Preference of Verdicts in the Shafi’i Madzhab
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from Safinat an-Naja’ fi ma Yajib ‘ala al-‘Abdi li Mawlahu by Shaykh Salim ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hadhrami ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ). On the issue of tarjih , preference, in the Shafi’i madzhab , the Shafi’iyyah generally look at the fatawa of Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad ar-Rafi’i al-Qazwini ( r.a. ) and Imam Abu Zakariyyah Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ). This is the unanimous view of the ‘ulama of the madzhab . If these two a’immah differ, the rulings of Imam an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) are given preference. If the works of Imam an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) differ, in general, the order of preference is as follows: Tahqiq fi Fiqh Imam ash-Shafi’i , Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab , Tanqih fi Sharh al-Wasith , Rawdhah ath-Thalibin , Minhaj ath-Thalibin wa ‘Umdat al-Muqtin , and his Fatawa al-Imam an-Nawawi , Sharh Swahih Muslim , and finally, Taswhih at-Tanbih and its nukat , margin notes. Th...