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During the era of the Tabi’in (followers of the Companions) and the Tab’ al Tabi’in (followers of the followers of the Companions), a large group of Mujtahid scholars excelled. They laid down principles of Fiqh, expounded on it, and extracted subsidiary rulings. Hence, Islamic Fiqh became a procession for civilization, fulfilling its needs and requirements.
Fiqhi Ijtihad, during the Companions’ radiya Llahu ‘anhum era, was confined to a few Companions who were known for Fiqh and issuing fatwa.
Imam Ibn Hazm al Andalusi has divided the Muftis (those who issue fatwa) among the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum into three categories:
He states:
المكثرون من الصحابة فيما روي عنهم من الفتيا عائشة أم المؤمنين، عمر بن الخطاب ابنه عبد الله علي بن أبي طالب عبد الله بن العباس عبد الله بن مسعود زيد بن ثابت فهم سبعة يمكن أن يجمع من فتيا كل واحد منهم سفر ضخم وقد جمع أبو بكر محمد بن موسي بن يعقوب بن أمير المؤمنين المأمون فتيا عبد الله بن العباس في عشرين كتابا وأبو بكر المذكور أحد أئمة الإسلام في العلم والحديث
والمتوسطون منهم فيما روي عنهم من الفتيا أم سلمة أم المؤمنين أنس بن مالك أبو سعيد الخدري أبو هريرة عثمان بن عفان عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص عبد الله بن الزبير أبو موسي الأشعري سعد بن أبي وقاص سلمان الفارسي جابر بن عبد الله معاذ بن جبل وأبو بكر الصديق فهم ثلاثة عشر فقط يمكن أن يجمع من فتيا كل امرئ منهم جزء صغير جدا ويضاف أيضا إليهم طلحة الزبير عبد الرحمن بن عوف عمران بن الحصين أبو بكرة عبادة بن الصامت معاوية بن أبي سفيان
والباقون منهم مقلون في الفتيا لا يروى عن الواحد منهم إلا المسألة والمسألتان والزيادة اليسيرة علي ذلك فقط يمكن أن يجمع من فتيا جميعهم جزء صغير فقط بعد التقصي والبحث ثم عدد أسماء كثيرة من الصحابة رضوان الله عليهم
Those Companions from who fatawa have been abundantly narrated are:
Umm al Mu’minin ‘Aishah, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab, his son—’Abdullah, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, and Zaid ibn Thabit. They are 7 in number. The fatawa of each of them could be compiled in a separate voluminous book. Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Yaqub ibn Amir al Mu’minin al Ma’mun compiled the fatawa of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas in 20 volumes. The Abu Bakr mentioned here is one of the Muslim leaders in knowledge and Hadith.
Those Companions from whom fatawa have been narrated moderately are:
Umm al Mu’minin Umm Salamah, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Sa’id al Khudri, Abu Hurairah, ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘As, ‘Abdullah ibn al Zubair, Abu Musa al Ash’ari, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Salman al Farsi, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, Muaz ibn Jabal, and Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhum. They are only 13 in number. The fatawa of each of them could be compiled in a very small book. The following are also included amongst them:
Talhah, al Zubair, ‘Abdur Rahman al ‘Awf, ‘Imran ibn al Hussain, Abu Bakrah, ‘Ubadah ibn al Samit, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan.
