✍ Written by: ʿAṭā’ullāh Salafi
He said:
“I was in Egypt when one day Muḥammad ibn Idrīs ash-Shāfiʿī (d. 204 AH – the renowned Imām) narrated a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. A man asked him:
‘O Abū ʿAbdillāh! Do you follow this ḥadīth?’”
Imām ash-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله replied:
“Have you seen me coming out of a Christian church? Or do you see the ‘Zunnār’ (the distinct thread worn by Hindus)?
When a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is proven authentic to me, then that becomes my view forever.
And if the ḥadīth is not established, then that is not my view.
Did you see a Zunnār on me that I would not give a fatwā based on the ḥadīth?”
[Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ by Abū Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahānī, vol. 9, p. 106 | Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ]
From this golden statement of Imām ash-Shāfiʿī, we learn that:
The authentic ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ is proof and the ultimate standard of truth.
Every Muslim must shape his beliefs, speech, and actions according to the Qur’an and Sunnah.
This was the way and methodology of all the leading Imāms of Islam.
Upon hearing a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth, he immediately retracted a previous fatwā and ordered:
“Erase my written fatwā.”
[Kitāb an-Niyāḥ by ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, p. 380 | Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ]
When informed of an authentic ḥadīth regarding passing fingers between toes during wuḍūʾ, he immediately reversed his previous ruling.
[Taqdimat al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʿdīl by Ibn Abī Ḥātim 1/31–32; as-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: vol. 1, pp. 76–77 | Chain: Ḥasan]
He used to say:
“Whoever rejects a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is on the brink of destruction.”
[Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 182; al-Ḥadīth Ḥaḍrawat: vol. 2, p. 5 | Chain: Ḥasan]
Those who claim to love these noble Imāms must adhere to the Qur’an and Sunnah above all in their beliefs, statements, and actions. Only by doing this can they prove their love for the Imāms to be true.
The ijmāʿ (consensus) of the Ummah is a valid proof, and ijtihād (independent juristic reasoning) is permitted — as affirmed through the Qur’an and Sunnah.
All praise is due to Allah (Al-Ḥamdulillāh).
❖ The Superiority of the Qur’an and Sunnah
Statement of Imām Abū Bakr ʿAbdullāh ibn az-Zubayr al-Ḥumaydī (d. 219 AH)
He said:
“I was in Egypt when one day Muḥammad ibn Idrīs ash-Shāfiʿī (d. 204 AH – the renowned Imām) narrated a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. A man asked him:
‘O Abū ʿAbdillāh! Do you follow this ḥadīth?’”
Imām ash-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله replied:
“Have you seen me coming out of a Christian church? Or do you see the ‘Zunnār’ (the distinct thread worn by Hindus)?
When a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is proven authentic to me, then that becomes my view forever.
And if the ḥadīth is not established, then that is not my view.
Did you see a Zunnār on me that I would not give a fatwā based on the ḥadīth?”
[Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ by Abū Nuʿaym al-Aṣbahānī, vol. 9, p. 106 | Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ]❖ Key Principle Derived
From this golden statement of Imām ash-Shāfiʿī, we learn that:
The authentic ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ is proof and the ultimate standard of truth. Every Muslim must shape his beliefs, speech, and actions according to the Qur’an and Sunnah.This was the way and methodology of all the leading Imāms of Islam.
❖ Examples from Other Great Imāms
① Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (d. 150 AH)
Upon hearing a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth, he immediately retracted a previous fatwā and ordered:
“Erase my written fatwā.”
[Kitāb an-Niyāḥ by ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, p. 380 | Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ]② Imām Mālik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH)
When informed of an authentic ḥadīth regarding passing fingers between toes during wuḍūʾ, he immediately reversed his previous ruling.
[Taqdimat al-Jarḥ wa at-Taʿdīl by Ibn Abī Ḥātim 1/31–32; as-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī: vol. 1, pp. 76–77 | Chain: Ḥasan]③ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (d. 241 AH)
He used to say:
“Whoever rejects a ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is on the brink of destruction.”
[Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 182; al-Ḥadīth Ḥaḍrawat: vol. 2, p. 5 | Chain: Ḥasan]❖ The Real Test of Love for the Imāms
Those who claim to love these noble Imāms must adhere to the Qur’an and Sunnah above all in their beliefs, statements, and actions. Only by doing this can they prove their love for the Imāms to be true.
Note:
The ijmāʿ (consensus) of the Ummah is a valid proof, and ijtihād (independent juristic reasoning) is permitted — as affirmed through the Qur’an and Sunnah.
All praise is due to Allah (Al-Ḥamdulillāh).
