ABSTRACT
Born in A. D. 767 ash-Shafii at first played the role of a critical spectator rather than an active participant in the evolving drama of Islamic law. In the field of technical legal method generally ash- Shafii consolidated and improved upon the advances achieved by his older contemporary ash-Shaybani, the outstanding jurist of Kufa. Prior to this time the process of "Islamicising" the law—the moral evaluation of acts and relationships in the light of the religious standards — had fully occupied the attentions of the scholars. Ash-Shafii's influence upon the substance of the law, however, fades into comparative insignificance beside his impact in the realm of jurisprudential method. The grandeur of the role he assumed and the force of intellect he brought to bear upon its implementation mark him out as the colossus of Islamic legal history. Islamic legal scholarship has adequately recognised ash- Shafii's role as the father of Muslim jurisprudence.
