The Author of Usul al-Fiqh
Al-Risala (الرِّسَالَة — the Letter/Epistle) was written by al-Shafi’i at the request of his student Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi, who wanted a systematic treatment of legal principles. The resulting work established:
- The hierarchy of legal sources: Quran → Mutawatir Sunna → Khabar al-Wahid (single narrations) → Consensus → Analogy (Qiyas)
- The theory of abrogation (naskh): how later revelations supersede earlier ones, and the limits of this principle
- The binding nature of hadith: defending single-narrator hadiths against those who rejected them unless multiple chains existed
- The scope of ijma’ (consensus): what “consensus” means and whose consensus counts
Before al-Risala, each school of law operated from unwritten methodological assumptions. Al-Shafi’i made the methodology explicit.
Between Two Schools: Hijaz and Iraq
Al-Shafi’i’s unique position came from studying in both the Hijaz tradition (under Malik in Medina, who privileged amal — the practice of Medina) and the Iraq tradition (under Hanafi scholars who privileged ra’y — reasoned opinion). His synthesis neither fully accepted nor rejected either school.
His first legal position (qawl qadim — old saying) was formed in Iraq; his second (qawl jadid — new saying) was formed in Egypt after additional reflection. The Shafi’i school follows the jadid position.
His Poem on Knowledge
Al-Shafi’i was also a poet. His famous verses on seeking knowledge: “My brother, you will not attain knowledge except through six things — I will inform you of their details with clarity: intelligence, eagerness, patience, provision, a teacher’s guidance, and length of time.”
See also: Sunna Al Nabawi, Quran Sciences, Fiqh Al Nikah, Fiqh Al Mawarith, Ilm Al Balagha, Seerah Abu Hanifa