The remainder of the Companions used to issue fatwa very rarely. (One would only find one, two or a bit more rulings from them. After research and investigation, it would be possible to compile all their fatawa, collectively, in a small book.) Then he mentioned the names of many Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum.[1]
Prof. Muhammad Hassan Hitaw, when discussing the manner of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum in deducing, states in al Wajiz:
لم يكن الصحابة بحاجة إلى القواعد التي ندرسها فيه نحن هذه الأيام بل كانوا يعرفونها بسليقتهم العربية الأصلية السليمة فكما كانوا يعرفون أن الفاعل مرفوع بالسليقة كانوا يعرفون أن (ما) تفيد العموم المستغرق لأفراد ما دخلت عليه وأنها تستعمل في غير العاقل حقيقة وفي العاقل مجارا وأن (من) للعموم أيضا وأنها تستعمل في العاقل حقيقة وفي غيره مجارا وأن (عشرة) من قبيل الخاص وأنها قطعية الدلالة علي مسماها إلى غير ذلك من المسائل الأصولية التي تتوقف علي العربية وأما ما كان يحتاج إلى البيان أو التفصيل فكانوا يرجعون فيه إلى رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام فيسألونه عنه ولذلك لم يكونوا بحاجة إلى الخوض في تقعيد القواعد وتأصيل الأصول وتدوين المسائل
ولما اتسعت رقعة الإسلام واختلط فيه العرب بغيرهم من الأمم المختلفة التي دخلت فيه وضعفت الملكات وتعددت المسالك وتفرقت السبل كان لا بد للعلماء من تدوين العلوم الدينية فروعا وأصولا للحفاظ على الشريعة والإبقاء على دوامها واستمرارها فشرعوا في وضع القوانين التي بواسطتها يمكن لهم أن يستنبطوا الأحكام الشرعية ويدونوا الفروع الفقهية بقواعد مضبوطة وأصول معروفة وسموا هذه القواعد ب (أصول الفقه)
The Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum did not need rules, which we learn these days. Rather, they knew these rules through their original sound Arabic instinct. Thus, just as they knew that a Fa’il (the doer, in a construction of a sentence) is always Marfu’ (nominative case), instinctively, similarly they knew that the word ‘Ma’ gives the meaning of intense generality of the individual it indicates to, and it is used for inanimate objects originally and for animate figuratively. Similarly, they knew that the word ‘Man’ also gives the meaning of generality and it is use for animate originally and for inanimate figuratively, and that the word ‘‘Asharah’ (ten) gives the meaning of exclusivity and it shows definite indication to what it was stated for and other fundamental rules that depend on Arabic. Whenever they needed any clarity or explanation, they would refer to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and enquire about it. Therefore, there was no need for them to delve into regulating laws, establishing principals, and compiling rulings.
When the Muslim lands expanded and the Arabs mingled with the non-Arab nations that embraced Islam, and skills weakened, mannerisms multiplied and ways diversified, then it became necessary for the scholars to compile the fundamental and subsidiary Prophetic knowledge to safeguard the Shari’ah and preserve its stability and continuity. Thus, they started laying down laws through which the rulings of Shari’ah could be deduced and they compiled subsidiary Fiqhi rulings through accurate regulations and established principles. They named these regulations as Usul al Fiqh (principles of Fiqh).[2]
Al Qadi ‘Iyad has discussed, in his unique book Tartib al Madarik, the Fiqhi evolution which this Ummah witnessed from the era of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum till the emergance of the Fiqhi Mazhabs, expounding on the virtues of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and them deserving the status of leadership in Fiqh. He states:
