In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.
This is a detailed summary of what was covered in this part of the explanation of Imam al-Shafi’i’s al-Risalah, focusing on the important points and clarifications, and supplemented with some additions and explanations that help in understanding the issue more deeply.
The standing of scholars in the Ummah:
The session opens with a discussion of the standing of scholars in the Ummah: they remain alive through their remembrance and their knowledge even after their death, and they deserve that we ask Allah to have mercy on them and pray for their forgiveness and for His good pleasure.
- Asking mercy for the scholars: He points out that we ask Allah to have mercy on the scholars and pray for their forgiveness even in their mistakes, and that this shows their worth and their rank in the Ummah.
- Comparing prayers for scholars and for parents: He compares asking mercy for scholars with asking mercy for parents, explaining that we may fall short in praying for our own fathers despite the greatness of their right over us, while we pray abundantly for the scholars, which shows how great their rank is.
- The rank of scholars is like the rank of the Prophets: He points out that the rank of scholars in the Ummah is like the rank of the Prophets, and that Allah the Exalted has made them the heirs of the Prophets.
Paragraph 1037 onward: continuing the discussion of the authority of the solitary report (khabar al-wahid):
Imam al-Shafi’i continues to set out the authority of the solitary report, citing as evidence examples of the Prophet ﷺ sending out his agents, his envoys, and the commanders of his expeditions.
- The Prophet ﷺ sending agents to the clans: It is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ used to send agents to the clans to collect zakah and teach the religion. They went one by one, and the clans accepted their report because they knew them to be truthful. He mentions examples such as sending Malik ibn Nuwayrah to Banu Yarbu’.
- Sending Mu’adh ibn Jabal to Yemen: It is mentioned that Mu’adh ibn Jabal was sent to Yemen and commanded to fight those who disobeyed him and to teach those who obeyed him. Mu’adh was a single individual, yet the people of Yemen accepted his report because they knew his truthfulness and his standing.
- The Prophet ﷺ did not require a group to accompany the envoy: He stresses that the Prophet ﷺ did not require that a group accompany the envoy to confirm his message; rather, a single person sufficed if he was trustworthy.
- Comparing envoys with expedition commanders: He likens the envoys to the commanders of expeditions: obeying the commander of an expedition is obedience to the Prophet ﷺ, and disobeying him is disobedience to the Prophet ﷺ.
- Definition of the sariyyah and its types: He defines the sariyyah (expedition detachment) as a unit of the army of no fewer than five men, used for intelligence-gathering and special operations. He mentions the story of ‘Abdullah ibn Unays with Sufyan ibn Khalid al-Hudhali as a model of a special operation.
- The Prophet ﷺ sending envoys to kings: It is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ sent envoys to kings such as Heraclius, Khosrau, al-Muqawqis, and others, sending to each of them a single envoy carrying his letter.
- No requirement that the envoy be introduced in the letter: He stresses that the Prophet ﷺ did not require that the envoy be identified in the letter; it sufficed that he was trustworthy and known for truthfulness.
- Clarifying the case where the recipient does not know the envoy: He explains that if the person to whom the envoy was sent did not know him, he could seek confirmation from the Prophet ﷺ that he had sent him, and the Messenger ﷺ would make that clear to him.
- Governors accepting the Prophet’s ﷺ orders: He stresses that the governors accepted the orders of the Prophet ﷺ even when they reached them through a single report, and none of them ever abandoned an order of the Prophet ﷺ on the pretext that it was a solitary report.
- The Companions’ appointment of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman as caliphs: The story is mentioned of the Companions appointing Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar, then ‘Uthman as caliph, and that this took place through the choice of one person being accepted by all, which is further evidence for the authority of the solitary report.
- Carrying out judges’ rulings: He points out that the rulings of judges are carried out even though they are reports from those judges, which is yet another proof of the authority of the solitary report.
Some additional benefits:
- Explaining the importance of knowledge and scholars in the Ummah.
- Clarifying the meaning of the sariyyah and its types.
- Explaining the importance of information in decision-making.
- A warning against complacent dependence (ittikal) in da’wah.
- Affirming the authority of the solitary report in Shari’ah rulings.
We ask Allah the Exalted to grant us success in understanding His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ, and to make us among those who follow them.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Risala by Shaykh Dr. Ahmad al-Naqeeb