Abul-Hasan Al-Mahamili an Imam of the Shafi'is
Compiled by Abul Layth
The following biography of Imam Abul Hasan Al-Mahamili (المحاملي) is my abridged summation of the introduction of Dr. Abdul Karim Al-’Umari (ghafar Allahu lahu) of Al-Lubab fi Fiqh Ash-Shafi’i. His commentary and notes of the Lubab of Imam Abul Hasan Mahamili is the best published, to my knowledge. For more detail regarding Imam Abul Hasan’s life please refer to his work, or to the Tabaqaat of the Shafi’i scholars such as Ibn As-Subki, Ibn Kathir, Adh-Dhahabi, Ibn Shahbah and others.
His full name:
أحمد بن محمد بن أحمد بن القاسم بن إسماعيل بن محمد بن إسماعيل بن سعيد بن أبان الضبي، المحاملي، البغدادي، الشافعي
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Al-Qasim ibn Isma’il ibn Muhammad ibn Isma’il ibn Sa’id ibn Aban Ad-Dabbi Al Mahaamili, the Baghdadian, the Shafi’i, his kunya being Abul-Hasan. ((See Tabaqat Ash-Shafi’yyah for Imam Al-Isnawi as well as Tabaqat Ash-Shafi’iyyah for Ibn Kathir ))
A Textual Proof Utilized by the Hanafis to State that Touching a Woman Does not Break Wudu
A brother asked in the article I wrote regarding the Shafi’i proofs for touching the woman nullifying wudu:
“What about the hadith in Ibn Majah?
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaibah and Ali ibn Muhammad informed us from Waki from A’mash from Habib ibn abi Thabit from Urwah ibn Zubair from Aisha that the Messenger of Allah
kissed some of his wives. He then went to (observe) prayer without performing abltuion. I said It “It was none but you,” upon which she smiled.
Does this sanad have defects?”
I would first like to state that it was not my intent, as I stated within the comments of the article, to demean the view of the Hanafis. I said in one of the comments:
Thirdly, this article regarding the nullification of wudu’ by touching the opposite gender was written for Shafi’is, and is proof for them for their stance in english. It is not for a Hanafi, save for the one interested in comparative fiqh.
So I would like to make it clear that if SeekingIlm.com releases an article that is pro-Shafi’i, it does not mean that it is anti-Hanafi/Maliki. Rather, it is for the followers of the school to increase their knowledge in the proofs and utilization of them by the Imams of the school. The entire Seekingilm team believes strongly that the wise statement “Disagreement is a mercy for the Ummah” is to be applied in all cases of Sunnic scholarly disagreement.
What is the Ruling on the Marriage Walimah (Banquet) and Responding to it in the Shafi'i School?
Research done by Abul Layth
There are two parts to this research paper:
1) What is the ruling on the walimah (banquet, pronounced wa-lee-mah) of Marriage?
2) What is the ruling on attending the walimah?
Abi Shuja’ states in his “Matn“:
“And the walimah (banquet for) the marriage ceremony is mustahabb (recommended), and responding [to the invitation] in wajib (obligatory) except with an excuse (‘uthr).”
In discussing the view forwarded by Imam Abi Shuja’, I will be relying heavily upon Imam Taqiyud-din Al-Hisni, who states in his Kifayatul-Akhyaar that there are two views in the Shafi’i school:
Responding to the Question of Why I Chose the Shafi’i School as Well as Statements From the Scholars Regarding Imām Ash-Shāfi’ī
Sidi Abdullah asked me in an email:
“I was noting that in the recent discussion about Shafi’i fiqh and the Maliki madhab, there was no actual articulation of exactly what people love about Shafi’i madhab. So I am assigning it to you in, say, 250 words or less, insha’llah.”
My Response:
Wa’alaykum Salam my beloved Sidi Abdullah,
It is interesting that you have asked me this question as I have been working on an article I titled “What They Said about Imām Ash-Shāfi’ī”. I have decided to take this opportunity to utilize the quotes I translated for that article so that I can shed light on this important issue. Though I do not speak for every Shāfi’ī and their personal reasons for choosing this madh-hab to guide them along their path in seeking divine legal knowledge, what I am producing in this response is five objective reasons that do not, in themselves surpass 250 words, though their explanations unfortunately surpass 250 words. I am certain that many Shafi’is will echo the same reasons, and may even add more. The following are the five reasons I chose this school: Imam Ash-Shafi’i's spectacular learning and teaching career, his authoring of the Risālah as well as other works that have come to us only in pieces, the fact that both Imāms Mālik and Ahmad attested to his immense understanding of law, his mastery of the language, and the overall strength of his school in relying upon hadith.
Imam Ash-Shafi'i's View on Rafa' Yadayn
Imam Tajud-Din As-Subki in his Tabaqat reports the following beneath his entry on Abi Ibrahim Isma’il ibn Yahya Al-Muzani:
“And Al-Muzani reported from Imam Ash-Shafi’i that he heard him saying, ‘It is not permitted (لا يحل) for anyone who hears the the hadith of Rasulullah (‘alayhis salam) regarding raising the hands at the beginning of Salah, upon bowing, upon rising from bowing to abandon his [exemplary] model of his actions.”