash-Shafi'y was against this injustice and that urged him to face the ruler, telling him that he is expanding the problem by oppressing people.  Consequently, the ruler of Yemen counted ash-Shafi'y among those radicals and raised the matter to Harun ar-Rasheed, the Muslims’ Caliph in Iraq, who gave orders to bring them to Iraq shackled in iron. 

Ash-Shafi'y went to Iraq shackled in iron. He kept on asking Allah by His name 'The Gentle' before standing in front of Harun ar-Rasheed, who questioned the other defendants and ordered their death.  Harun ar-Rasheed asked him if he incited people against him.  Ash-Shafi'y replied that he could not do so because he was his cousin.  This was because both of them are from Quraysh.  Ash-Shafi'y then explained to him, "I disagree with those radicals.  However, being unjust with them will expand the problem instead of diminishing it."  Harun ar-Rasheed was a bit convinced with his opinion, yet still not sure of his loyalty.  Muhammad Ibnul-Hassan, the student of Abu-Hanifa, was sitting beside Harun ar-Rasheed.  He gave his opinion in ash-Shafi'y saying, "This man is honest and he will be a greatest scholar."  Therefore, Harun ar-Rasheed gave ash-Shafi'y 50 thousand dinars to aid him in living.

Ash-Shafi'y lived in Iraq for two years studying Abu-Hanifa’s school of jurisprudence, and Muhammad Ibnul-Hassan was his tutor.  By the age of 36, he had the knowledge of the two main schools of jurisprudence, namely the schools of Malik and Abu-Hanifa.  Moreover, he studied Qur’an, hadith, interpertation of the Qur’an, ancestry, poetry, and physiognomy.  That gave him a broad vision on jurisprudence as a whole.

He returned to Makkah and started giving fatwa for the first time.  He sat beside the well of Zamzam, a place where only the great companion Abdullah Ibn-Abbas (RA[5]) sat for fatwa.  Ash-Shafi'y stayed in Makkah for nine years until he turned 45.  He composed there his first book called “ar-Resala” (the message), comprising the definite rules for the methodology of jurisprudence by which we extract our needs from the Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet’s tradition).  He invented a new approach towards thinking of jurisprudence which was imitated by others.

Ash-Shafi'y decided to go back to Iraq.  He wanted to deliver his message and interpret his book “ar-Resala” to the people there.  He stayed in Iraq for two years.  During that time, his main aim was to unite the two entities; Makkah and Iraq and eliminate the gap between them as they are complementing each other.  He also wrote a book entitled, “al-Um” (literally the mother).  This book was an application for the rules and theories in his book “ar-Resala”. 

When he turned 50, he asked Rabi', his student and follower, "What is left for us?"  He replied, "Still remains Egypt and India." Ash-Shafi'y said, "Then we will begin with Egypt." 

When he arrived to Egypt, they asked him to give fatwa, but he refused to do so until he carefully studied the people of Egypt and the Egyptian environment.  He stayed for a year studying the Egyptians.  

While he was in Egypt, he took a very courageous and risky decision that is to reconstitute his jurisprudence in his book “al-Um.”  He changed his opinions completely except on only 20 issues.  This is because he found that the environment in Egypt is totally different from that in Iraq.  He was not afraid of what the people will say; he was searching for the truth with sincerity and the people themselves were so flexible and understanding. 

When he turned 54, he became unable to stand due to his illness.  He wished to be able to go to India so that he can complete his message of uniting people.  One of the scholars said, "If ash-Shafi'y was destined to visit India, we should have ordained his jurisprudence on the whole world, but Allah (SWT) wants for differences to remain among people for their benefit."

A year before his death, ash-Shafi'y asked his student Rabi’ to travel with him to Alexandria to be with the soldiers who were defending Islam against the Romans. 

A few days before his death, Rabi’ dreamt that Adam (AS[6]) is dying.  He asked about the interpretation of his dream and they told him this means that the greatest intellectual person of that time will die soon.  He recognized that ash-Shafi'y would die. 

The few hours before his death, ash-Shafi'y asked Rabi’ to recite Qur’an, and he recited the following verses, “Our Lord, surely we (ourselves) have heard a caller calling out to (us) to belief, “Believe in your Lord.”  So we have believed.  Our Lord, so forgive us our guilty (deeds), and expiate for us our odious deeds, and take us to You with the ever benign (ones).  Our Lord, and bring us what You have promised us by Your Messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of the Resurrection; surely You do not fail the Promised Appointment.  Then their Lord responded to them, “I do not waste the deed of any doer among you, any male or female. The one of you is as the other (Literally: some of you from some others).  So, the ones who emigrated, and were driven out of their residences, and were hurt in My way, and fought, and were killed, indeed I will definitely expiate them of their odious deeds, and indeed I will definitely cause them to enter Gardens from beneath which Rivers run.”  A requital from (the Providence of) Allah; and Allah has in His Providence the fairest requital.”  (TMQ[7], 3:193-195).

Rabi’ was reciting and ash-Shafi'y was weeping.  The last thing he said before his death was some lines of poetry about Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.  

Ash-Shafi'y was buried in Egypt.  All the Egyptians wept for him and were incredibly sad for his death.    

This was the life of ash-Shafi'y, who worked on uniting people through out his life.

In the next episode, we will apply the ten rules of coexistence on his life.

Thank you so much, and may Allah’s Peace be upon you all.

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