The Authoritativeness of Qawl al-Sahabi "Companion Sayings" According to Imam Shafi'I -A Rooting Analytical Study-

Abstract

The study aims to establish the authority of the Companion's sayings according to Imam al-Shafi'i, in order to address the ambiguity arising from the inconsistency in his statements in the places where he referred to using this evidence in his two books, Al-Risalah and Al-Umm. The research adopted a descriptive methodology by extracting and analyzing Imam al-Shafi'i's statements in the problematic areas and by examining a series of issues where he supported rulings using the sayings of the Companions, to understand Imam al-Shafi'i's approach to practical reasoning on the rulings of branches. The study concluded that it is possible to reconcile Imam al-Shafi'i’s statements by interpreting his words in Al-Umm in light of what he said in Al-Risalah. It also became clear from the issues under study that Imam al-Shafi'i's practical methodology of reasoning aligns with what he explicitly stated in Al-Risalah; he does not solely rely on the sayings of the Companions but also uses a corresponding analogy as a justification for acting upon the Companion’s statement initially, or for choosing between conflicting sayings of the Companions. The study further concluded that the Companion's saying, when supported by an analogy of approximation, takes precedence over the analogy of verification alone.