Madhhabu hii iliitwa kwa jina la al-Layth ibn Sa’d, aliyezaliwa Misri mwaka 716 WK kwa wazazi wa asili ya Kiajemi. Baada ya kujifunza kwa kina fani zote za elimu ya Kiislamu zilizojulikana wakati huo, al-Layth alikuwa mwanachuoni mkuu wa Misri. Alikuwa wa zama moja na Imaam Abu Haneefah na Imaam Maalik. Kwa hakika alifanya mdahalo na Imaam Maalik kwa njia ya barua kuhusu mambo mbalimbali ya sheria ya Kiislamu, mojawapo likiwa ni kitendo cha Maalik cha kuijumuisha desturi ya watu wa Madina kuwa chanzo huru cha sheria ya Kiislamu.

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.

Madhhab ya Imam al-Layth ilitoweka muda mfupi baada ya kifo chake mnamo mwaka 791 BK kwa sababu zifuatazo:

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

(a) Yeye hakuandika, hakukusanya wala kuwaagiza wafuasi wake kuandika maoni yake ya kisheria pamoja na ushahidi wake kulingana na tafsiri zake za Qur-aan, Sunnah na misimamo ya kisheria ya Maswahaba. Kwa hiyo, kilichobaki katika Madh-hab yake ni kidogo sana, zaidi ya marejeo machache katika vitabu vya mwanzo vya Fiqh linganishi.

(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) Idadi ya wanafunzi waliokuwa chini ya al-Layth ilikuwa ndogo, na kwa kuwa hakuna hata mmoja wao aliyekuwa mwanafikra mashuhuri wa fiqh, hawakuwa katika nafasi yenye ushawishi wa kueneza Madhehebu yake.

(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, mmoja wa wanazuoni mashuhuri zaidi wa Fiqh, alihamia Misri mara baada ya kifo cha al-Layth, na Madh-hab yake ikaondoa haraka ile ya al-Layth.

(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.

Inavutia kutambua kwamba Imam ash-Shaafi'ee, ambaye alisoma kwa kina chini ya Maalik na pia chini ya wanafunzi wa al-Layth, aliripotiwa kusema kwamba al-Layth alikuwa mwanachuoni wa fiqhi mkubwa kuliko Maalik, lakini wanafunzi wake walimpuuza.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