Page 66 - The Importance of the Ahl Al-Sunnah

HARUN YAHYA

the right path. That man is still in a better position than
someone who has much food but does not know the way.
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Hanifah, M. Abu Zehra, p. 177)
Some of al-Imam al-A`zam’s advice to Abu Yusuf appears in
Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum's Ma’rifatname, from which the fol-
lowing extracts have been taken:
“Wish good on other people and give them advice. Go and
converse with people when they see and approve of your
behavior and wish to talk with you, so that you can discuss
knowledge in their circles.
May each student consider him your son. Let labor direct-
ed toward [acquiring] knowledge increase every day. Do
not chat with those who do not listen to you and people in
the markets. Have no fear of speaking the truth to any-
one. Perform more, not fewer, religious observances than
the masses. Do not sit and talk with deniers and Ahl al-
Bid`ah, but invite them to the religion when the circum-
stances are appropriate. I bequeath these things to you
and to everyone. May you follow this path and lead the
people to the true path.”
The Shafi`i School and Imam al-Shafi`i
Imam al-Shafi`i was born in Gaza in 150 AH. Islamic scholars
have considered it significant that he was born in the same year
that Abu Hanifah died. Imam al-Shafi`i lost his father at an early
age and spent much of his childhood in poverty.
He moved to Makkah and began studying the hadiths. In addi-
tion, he memorized the Qur’an at an early age and subsequent-
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