Al-Shafi‘i

Al-Shafi‘i

Al-Shafi'i (Arabic: الشَّافِعِيّ, romanized: al-Shāfiʿī; IPA: [a(l) ʃaːfiʕiː] ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles of Islamic jurisprudence, having authored one of the earliest work on the subject: al-Risala. His legacy and teaching on the matter provided it with a systematic form, thereby "fundamentally influencing the succeeding generations which are under his direct and obvious impact," and "beginning a new phase of the development of legal theory." Being born in Gaza, Palestine, to the Banu Muttalib clan of the Quraysh tribe, he relocated at the age of two and was raised in Mecca. He later resided in Medina, Yemen, Baghdad in Iraq, and Egypt, and also served as a judge for some time in Najran. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Al-Shafi‘i is the 2nd most popular lawyer (down from 1st in 2019). (down from 12th in 2019)

Al-Shafi‘i is most famous for his contribution to Islamic jurisprudence, specifically the development of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence.