Imam Shafi'is Poetry

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Imam Shafi'is Poetry : New,
'A Poetic Translation'
[A5] Paperback - pages,
Diwan al-Shafi'i by Imam Shafi'i [d.204h ]
Compiled by Ibrahim Khan,
and Moustafa Elqabbany,
Published by R. I. S. Studies Centre.

Now in Stock February 2025

Description :

Reviver of the 2nd Hijri century, Imam Shafi'i, may Allah be pleased with him, is the titular foufnder of one of the schools of Sunni jurisprudence. But even before he was a scholar of Islam, Muḥammad ibn Idris was a noble of Quraysh & a quotable authority (ḥujjah) on the Arabic language. For lovers of poetry, we have arranged a collection of the Imam’s verse, with side-by-side English, as an introduction to the Imam in his role as poet & Arab noble.

This book is a collection and translation of some of Imam al-Shafi'is, may Allah be pleased with him, poetry. Such collections are all posthumous compilations of his verse from various historical sources. Some attributions are questionable, as is the usual case with early poetry. However, most attributions are historically accurate. Finally, translating poetry into poetry is difficult, and while the intended meanings have been preserved in translation, a literal rendering into poetry is impossible.

Imam al-Shafi'i;

Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (150–204 ah / 767–820 ce), may Allah have mercy upon him, better known as Imam Shafi'i, is the titular founder of one of the four mainstream schools of Islamic law. Born in Gaza and buried in Egypt, he hailed from the Quraysh, the same tribe as the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Imam Shafi'i's focus on Qur'an, Hadith, the Arabic language, and few other essential principles, is what defines his legal methodology.

He was the first Imam to look beyond localised juristic differences, such as those in Mecca, Medina, Yemen, and Kufa, and formulate a methodology that depended purely on revealed sources (e.g., the Qur'an and Sunnah) and sound reasoning—something the Imam saw as an extension of the Arabic language itself. Imam al-Shafi'i lived at a time when Greek thought had begun to permeate Islamic scholarly discourse. There are a number of statements attributed to him in which he criticises such approaches and emphasises the need for a native understanding of the language of Revelation. It is no coincidence that the word for speech and reason are related in both Arabic and Greek: mantiq and logos. Language and logic are inseparable, and the Imam made it his mission to champion an Arabic methodology. To the exclusion of all other Imams of Islamic law, Imam Shafi'i was a quotable authority (hujjah) of the Arabic language.

Contents :

---Acnowledgements,

---Introduction by Ibrahim Khan,
---Introduction by Moustafa Elqabbany.

---[I]. Good Character,
---[II]. Pride and Self-Respect,
---[III]. The Diseases of the Soul,
---[IV]. Travel and its Benefits,
---[V]. Fluctuations of States,
---[VI]]. The Ideal Requital,
---[VII]. Manners of Speech,
---[VIII]. Turning to Allah The Most High,
---[IX]. Supplication,
---[X]. Knowledge,
---[XI]. Love for the Family of the Prophet and the Leaders,
---[XII]. Complaints of Mankind and the Bitterness of Days,
---[XIII]. About Women,
---[XIV]. Death and the Hereafter.