Introduction:
Imam al-Shafi’i begins by describing the condition of people before the sending of the Prophet ﷺ, when they were of two kinds: the People of the Book and the polytheists.
The first kind: the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians):
- They altered the rulings of Allah and disbelieved in Him, fabricated lies, and falsified the truth.
- They distorted the words of Allah with their tongues, wrote books of their own, and attributed them to Allah.
- They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, and likewise the Messiah, son of Mary.
- They believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part, and they believe in al-jibt and al-taghut (superstition and false objects of worship).
- They say of the disbelievers that they are better guided in their way than the believers.
Imam al-Shafi’i cites verses of the Noble Qur’an to illustrate the condition of the People of the Book, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, ‘This is from Allah,’ but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know” (Al ‘Imran 3:78), and His saying: “The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah’; and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before [them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?” (al-Tawbah 9:30), among other verses.
The second kind: the polytheists (Arabs and non-Arabs):
- They invented acts of worship that Allah had not permitted, set up idols of stone and wood, and worshipped them.
- They gave names to their idols and claimed that they were gods who would intercede for them with Allah.
- They imitated their fathers and forefathers in worshipping idols, as Allah the Exalted said: “Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided” (al-Zukhruf 43:22).
- Some of them worshipped the planets and stars and attributed to them spirits which, they claimed, govern the world.
- A group of non-Arabs followed the way of the Arabs in worshipping whatever they found pleasing, such as animals, fire, and other things.
Imam al-Shafi’i cites the story of the people of Noah and their worship of the idols Wadd, Suwa’, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, and Nasr, and how Satan inspired them to set up statues of these men, which were then worshipped besides Allah. He also cites the story of Abraham (peace be upon him) and his call to his father and his people to abandon the worship of idols.
Allah’s favor upon the believers:
Imam al-Shafi’i mentions Allah’s favor upon the believers in sending the Prophet ﷺ, rescuing them from disbelief and misguidance, and bringing their hearts together, as Allah the Exalted said: “And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided” (Al ‘Imran 3:103).
The virtue of the Prophet ﷺ:
- He is the best of Allah’s creation without qualification: chosen for His revelation, selected for His message, and favored above all His creation.
- Allah sealed prophethood with him, so there is no prophet after him.
- He was sent with the most comprehensive message that any messenger before him was sent with, so his Shariah encompasses the needs of both religion and worldly life.
- Allah raised his mention alongside His own mention in this world and the Hereafter: in the testimony of faith, in the call to prayer, and in intercession.
- Through him Allah made known to us His particular and general blessings, as Allah the Exalted said: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful” (al-Tawbah 9:128).
- He was commanded to warn his own people first and then all people, as Allah the Exalted said: “that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it” (al-An’am 6:92), and He said: “And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred” (al-Shu’ara’ 26:214).
- The Qur’an is an honor for him and for his people, as Allah the Exalted said: “And indeed, it is a remembrance for you and your people, and you [all] are going to be questioned” (al-Zukhruf 43:44).
Summary:
In this section Imam al-Shafi’i explains the importance of the sending of the Prophet ﷺ and Allah’s rescue of people from misguidance. He clarifies the virtue of the Prophet ﷺ and of his Shariah, and calls for holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah, which are the means of salvation and guidance.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Shafi'i's al-Risala by Dr. Yasir Burhami