THE DIWAN OF IMAM SHAFI

The Diwan of Imam Shafi with a Treatise on the Rules of Arabic Poetry & Prose Compilation of Arabic Rules & Translation of Poems by Muawiyah ibn Mufti Abdussamad Ahmed

THE DIWAN OF IMAM SHAFI

Author says;

Imam Shafi’ee is a world-renowned scholar predominantly known for his jurisprudence and legal edicts.

However, the accolades of the great Imam are not restricted to matters about jurisprudence alone; rather, they extend to the many sciences of Islamic education and even the Arabic language.

 Imam Shafi’ee has authored a great number of works in various sciences that eventually became the gold standard and the foundation for the more codified works to come in that field. Among these major works is his famous compilation of poetry. It is worth noting that some of the poems in the collection have been questioned in terms of the authenticity of attribution to the great imam. 

Alhamdulillah, with the grace of Almighty Allah, has been showered with His infinite grace in my attempt to translate the poetry found in the Diwan of imam Shafi’ee. | embarked on this task to make the text accessible for English-speaking students such that they may derive benefit from the numerous beneficial advice and morals that are captured within his poetry.

The task of translation is always a difficult task, especially when translating poetry into simplified English that facilitates an easy read.

 Furthermore, | attempted to stay true to the Arabic text as much as possible without complicating the translation. However, in some instances, staying true to the literal word-to-word structure of the Arabic was problematic, compelling me to translate loosely at certain junctures.

Along with the translation, | have included some additional notes in brackets as a necessity in an attempt to clarify ambiguous parts. Nevertheless, despite this small effort of mine and the ability granted to me by Almighty Allah, | accept the weaknesses within myself and concede that there will be many mistakes or instances where an alternative translation and/or explanation