Quotes by Imam Shafi: Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) is one of the four renowned Sunni Imams, especially in juridical matters and Fiqhul Hadith. The other three Imams are Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A ), Imam Malik (R.A) and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (R.A).
Amongst these great Imams, Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) during his life met Imam Malik (R.A), who was also his teacher, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (R.A), who was his direct student. However, he could not meet Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A), as he passed away the same year Imam Shafi (R.A) was born.
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) was a man of wisdom and during his life of learning and teaching, he imparted gems of wisdom that are still quoted today.
Other Important Facts About Imam Shafi (R.A)
- His real name was Mohammad ibn Idris ibn Abbas ibn Uthman ibn Shafi.
- The father of Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) passed away when he was very young. His mother raised him.
- Since he was a child, he was in the company of scholars. The astonishing fact is that at the age of 7 he memorized the entire Quran and when he was 10 years old, he memorized the Muwatta of Imam Malik.
- His Quran recitation was melodious.
- Imam Shafi’s (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) interest in literature and poetry was so much that he moved to a desert tribe to learn the pure Arabic language along with authentic literature.
- He had all the skills, including archery, horse riding and an interest in the field of medicine.
- Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) wrote around 123 books.
- He has been the first to develop Islamic jurisprudence, which was the new branch of the religion.
- His life had its share of trials too as he was arrested by an unjust ruler of Yemen on a baseless allegation. However, he was later released.
- During Imam Shafi’s (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) stay in Egypt during his last days, he fell ill and left the world for the final abode. His contribution to Islam is commendable and is still held in high esteem today.
Respect for all Imams
Once, Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) was visiting the grave of Imam Abu Hanifa (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him). He started to pray at the adjacent Mosque. Imam Shafi’s (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) usual practice during Salah was to raise his hand each time when saying Takbeer. On the other hand, this was not the point of view of Imam Abu Hanifa (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him).
When he was praying at the Mosque, he did not follow his own practice of raising his hands at every takbeer. When people asked him the reason for not raising his hands, he politely explained that it was due to the respect he had for the owner of the grave: Imam Abu Hanifa (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him).
This occasion has a strong message, especially for Muslims of today. Like the great Imams, we should also respect each other no matter what difference of opinion we might hold. All schools of thought should be respected and not belittled by spreading false propaganda.
Quotes by Imam Shafi (R.A)
Below, we have shared 30 Quotes by Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) that guide us on how to lead a pious and successful life.
His teachings are in compliance with the Holy Quran and Hadith as proven by his following quote:
Imam Shafi (R.A): A devoted student of Quran and Sunnah
The following quote reflects his love for Allah(SWT). It was the highest level of Taqwa that enabled Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) to work on the pious mission. His love for Quran and Sunnah can again be gauged from many of the following quotes. His repeated emphasis was to hold strongly to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings upon Him).
28 – Love Those Who Love Allah
27 – Importance of Surah Asr
26 – Do Not be Impressed by Anything Other Than Taqwa
25 – Imam Shafi’s Insights About Etiquettes
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him), apart from emphasizing the Holy Quran and Sunnah, also gave guidelines on how to lead an exemplary life by following certain principles. We’ve also discussed many of these in our post on the Manners of Prophet Muhammad.
The following quote reflects the importance of silence:
24 – Knowledge
The following quote explains in a crisp manner what effective knowledge is: the one that is evident in our actions.
23 – Differentiating Between Truth and Falsehood
This quote is a guiding light, especially for the youth of today who are occupied in the world of social media where one has to struggle to filter truth from falsehood.
22 – Dealing with Foolish People
We have already talked about How to Deal with Difficult & Toxic People, and here Imam Shafi explains how one should correctly deal with foolish people:
21 – Do Not Rely on People but only on Allah
This quote is a reminder of how unforgiving people can be which is why one’s focus should be on pleasing Allah instead of people.
20 – Focus on Worship without Waiting for the Right Time
19 – His Love for Prophet Muhammad PBUH
18 – Imam Shafi on Sunnah
In the following quote, he states to follow Sunnah as Quran alone is not enough. Along with Quran we also need to reflect and follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Upon Him).
17 – Allah is Merciful
The following quote give a ray of hope to not despair but to be optimistic and strive in the way of Allah (SWT).
16 – We’re all Travelers in This World
15 – Keep Striving in Life
14 – Wealth vs Ibadah
13 – Whats is Nobility
12 – Focus on Allah
11 – His Love & Respect for Other Imams
10 – Importance of Silence
9 – True Meaning of Knowledge
8 – Be Sincere to Allah
7 – Important Quranic Verse According to Imam Shafi
6 – Importance of Good Friends
5 – Imam Shafi R.A Views about Fiqh
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) said, that there are two types of knowledge: one of the religion and the other of the world. The knowledge of religion is to achieve juristic understanding (fiqh) and the knowledge of the world is medicine. One should not settle in land in where there is no scholar to inform about one’s religion, nor a doctor to inform you about one’s body.
4 – Be Forgiving
3 – Never Stop on the Way to Allah
Translation in Urdu:
2 – Importance of Good Character
1 – Rights of Fellow Muslims
Imam Shafi’s Famous Quotes in Urdu
As requested by some of our valued readers, we have compiled the following quotes by Imam Shafi in Urdu language:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What was Imam Shafi known for?
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) was a renowned Muslim theologian, writer, and scholar whose outstanding services for Islam are remembered to date. Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) was the first contributor to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence as he laid down the foundations of fiqh in his Risala. He was the bright student of Imam Malik ibn Anas. Imam Shafi R.A also has to his honour being Governor of Najar.
Q. What did Imam Shafi say about knowledge?
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) was a firm believer in gaining knowledge and imparting it to others. His famous quote is, “Knowledge is not what is memorized. Knowledge is what benefits.” Thus, knowledge is beneficial when it reaps results and shows in our actions.
Q. Who are the four main Imams in Islam?
The four main Sunni Imams are Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A) , Imam Malik (R.A), Imam Shafi (R.A) and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (R.A). Thus the four schools of thought are referred to as the Hanbali, Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafei. Sunni Muslims either follow them fully or partially.
What did Imam Shafi R.A say about Surah Al-Asr?
Imam Shafi (May Allah SWT have mercy on Him) said about Sarah Al-Asr, one of the powerful Surahs of the Holy Quran: “If the people were to ponder on this Surah, it would be sufficient for them.”
Thanks for the beautiful article I didn’t know much about Imam Shafi R. A before reading this article other than he was the founder of the Shafi school of thought, but now my respect for him has greatly increased, and his respect towards Imam Abu Hanifa (R.A) , Imam Malik (R.A), and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal (R.A) Warms my hear, we Muslims need to learn from this attitude.
BarakAllahu Feekum.