Shafi’i Islam is one of the four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). It was founded by the 9th century scholar Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i. The Shafi’i school places a strong emphasis on following the actions and sayings (sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad as authoritative sources of Islamic law second only to the Quran. Some key principles of Shafi’i jurisprudence include:
- Reliance on the Quran and authentic hadiths for deriving legal rulings
- Using analogical reasoning (qiyas) to derive rulings for new cases not explicitly covered in scripture
- Following the consensus (ijma) of Muslim scholars on legal issues
- Giving priority to the literal meanings of revealed texts rather than allegorical interpretations
- Restricting the use of personal opinion (ra’y) in legal reasoning
In terms of ritual acts of worship, the Shafi’i school has specific positions on issues such as how to perform salah (ritual prayer), the proper way to pay zakat (alms), how to perform hajj (pilgrimage) rites, etc. The Shafi’i view tends to prefer caution in matters of ritual cleanliness and purity. For example, the Shafi’i method of wudu (ablution) includes washing the hands up to the wrists, while other schools wash only up to the elbows.
In Islamic finance, the Shafi’i school allows some flexibility in structuring financial transactions to facilitate equity and profit-sharing. However, it prohibits complex instruments that rely heavily on speculation, uncertainty, and interest (riba). Contracts must clearly specify obligations, risks and profit-shares of all parties involved.
The Shafi’i school is predominant today in many parts of the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Countries where Shafi’i Islam holds official or strong influential status include Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Somalia and Yemen. The Shafi’i school also has many adherents among Muslim communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.
Historically, the Shafi’i school went through several phases of development after Imam Shafi’i’s death in 820 CE. His disciples refined and spread his legal methodology, particularly in Syria and Egypt. By the mid-9th century CE, the Shafi’i doctrine was stabilized and matured under the influence of scholars like Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi and al-Rabi’ al-Muradi. Later Sufi mystics like Junayd al-Baghdadi and al-Ghazali helped propagate Shafi’i teachings through their writings across the Muslim world.
Some distinct theological teachings of the Shafi’i school include:
- God’s Attributes: The Shafi’i view holds that God’s attributes like hands, face, etc. mentioned in Quran are real, without questioning how (bi-la kayf). The attributes must be affirmed while rejecting any resemblance to creation.
- Free Will: Humans have capacity and responsibility to choose between good and evil, within limits of God’s supreme power and will.
- Iman and Islam: Shafi’is consider iman (faith) and Islam (submission) as two connected entities, such that faith leads to righteous action.
- Excommunication: Shafi’is condemn excommunication (takfir) of Muslims over sins, except in cases of beliefs that clearly exit the fold of Islam like polytheism.
In summary, the Shafi’i school is characterized by strong scriptural foundations in both theology and law. It relies foremost on revealed texts from the Quran and sunnah, with reliance on human reasoning limited to what is strictly necessary. The long history and global reach of the Shafi’i madhhab reflects its scholarly rigor and its accessibility to diverse Muslim communities across time and geography.
The Shafi’i school was established and spread through the scholarly contributions of early jurists like al-Shafi’i, al-Rabi’ al-Muradi, al-Juwayni and al-Ghazali. However, modern adherents also look to contemporary Shafi’i scholars and institutions to apply traditional methodology to changing contexts. In the 20th century, figures like the Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa have published influential treatises and fatwas from a contemporary Shafi’i perspective.
In Indonesia, institutions like the Muslim intellectual network Nahdlatul Ulama with over 90 million followers promote traditional Shafi’ism. In the West, Western academies like Zaytuna College in California train students in the Shafi’i school as well as other traditional madhhabs. Hence, the Shafi’i methodology remains a living tradition rooted in scripture but adaptable to new realities.
The Shafi’i school does differ from other Sunni schools of law on a number of secondary issues while sharing the main foundations of Islamic orthodoxy. Some differences include:
- Schools like Hanafi and Maliki allow men to wear silk garments, while Shafi’is prohibit it.
- Shafi’is require wudu (ablution) for touching a woman, which Hanafis do not require.
- Malikis prohibit temporary sharecropping contracts (muzara’a), while Shafi’is permit it.
- Hanafis allow salaat (ritual prayer) to be shortened when travelling, which Shafi’is do not permit.
- Hanbalis prohibit all forms of musical instruments, while Shafi’is allow the duff (tambourine) in weddings.
Despite these differences, the mainstream Sunni schools of law share more common ground than differences on most legal, theological and ritual matters. Historically, scholars from various schools worked together in religious and academic institutions. Muslim laypersons often adopted teachings from multiple schools based on local customs. The differences strengthened discourse but did not prohibit cooperation and coexistence between those adhering to different schools of traditional Sunni Islam.
The Shafi’i school does share some similarities with Shia Islam as well, since Imam Shafi’i lived in early Abbasid Baghdad when intellectual exchange flourished between scholars from various backgrounds. Some parallels include:
- Reliance on Quran, sunnah, and reasoning rather than scriptural literalism
- Validation of ijtihad (juristic reasoning) in modern contexts
- Requiring adherents to follow accredited scholars in legal rulings
- Prohibition of cursing or condemning revered figures like prophets or companions
However, there are also major differences between Shafi’ism and Shia Islam that have divided them for centuries. These include:
- Shafi’is follow Abu Bakr and Umar as rightful caliphs, while Shias follow Ali
- Shafi’is permit mut’ah marriage while Shias obligate it
- Shafi’is accept six major hadith books which Shias reject
- Shias permit combined prayers while traveling, which Shafi’is reject
- Shias require mud on a turban during salah, which Shafi’is consider permissible but not obligatory
While both mainstream Sunni and Shia Islam share common roots and many beliefs, their disparity on issues of theology and religious law keep them distinctly separate traditions. The Shafi’i school is firmly situated within Sunni orthodoxy and its methodological differences with Shia jurisprudence are substantial despite some surface similarities.