وأحق بذلك فقهاء أصحاب رسول الله الذين أخذوا عنه العلم وعلموا أسباب نزول الأوامر والنواهي ووظائف الشرائع ومخارج كلامه وشاهدوا قرائن ذلك وشافهوا في أكثرها النبي واستفسروه عنها مع ما كانوا عليه من سعة العلم ومعرفة معاني الكلام وتنوير القلوب وانشراح الصدور فكانوا أعلم الأمة بلا مرية وأولاهم بالتقليد لكنهم لم يتكلموا من النوازل إلا في اليسير مما وقع ولا تفرعت عنهم المسائل ولا تكلموا من الشرع إلا في قواعد ووقائع وكان أكثر اشتغالهم بالعمل مما علموا والذب عن حوزة الدين وتوكيد شريعة المسلمين ثم بينهم من الاختلاف في بعض ما تكلموا فيه ما يبقي المقلد في حيرة ويحوجه إلي نظر وتوقف وإنما جاء التفريع والتنتيج وبسط الكلام فيما يتوقع وقوعه بعدهم
The most worthy of this were the Companions of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who acquired knowledge from him and learnt reasons for the revelation of commandments and prohibitions, the functions of the Shari’ah, and the origins of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s speech. They witnessed its evidence and, in most cases, they communicated with the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and sought explanation from him. This is despite the fact that they had vast knowledge, they knew the meanings of words, and they had enlightened hearts and foresight. Undoubtedly, they were the most knowledgeable of this Ummah and most deserving of being followed. However, they did not delve into new incidents that arose except a few and rulings did not branch from them. Most of the time, their preoccupation was on practicing on what they knew, defending the territory of din, and strengthening the Shari’ah of the Muslims. They had some differences in some of the issues that they discussed which left a follower perplexed and compelled him to ponder and formulate a view. Deducing rulings, its outcomes and detailed explanations of what is expected to happen, only came into existence after them.[3]
Qadi ‘Iyad is of the opinion that the role of the Tabi’in in this context was to ponder on the differences of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and build on their principles. The actual emergence of the Fiqhi Mazhabs was through the Tab’ al Tabi’in who realised that occurrences have multiplied, new incidents arose, and Fatawa regarding them are diverse. Thus, they gathered all the views, preserved their fiqh, discussed their differences, and agreed upon issues and they abstained from creating confusion and allowing the differences to go out of control. They strove in compiling books of Sunnah and capturing principles. They were asked so they answered. They set out regulations and laid down principles whereupon they deduced the rulings for new incidents. They authored books for the people and categorised them. Each one of them endeavoured according to his divine ability and inspiration. Thus, the knowledge of fundamental, subsidiary, differed, and agreed upon rulings, all reverts to them.
This continued until the matter reached the famous Mazhabs. Some of them remained while others disappeared. Regarding this Qadi ‘Iyad states:
فكان المقلدون المقتدى بمذاهبهم أصحاب الأتباع في سائر الأقطار البقاع قبل كثرة مالك بن أنس بالمدينة وأبو حنيفة والثوري بالكوفة والحسن البصري بالبصرة على ما تقدم منه والأوزاعي بالشام والشافعي بمصر وأحمد بن حنبل (بعده) ببغداد وكان لأبي ثور هناك أيضا أتباع ثم نشأ ببغداد أبو جعفر الطبري وداود الأصبهاني فالفا الكتب واختارا في المذاهب علي آراء أهل الحديث واطرح داود منها القياس وكان لكل واحد منهما أتباع
وسرت جميع هذه المذاهب في الآفاق فغلب مذهب مالك على الحجاز والبصرة ومصر وما والاها من بلاد أفريقية والأندلس وصقلية والمغرب الأقصى إلى بلاد من أسلم من السودان إلى وقتنا هذا وظهر ببغداد ظهورا كثيرا وضعف بها بعد أربعمائة سنة وضعف بالبصرة بعد خمسمائة سنة وغلب من بلاد خراسان علي قزوين وأبهر وظهر بنيسابور وكان بها وبغيرها أئمة ومدرسون سنذكر منهم بعد في طبقاتهم من ألهم الله تعالي إليه
وكان ببلاد فارس وانتشر باليمن وكثير من بلاد الشام وغلب مذهب أبي حنيفة على الكوفة والعراق وما وراء النهر وكثير من بلاد خراسان إلي وقتنا وظهر بإفريقية ظهورا كثيرا إلى قريب من أربعمائة عام فانقطع منها ودخل منه شيء ما وراءها من المغرب قديما بجزيرة الأندلس وبمدينة فاس وغلب مذهب الأوزاعي على الشام وعلى جزيرة الأندلس أولا إلي أن غلب عليها مذهب مالك بعد المائتين فانقطع وأما مذهب الحسن والثوري فلم يكثر أتباعهما ولم يطل تقليدهما وانقطع مذهبهما عن قريب وأما الشافعي فكثر أتباعه وظهر مذهبه ظهور مذهبي مالك وأبي حنيفة قبله وكان أول ظهوره بمصر وكثر أصحابه بها مع المالكية وبالعراق وبغداد وغلب عليها وعلي كثير من بلاد خراسان والشام واليمن إلي وقتنا هذا ودخل ما وراء النهر وبلاد فارس ودخل شيء منه بلاد إفريقية والأندلس بأخرة بعد الثلاثمائة
وأما مذهب أحمد بن حنبل فظهر ببغداد ثم انتشر بكثير من بلاد الشام وغيرها وضعف الآن
وأما أصحاب الطبري وابي ثور فلم يكثروا ولا طالت مدتهم وانقطع أتباع أبي ثور بعد ثلاثمائة وأتباع الطبري بعد أربعمائة
وأما داود فكثر أتباعه وانتشر ببغداد وبلاد فارس مذهبه وقال به قوم قليل بإفريقية والأندلس وضعف الآن
فهؤلاء هم الذين وقع إجماع الناس علي تقليدهم مع الاختلاف في أعيانهم واتفاق العلماء علي اتباعهم والاقتداء بمذاهبهم ودرس كتبهم والتفقه على مآخذهم والبناء على قواعدهم والتفريع علي أصولهم دون غيرهم ممن تقدمهم أو عاصرهم للعلل التي ذكرناها وصار الناس اليوم في أقطار الدنيا إلي خمسة مذاهب مالكية وحنفية وشافعية وحنبلية وداودية وهم المعرفون بالظاهرية
Those, whose Mazhabs were followed and had followers all over the world, before, were plenty, such as Malik ibn Anas in Madinah, Abu Hanifah and al Thawri in Kufah, al Hassan al Basri in Basrah in the beginning, al Awza’i in Sham, al Shafi’i in Egypt, and Ahmed ibn Hanbal (after al Shafi’i) in Baghdad. Abu Thawr also had followers there.
Thereafter, in Baghdad, Abu Jafar al Tabari and Dawood al Asbahani emerged. They authored books and selected the views of the Ahl al Hadith in the Mazhabs. Dawood discarded Qiyas from the Mazhab. Each one of them had followers.
All these Mazhabs spread in various horizons. The Maliki Mazhab was dominant in Hijaz, Basrah, Egypt, the African countries close to it, Spain, Sicily, and Morocco until the regions of present-day Muslims of Sudan. It spread extensively in Baghdad but it weakened after four centuries and it weakened in Basrah after 5 centuries. From the regions of Khurasan, it was dominant in Qazwin. It shone and was dominant in Naysabur. In all these regions, there were Imams and teachers, some of who will be mentioned in due course in their categories, with inspiration from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. Similarly, it was prevalent in Persia and many parts of Sham.
The Hanafi Mazhab was dominant in Kufah, Iraq, Transoxiana, and many parts of present day Khurasan. It spread extensively in Africa for close to 4 centuries, then it discontinued. Some of it spread pass Morocco to Andalusia and the city of Fez.
The Mazhab of Awza’i was dominant in Sham and Andalusia until the Maliki Mazhab overpowered it after two centuries, then it discontinued.
As for Hassan and al Thawri, they did not have many followers, their following did not last for long, and it discontinued in a short space of time.
As for al Shafi’i, his followers were aplenty and his Mazhab spread like the Maliki and the Hanafi Mazhab. First, it emerged in Egypt, wherein he had many followers together with the Malikis, Iraq, and Baghdad. It became dominant there and in many parts of Khurasan, Sham, and present-day Yemen. It spread to Transoxiana, Persia, and some spread to Africa and Spain at end of the 3rd century.
The Hanbali Mazhab emerged in Baghdad and then spread to many parts of Sham etc. Presently it is weak.
The followers of al Tabari and Abu Thawr were not many and they did not last for long. The followers of Abu Thawr discontinued after the 3rd century and the followers of Tabari after the 4th century.
