Imam Muhammad Shaibani

The great Imam, Imam Shafi (rahimahullah) said:
"Whenever Imam Muhammad expounded a point of law, it seemed as if the revealing Angel had descended upon him."

"I acquired from Imam Muhammad a camel-load of learning" Ibn Hajar quotes Imam Shafi as having said: "....I used to visit him (Muhammad b. Hasan). I told myself that he was of high rank in Fiqh too.
Therefore, I made it a point to attend upon him, and I used to take down his lectures."

On somebody asking the great Imam, Imam Ahmad Hanbal where he had learnt all the subtle points of law he used to make, he replied, "From the books of Muhammad b. Hasan."
(Tahdhib al- Asma' wa'l-Lughat by Imam Nawawi).


Again, similar to his teachers, most of his fame rests with his work in Fiqh but he had the rank of Mujtahis in exegesis, Tradition and literature also. Imam Shafi (rahimullah) is reported to have said: I have not come across a man more learned in the Quran than Imam Muhammad." (Al- Jawahir al- Mudiyyah). His complete grasp on literature and Arabic linguistics is seen questions of fiqh based upon grammatical points in his Jami' Kabir. Jami Kabir is a voluminous work where the dicta of Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimullah), Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Zufar are quoted with the questions and arguments. Later Hanafi scholars used this book as the basis of the methodological reasoning employed by the Hanafi school.

Shaykh al-Kadi, a latter day scholar said in a talk (Fiqh and Fuqaha) that Fiqh is the fruition of all the other Islamic sciences such as Hadith, Exegesis, Grammer, History and so forth. These two great Imams were recognized Mujtahids in all the sciences making them Mujtahid Mutalaqs of the Mathab. The same holds true for the other Mathabs. Many scholars consider some of Imam Shafi students to be Mujtahid Mutlaqs also. The genius of Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimullah) in operationalizing the Quran and Sunnah was nurtured and matured under the genius of his students.

As time went by, scholars who were masters in the Hanafi Mathab methodology and its basis became the Mathabs custodians, such as Imam Abideen. We lay Muslims are indebted to these great Scholars for allowing creating and maintaining a vehicle for us to traverse and protect us on the "Straight Path" to our Lord and Creator, based on the teachings of Allah's beloved, our Prophet and leader in this world and the next, Muhammad, Peace and choisest blessings be upon Him and the Ahlul Bait.