Aswhab al-Wujuh: Imam Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn Abu Thahir Muhammad al-Iswfrayini (r.a.) in Brief

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is adapted and extracted from “Biographies of Some of the Aswhab al-Wujuh in the Shafi’i Madzhab.”  The Aswhab al-Wujuh are the scholars who developed and transmitted the Shafi’i madzhab from the time of the immediate students of Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i (r.a.), circa 200 AH, to the time of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.), circa 500 AH.  Thereafter there was a pressing need for recension of all this development into a single body of work.  This task was met by Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad ar-Rafi’i (r.a.) and Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi (r.a.), who became known as the Shaykhayn in the madzhab. 

Imam Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn Abu Thahir Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Iswfrayini (r.a.) was the Shaykh of the Shafi’i’s in Baghdad, in his time.  He was born in the year 344 AH.  He studied under Imam Abu al-Hasan Bahmanyar ibn al-Marzaban (r.a.), and Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abdullah ad-Dariki (r.a.) in Baghdad.  He also studied under Imam Abu Hasan ‘Ali ibn ‘Umar ad-Daraquthni (r.a.). Among his most famous students was Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Mawardi (r.a.). 

Hafizh Khathib al-Baghdadi Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ash-Shafi’i (r.a.)said, “It has been narrated to us regarding Abu Hamid that ibn Mubarak used to attend his lessons in the masjid.  Also, it has been said that 700 legal jurists used to attend his gatherings and people said, ‘If ash-Shafi’i saw him, he would have been pleased.’” 

Imam Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman Swalah ad-Din al-Kurdi ash-Shahraziri said, “Some of the scholars have interpreted the hadits regarding Allah (s.w.t.) Sending someone every century who will bring back the religion to what it is.  ash-Shafi’i was for the 2nd century, ibn Surayj for the 3rd century, and Abu Hamid for the 4th century.” 

He passed away in the month of Shawwal in the year 406 AH and it was a day that was recognised by all people.



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