As for Dawood, he had many followers and his Mazhab spread in Baghdad and Persia. Few people followed him in Africa and Spain. Now it has weakened.
These are the luminaries, regarding whose following there is Ijma’ (consensus) amongst the people, despite the differences in their pioneers. Scholars have agreed to follow them and their Mazhabs, study their books, acquire fiqh from their sources, build on their regulations, and derive rulings from their principles, not anyone else who were their contemporaries or came after them, due to the reasons mentioned previously. Thus, people today, in all parts of the world are divided in 5 Mazhabs, viz. the Maliki, Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali, and Dawoodi who are known as the Zahiriyyah.[4]
Ustadh al Sayis is of the view that since the beginning of the second century until the middle of the fourth century, the Muslim world witnessed 138 schools and Fiqhi Mazhabs, so much, so that many of the cities had their own specific Mazhab.[5]
Meanwhile Ustadh Asad Haydar is of the view that there were more than 50 Mazhabs.[6]
The Maddhabs that sprout up after the Tabi’in were individual Mazhabs[7]. These types of Mazhabs discontinued with the passing of its founders, as no consideration was given to compile and spread them. Their opinions are merely quoted in the Fiqh and Hadith books and there are no traces of them anymore.
As for the collective Mazhabs, they were not formed merely through the views of its founder; rather, they grew under the guidance of what their founders and followers compiled as a collective unit. They added their specific views where there was no available view of the founder in that Mazhab.[8] These were destined to remain.
Al Suyuti (d. 911 AH) indicated to the most famous of the extinct Mazhabs when answering a question that was posed to him pertaining to the signs of the last Day. He replied, condemning the questioner’s ignorance about confining Ijtihad in this Ummah to the four Mazhabs only. He states:
فهل خطر ببال السائل أن المذاهب في هذه الملة الشريفة منحصرة في أربعة والمجتهدون من الأمة لا يحصون كثرة وكل له مذهب من الصحابة والتابعين وأتباع التابعين وهلم جرا وقد كان في السنين الخوالي نحو عشرة مذاهب مقلدة أربابها مدونة كتبها وهي الأربعة المشهورة ومذهب سفيان الثوري ومذهب الأوزاعي ومذهب الليث بن سعد ومذهب إسحاق بن راهويه ومذهب ابن جرير ومذهب داوود وكان لكل من هؤلاء أتباع يفتون بقولهم ويقضون وإنما انقرضوا بعد الخمسمائة لموت العلماء وقصور الهمم فالمذاهب كثيرة فلأي شيء خصص السائل المذاهب الأربعة
Did it strike the questioners mind that there are only four Mazhabs in this noble religion, whereas the Mujtahids in this Ummah are so many that they cannot be enumerated? Everyone from the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, Tabi’in, and the Tab’ al Tabi’in etc., had Mazhabs. In the past, there were 10 Mazhabs whose founders were followed and whose books were compiled. They are:
The 4 famous Mazhabs, the Mazhab of Sufyan al Thawri, al Awza’i, al Layth ibn Sa’d, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, Ibn Jarir, and Dawood. They all had followers who would issue fatwa and pass judgement according to their views. They became extinct after the 5th century due to the passing of the scholars and lack of determination. Hence, Mazhabs are many. Why did the questioner confine then Mazhabs to four only?[9]
When we review the Mazhabs that were not destined to last long after the demise of its founders, we find that the most prominent were the following:
Ibn Sa’d states:
كان الحسن جامعا عالما عاليا رفيعا ثقة مأمونا عابدا ناسكا كبير العلم فصيحا جميلا وسيما وكان ما أسند من حديثه وروى عمن سمع منه فحسن حجة وما أرسل من الحديث فليس بحجة وقدم مكة فأجلسوه على سرير واجتمع الناس إليه فحدثهم وكان فيمن أتاه مجاهد وعطاء وطاؤوس وعمرو بن شعيب فقالوا أو قال بعضهم لم نر مثل هذا قط