The origins of the Shafi’i school trace back to the founding jurist Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i, who was born in Gaza in 767 CE and studied under renowned scholars of the Maliki school in Medina. However, al-Shafi’i would develop his own distinct methodology that formed the basis of the school named after him. Some key early developments include:
- Studied in Mecca and Medina, mastering teachings of the ahl al-hadith tradition.
- Exposure to Iraqi schools of law in Baghdad shaped his analytical approach.
- Formation of his new methodology detailed in Risala and Kitab al-Umm.
- Debates with proponents of Hanafi school in Baghdad over methodology.
- Taught in Mecca and Egypt, gaining followers who propagated his school.
- Died in Egypt in 820 CE. His school was subsequently advanced by students.
The Shafi’i methodology gradually spread across different regions after Imam Shafi’i’s death:
- Dominant in Egypt and Hejaz after establishment by Shafi’i’s disciples.
- Flourished in Yemen from the 12th to 15th centuries CE.
- Gained adherents in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia from the 9th century onward.
- Developed strong following in Iraq particularly under later Sufi influences.
- Preferred school of Mamluk rulers and nobility during the Mamluk Sultanate.
- Established by settlers in East and South Africa along Indian Ocean trade routes.
Over the centuries, the Shafi’i school produced renowned scholars who enriched Islamic jurisprudence, Quranic exegesis and spiritual thought across the Muslim world. Some influential classical Shafi’i scholars include:
- Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi (authority on Shafi’i fiqh & uṣūl al-fiqh in Baghdad)
- Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini (prominent jurist & muhaddith in Iraq)
- Ibn Surayj (pioneered legal reasoning methodologies in Shafi’i law)
- Abu Bakr al-Qaffal al-Shashi (wrote commentaries on Shafi’i’s Risala)
- Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi (authority on Shafi’i fiqh & uṣūl al-fiqh in Baghdad)
- Abd al-Rahman al-Awza’i (Syrian jurconsults who helped spread Shafi’ism in Levant)
The Shafi’i school has produced great thinkers and left a deep impact on Islamic civilization over the past 1200 years. Across its vast reach, distinguished Shafi’i contributions span:
- Jurisprudence: Ibn Hajar, al-Nawawi, al-Rafi’i, al-Ansari, al-Haytam
- Quranic Exegesis: Al-Baghawi, al-Baydawi, al-Khazin
- Hadith Studies: Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
- Theology: Abu Bakr al-Baqillani, al-Juwayni, al-Ghazali
- Sufi Mysticism: Junayd al-Baghdadi, al-Ghazali, al-Qushayri
- Logic: Ibn al-Salah, al-Isnawi, al-Suyuti
- Literature & History: Al-Suyuti, Ibn Taghribirdi, al-Nuwayri
The multi-generational scholarship nurtured within the Shafi’i school left an enduring imprint on Islamic thought, earning it the reputation as a pillar of traditional Sunni orthodoxy.
While the Shafi’i school is considered a relatively conservative madhhab, it has demonstrated flexibility in adapting to different cultural contexts:
- Accepting valid customs and preferences of local populations, if not contradicting Quran/sunnah.
- Tolerating diversity of practices across communities on issues not affecting core tenets.
- Absorbing vocabulary and concepts from surrounding languages and philosophies.
- Integrating local cultural institutions like waqf endowments into legal framework.
- Training scholars in dialectical methods to present Shafi’i teachings cogently to different societies.
- Balancing conservatism in legal theory with mysticism and intellectualism.
This relative adaptability helps explain the Shafi’i school’s extensive reach from Indonesia to Egypt over many centuries. It was transmitted through acculturated teachings refined for specific societies, rather than a rigid imported doctrine.
Nevertheless, critics over the centuries have accused the Shafi’i school of excessive legalism, theological anthropomorphism, over-reliance on hadiths, and resistance to substantive reform of Islamic law. Some criticisms include:
- Literalist tendency incapable of philosophical sophistication.
- Excessive attachment to Madinan scholarly tradition over ethical objectives.
- Warning against kalām rational theology seen as corrupting ‘pure’ theology.
- Rejection of useful or stylistically appealing non-Arab customs as improper innovations.
- Uncritical acceptance of hadiths without sufficient authentication.
- Insufficient fostering of personal spirituality beyond rituals and law.
However, defenders argue the Shafi’i methodology sought to strike the right balance between reason and revelation, form and spirit, universal truth and cultural diversity – producing a sane orthodoxy adaptable across civilizations.
In the contemporary period, the Shafi’i school faces challenges articulating its role in the modern world. While traditionally dominant across much of the Muslim world, Shafi’i scholars today navigate controversies around
- Resisting ‘westernization’ while embracing technology and development.
- Applying classical usul al-fiqh methods to modern social configurations.
- Reconciling aspects of human rights, feminism and democracy with Shafi’i orthodoxy.
- Combating extremism through nuanced engagement with disaffected youth.
- Imparting traditional knowledge through academic institutions rather than mosques alone.
- Distinguishing valid contextual adaptation from compromising immutable principles.
Hence traditional Shafi’i institutions seek to revive the intellectual vigor and academic discipline characteristic of the school’s early centuries. The methodology nurtured by Imam Shafi’i and the scholarly culture it spawned continues to impact global Islamic thought in the 21st century.
