Imam ash-Shafi'i, kama mwalimu wake Malik, alisema wazi kabisa kwamba haikuwezekana kwa mtu yeyote wakati huo205

Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee, like his teacher Maalik, pointed out in no uncertain terms that it was not possible for anyone at that time205

kwa hiyo walikuwa wanaweza kufanya maamuzi yasiyo sahihi. Hivyo, njia pekee thabiti na ya kuaminika, ambayo ingeweza kutumika katika hali zote kuamua lipi ni sahihi na lipi si sahihi, ni Sunnah ya Mtume ﷺ. Mwanazuoni wa Hadithi al-Haakim alikusanya kauli ya ash-Shaafi'ee aliyosema: “Hakuna miongoni mwetu ambaye hajawahi kukosa Sunnah ya Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ au kusahau moja yake; kwa hiyo, bila kujali ni hukumu gani nimetoa au misingi gani ya msingi nimependekeza, kutakuwa na mambo ndani yake yanayopingana na hukumu za Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ. Kwa hiyo, hukumu sahihi ni ile inayofuata alichosema Mjumbe wa Allaah ﷺ, na hiyo ndiyo hukumu yangu.”206

to be aware of all the Hadeeths which were narrated from the Prophet (s.w.) or to remember all Hadeeths which he had encountered, therefore, they were bound to make some wrong judgements. That meant that the only firm and reliable method, which could be utilized under all circumstances to decide what was correct and what was not, was the Sunnah of the Prophet (s.w.). The Hadeeth scholar al-Haakim collected a statement of ash-Shaafi’ee in which he said, “There is no one among us who has not had a Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger (s.w.) elude him or have one slip his mind; so no matter what rulings I have made or fundamental principles I have proposed, there will be in them things contrary to rulings of Allaah’s messenger (s.w.). Therefore, the correct ruling is according to what Allaah’s messenger (s.w.) said, and that is my ruling.”206

Imamu pia alisisitiza jambo muhimu sana kuhusu maoni ya mtu binafsi dhidi ya Sunnah. Alisema: “Waislamu (wa wakati wangu) walikuwa na kauli moja kwamba yeyote anayekutana na Sunnah sahihi ya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ hairuhusiwi kuiacha kwa ajili ya maoni ya mtu mwingine.”207 Jambo hili linagusa moyo wa msingi wa Taqlid, ambayo mojawapo ya nguzo zake ni kukataa Sunnah kwa ajili ya maoni ya Madh-hab.

The Imaam also stressed a very important point concerning personal opinion versus the Sunnah. He said, “The Muslims (of my time) were of a unanimous opinion that one who comes across an authentic Sunnah of Allaah’s messenger (s.w.) is not allowed to disregard it in favor of someone else’s opinion.”207 This point strikes at the very heart of Taqleed which has as one of its pillars the rejection of the Sunnah for the opinion of the Madh-hab.

Al-Haakim pia alikusanya kutoka kwa Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee kauli ile ile aliyoitoa Imaam Abu Haneefah kuhusu uhusiano kati ya Madh-hab yake na Hadith sahihi: "Ikiwa Hadith itathibitika kuwa Saheeh (sahihi), basi hiyo ndiyo Madh-hab yangu."208

Al-Haakim also collected from Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee the same statement made by Imaam Abu Haneefah concerning the relationship between his Madh-hab and authentic Hadeeths, “If a Hadeeth is found to be Saheeh (authentic) it is my Madh-hab.”208

Huo ndio ulikuwa msimamo wake usiolegea wa Imamu huyu mkubwa, ambaye alipokuwa Baghdad aliandika kitabu kiitwacho al-Hujjah kama muhtasari wa Madh-hab yake, kisha akageuka na kuandika kitabu kipya kiitwacho al-Umm, kinachowakilisha Madh-hab mpya aliyoiunda baada ya kusafiri hadi Misri na kupata elimu mpya kutoka kwenye Madh-hab ya Imamu al-Layth ibn Sa’d.

Such was the uncompromising stand of this great Imaam who, while in Baghdad, wrote a book called al-Hujjah as a summary of his Madh-hab, only to turn around and write a new book called al-Umm, representing the new Madh-hab which he formed after journeying to Egypt and acquiring new knowledge from the Madh-hab of Imaam al-Layth ibn Sa’d.