Al Hassan was comprehensive, highly learned, high-ranking, reliable, trustworthy, worshiper, ascetic, of vast knowledge, handsome, and brilliant. Those ahadith which he narrates and attributes to whom he heard from, are accepted and can be used as evidence, whilst those ahadith which he narrates Mursalan[10] cannot be used as evidence. When he arrived in Makkah, the people put him on a stage and people gathered around him. He started narrating Hadith to them. Mujahid, ‘Ata’, Taus, and ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb were amongst those who came to him. They or some of them said, “We have never seen anything like this.”[11]
Hafiz al Dhahabi states:
كان سيد أهل زمانه علما وعملا وقال معتمر بن سليمان كان أبي يقول الحسن شيخ أهل البصرة
He was the leader of his time, in knowledge and in practice. Mu’tamar ibn Sulaiman states, “My father used to say, ‘Hassan is the leader of the people of Basrah.’”[12]
The leader, Imam, and the trustworthy. He was the leader of the Banu Hashim in his era. He was one of those people who combined between knowledge, practice, sovereignty, honor, reliability, and serenity. He was worthy of Caliphate.[13]
Hafiz al Dhahabi states:
وشهر أبو جحفر بالباقر من بقر العلم أي شقه فعرف أصله وخفيه ولقد كان أبو جعفر إماما مجتهدا تاليا لكتاب الله كبير الشأن ولكن لا يبلغ في القرآن درجة ابن كثير ونحوه ولا في الفقه درجهة أبي الزناد وربيعة ولا في الحفظ ومعرفة السنن درجة قتادة وابن شهاب فلا نحابيه ولا نحيف عليه ونحبه في الله لما تجمع فيه من صفات الكمال
Abu Jafar became famous as al Baqir, which is derived from Baqara al Ilm, i.e. he split open knowledge and understood its origins and secrets. Abu Jafar was a Mujtahid, Imam, fervent reciter of the Qur’an, and of high status. However, he did not reach the status of Ibn Kathir and others in (commentary of) Qur’an, nor the status of Abu al Zinad and Rabi’ah in fiqh, nor the status of Qatadah and Ibn Shihab in memorizing and understanding the Sunnah. We do not express exaggerated love towards him nor do we debilitate him. We love him for the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala because of the qualities of perfection found in him. [14]
He is the Imam, expert, preserver of Hadith Abu ‘Isa al Ansari al Kufi, the judge, jurist, scholar and the reciter of Kufah in his era.[15]
‘Abdul Malik ibn ‘Umair says regarding him:
أدركت ابن أبي ليلي في حلقة فيها نفر من الصحابة منهم البراء بن عازب يستمعون لحديثه وينصتون له
I found Ibn Abi Layla in a gathering where there were some Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Amongst them was al Bara’ ibn ‘Azib. They were silent and listening attentively to his hadith.[16]
Sufyan ibn Sa’id al Thawri and al Hassan ibn Salih ibn Hayy acquired fiqh from him.
Sufyan al Thawri states:
فقهاؤنا ابن أبي ليلى وابن شبرمة
Our jurists are Ibn Abi Layla and Ibn Shubrumah.[17]
He is the leader of Islam, Imam of the frontier regions, and scholar of the people of Sham, Abu ‘Amr al Awza’i. Walid ibn Mazid states:
ولد ببعلبك وربي يتيما فقيرا في حجر أمه تعجز الملوك أن تؤدب أولادها أدبه في نفسه ما سمعت منه كلمة فاضلة إلا احتاج مستمعها إلى إثباتها عنه ولا رأيته ضاحكا يقهقه ولقد كان إذا أخذ في ذكر المعاد أقول ترى في المجلس قلب لم يبكي
He was born in Baalbek and was raised as a poor orphan in the lap of his mother. Kings will be helpless in disciplining their children as he disciplined himself. I did not hear any redundant speech from him. If anyone claims such, then the listener will have to establish that it was from him. I have never seen him laugh loudly. When he would start speaking about the Hereafter, I would say (to myself) that do you see any heart that is not weeping.[18]
Abu Ishaq al Farazi states:
لو خيرت لهذه الأمة لاخترت لها الأوزاعي
If I were given the option to select a person for this Ummah, I would select al Awza’i for it.[19]
His Mazhab spread in Sham and Spain; however, it discontinued in the 4th century and the Shafi’i Mazhab replaced it in Sham, just as it discontinued in Spain after the 2nd century due to the dominance of the Maliki Mazhab.
