Ana kiran wannan Madhhabi da sunan al-Layth ibn Sa'd, wanda aka haifa a Masar a shekara ta 716 CE, iyayensa 'yan Farisa ne. Bayan dogon nazari a kan dukkan fannonin ilimin Musulunci da aka sani a lokacin, al-Layth ya zama babban malamin Masar. Ya kasance zamani daya da Imam Abu Hanifa da Imam Malik. Ma'ana, ya yi muhawara da Imam Malik ta wasiku kan batutuwa daban-daban na shari'ar Musulunci, daya daga cikinsu shi ne yadda Malik ya dauki al'adar mutanen Madina a matsayin tushen shari'a mai zaman kansa.

This Madh-hab was named after al-Layth ibn Sa’d who was born in Egypt of Persian parentage in the year 716 CE. After an extensive study of all the then known areas of Islamic learning, alLayth became the major scholar of Egypt. He was contemporary of both Imaam Abu Haneeah and Imm Maalik. In fact he carried on a debate with Imaam Maalik by mail on various points of Islamic law, one of which was Maalik’s inclusion of Madeenite custom as an independent source of Islamic law.

Madhhabin Imam al-Layth ya ɓace jim kaɗan bayan rasuwarsa a shekara ta 791 CE saboda dalilai masu zuwa:

Imaam al-Layth’s Madh-hab disappeared shortly after his death in 791 CE for the following reasons:

(a) Ba shi da wani hannu wajen tattarawa, ko dictating, ko umurtar mabiyansa da su rubuta fatawoyinsa na shari'a da hujjojinsu bisa ga fassarorinsa game da Alkur'ani, Sunnah da matsayin shari'a na Sahabbai. Don haka, kadan ne kawai ya rage daga Mazhabarsa, sai wasu ambato a cikin littattafan farko na kwatancen Fiqhu.

(a) He neither, compiled, dictated, nor instructed his followers to record his legal opinions and their proofs according to his interpretations of the Qur’aan, Sunnah and legal positions of the Sahaabah. Thus, very little remains of his Mdh-hab beyond a few references in the early books of comparative Fiqh.

(b) Adadin ɗalibai a wurin al-Layth ya kasance kaɗan, kuma domin babu ɗaya daga cikinsu da ya zama fitaccen malami a fannin fiqhu, ba su kasance a matsayi mai tasiri ba wajen yaɗa Madhhabinsa.

(b) The number of students under al-Layth was small and since none of them became outstanding jurists, they were not in an influential position to popularize his Madh-hab.

(c) Ash-Shaafi'ee, ɗaya daga cikin manyan malaman fiqhu, ya zauna a Masar nan da nan bayan rasuwar al-Layth, kuma mazhabinsa ta kawar da ta al-Layth cikin sauri.

(c) Ash-Shaafi’ee, one of the most outstanding Fiqh scholars, settled in Egypt Immediately after al-Layth’s death and his Madh-hab quickly displaced of al-Layth.

Abin sha'awa ne a lura cewa Imam ash-Shafi'i, wanda ya yi karatu sosai a wurin Malik da kuma a wurin almajiran al-Layth, an ruwaito cewa ya lura da cewa al-Layth ya fi Malik zurfi a ilimin fiqhu, amma almajiransa sun yi sakaci da shi.141

It is interesting to note that Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee who had studied extensively under Maalik and under al-Layth’s students was reported to have observed that al-Layth was a greater jurist than Maalik, but his students neglected him.141