A Conversation Between Two Men of Equity – Ash-Shaafi’ee and Muhammad

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam Adh-Dhahabee, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:

Ibn ʿAbdil Ḥakam said: “I heard Ash-Shaafi’ee say: Muḥammad said to me: ‘Which of the two is more knowledgeable – our companion or your companion?’ meaning Abu Haneefah or Malik ibn Anas. I said: ‘Fairly speaking?’ He said: ‘Yes’. I said: ‘I ask you by Allah: who is more knowledgeable about the Qur’an?’ He said: ‘Your companion’. I said: ‘Who is more knowledgeable about the Sunnah?’ He said: ‘Your companion’. I said: ‘Who is more knowledgeable about the sayings of the Companions and the early generations?’ He said: ‘Your companion’. I said: ‘Then nothing remains except qiyaas, and qiyaas can only be based on these things. So whoever does not know the foundations, upon what would make qiyās?’”

And I (i.e. Adh-Dhahabee) say: “And fairly speaking, it would be fair if someone were to say: ‘Rather, the two are equal regarding knowledge of the Book; the first is more knowledgeable regarding qiyaas and the second is more knowledgeable regarding the Sunnah and has vast knowledge from the statements of many of the Companions, just as the first is more knowledgeable regarding the opinions of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, and a group of those Companions of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who were in Kufa’. May Allah be pleased with the two Imams. We have reached an era wherein a person is hardly able to speak with fairness. We ask Allah for safety.”

Source: Siyar A’lam An-Nubula 8/112-113. Risalah Publishers 2020