Hafiz al Dhahabi states:
كان أهل الشام ثم أهل الأندلس على مذهب الأوزاعي مدة من الدهر ثم فني العارفون به وبقي منه ما يوجد في كتب الخلاف
The people of Sham and Spain followed the Mazhab of al Awza’i for some time. Then those who were acquainted to it passed away. Now only that remains of it, which is found in the books of differences.[20]
He is the leader of Islam, Imam of the preservers of Hadith, leader of the practicing scholars of his time, Abu ‘Abdullah al Thawri al Kufi, the Mujtahid.[21]
He was mentioned to Za’idah who said:
ذاك أفقه أهل الدنيا
He is the most knowledgeable on earth.
Yahya al Qattan states:
سفيان الثوري فوق مالك في كل شيء
Sufyan al Thawri is superior to Malik in everything.
Al Awza’i states:
لو قيل اختر لهذه الأمة رجلا يقوم فيها بكتاب الله وسنة نبيه لاخترت لهم سفيان الثوري
If someone says, “Select a person for this Ummah, who would adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” I would select Sufyan al Thawri for them.[22]
Al Marrudhi narrates from Ahmed ibn Hanbal who states:
أتدري من الإمام الإمام سفيان الثوري لا يتقدمه أحد في قلبي
Do you know who the Imam is? The Imam is Sufyan al Thawri. No one surpasses him in my heart.
Al Khuraybi states:
ما رأيت أفقه من سفيان
I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable that Sufyan.[23]
He had a Fiqhi Mazhab; however, it was not practiced for long. The Mazhab of al Awza’i replaced it. He bequeathed to ‘Ammar ibn Saif regarding his books, which he later erased and burned.[24] Some people of Yemen practiced on his Mazhab, some in Isfahan, and some in Mosul. The followers of this Mazhab and their books disappeared in a short space of time.
He is the leader of the Egyptian regions in fiqh and Hadith[25], and their noblest scholar, to such an extent that the deputy and the judge of Egypt was under his command. If he were suspicious about anyone, he would correspond with the Khalifah, who would dismiss him.[26] Despite the prestige that he enjoyed, which many of the other Imams did not, his Mazhab became extinct like many others, as there was no one to hold on to his Mazhab and spread it.
Imam al Shafi’i used to lament his demise and say:
هو أفقه من مالك إلا أن أصحابه لم يقوموا به
He was more knowledgeable than Malik; however, his followers did not hold on to him.
He also said:
الليث أتبع للأثر من مالك
Al Layth was more observant of transmissions than Malik.
Yahya ibn Bukayr states:
هو أفقه من مالك لكن الحظوظ لمالك
He was more knowledgeable than Malik, but fortune favoured Malik.[27]
Al Nawawi states:
وأما الليث بن سعد فإمامته وجلالته وصيانته وبراعته وشهادة أهل عصره بسخائه وسيادته وغير ذلك من جميل حالاته أشهر من أن تذكر وأكثر من أن تحصر ويكفي في جلالته شهادة الإمامين الجليلين الشافعي وابن بكير رحمهما الله تعالي أن الليث أفقه من مالك رضي الله عنهم أجمعين فهذان صاحبا مالك وقد شهدا بما شهدا وهم بالمنزلة المعروفة من الإتقان والورع وإجلال مالك ومعرفتهما بأحواله هذا كله مع ما قد علم من جلالة مالك وعظم فقهه
As for al Layth ibn Sa’d, his leadership, greatness, preservation, ingenuity, the testimony of his contemporaries with regards to his generosity and leadership and other beautiful traits are too popular to mention and too many to enumerate. The testimony of the two great Imams, al Shafi’i and Ibn Bukayr, is sufficient that al Layth was more knowledgeable than Malik. These two accompanied Malik and witnessed what they witnessed. They are well known for their perfection, piety, reverence for Malik, and knowledge of his conditions. All this is despite the greatness of Malik and his Fiqh.[28]
The Imam of unique knowledge, the preserver of Hadith, Abu Jafar al Tabari, one of the giants, and author of many books. He acquired fiqh from Dawood and studied the fiqh of the people of Iraq, Malik, and al Shafi’i. Therefore, different forms of fiqh accumulated by him. He adopted a specific Mazhab for himself, which had followers[29]. His Mazhab became famous in Baghdad. One of his books in fiqh is Ikhtilaf al Fuqaha’. This book reiterates his familiarity with the views of the jurist that preceded him as well as his contemporaries. Through this, he preserved the views of jurists that were his contemporaries and those who preceded him. The star of this Mazhab set in the middle of the 5th century and now its views remain in books.
Al Farghani states:
بث مذهب الشافعي ببغداد سنتين واقتدى به ثم اتسع علمه وأداه اجتهاده إلي ما اختاره في كتبه وقد عرض عليه القضاء فابى
He promoted the Shafi’i fiqh in Baghdad for two years and practiced it. Then his knowledge expanded and his Ijtihad led him to that which he selected in his books. He was offered the post of the judge, which he refused.[30]
Al Khatib al Baghdadi states:
له في أصول الفقه وفروعه كتب كثيرة واختيار من أقاويل الفقهاء وتفرد بمسائل حفظت عنه
He authored many books regarding the fundamentals of fiqh and its subsidiaries and a selection of the views of jurists. He had some isolated views, which I memorised from him.[31]
NEXT⇒ Factors Leading to Extinction
[1] Al Ihkam fi Usul al Ahkam, 5/666.
[2] Al Wajiz fi Usul al Tashri’ al Islami, pg. 10.
[3] Tartib al Madarik, 1/61.
[4] Tartib al Madarik, 1/64-67.
[5] Tarikh al Fiqh al Islami, pg. 86.
[6] Al Imam al Sadiq wa al Mazahib al Arba’, 1/160.
[7] The meaning of individual Mazhab is the collection of all Fiqhi views transmitted from a Mujtahid, not its adoption by his followers, in order to establish rules of that Mazhab, complete, and spread it.
[8] Tarikh al Fiqh al Islami wa Adwaruhu, pg. 57-58.
[9] Al Hawi li al Fatawa, 2/189.
[10]Mursal is that Hadith where a Tabi’i narrates directly from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam without mentioning intermediary Companion radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
[11] Al Tabaqat al Kubra, 7/157.
[12] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/565.
[13] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 4/402.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Tarikh al Islam, 3/967.
[16] Tahdhib al Kamal, 17/375; Tarikh Dimashq, 36/89.
[17] Tabaqat al Fuqaha’, 1/84.
[18] Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 1/179.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 1/182.
[21] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 7/230.
[22] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 7/249.
[23] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 7/240.
[24] Siyar A’lam al Nubala’, 7/242.
[25] Wafayat al A’yan, 4/127.
[26] Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 1/224.
[27] Al Dhahabi: Tarikh al Islam, 4/710.
[28] Sharh Sahih Muslim, 2/11.
[29] Al Khatib states in his Tarikh that Abu al Tib Ahmed ibn Sulaiman ibn Ahmed al Jariri, Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Mukhallad—known as al Baqir Hayy—and Mu’afa ibn Zakariyya—known as Ibn Tarraz—were jurists of his Mazhab.
[30] Tadhkirat al Huffaz, 2/712.
[31] Tarikh Baghdad, 2/162.