Introduction, jurisprudential methodology and style to the book (Al-Hujjah Ali Ahl Al-Madinah) by Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Al-Shaybani (may Allah have mercy on him)

Abstract

This study explores the introduction, jurisprudential methodology, and scholarly style of the seminal work Al-Ḥujjah ʿAlā Ahl al-Madīnah authored by the distinguished 2nd-century Hanafi jurist, Imām Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī (رحمه الله). The book represents a critical intellectual engagement with the legal positions of the scholars of Madinah, particularly those associated with the school of Imām Mālik. Through a systematic and analytical approach, Imām al-Shaybānī defends the Kufan school—especially the positions of his teacher Imām Abū Ḥanīfah—by presenting counter-arguments rooted in Qur'ān, Sunnah, consensus (ijmāʿ), and rational analogy (qiyās). This paper examines the methodological rigor, argumentative coherence, and stylistic features of the work, highlighting how Imām al-Shaybānī combines traditional evidence with legal reasoning to construct a comprehensive jurisprudential response. The study also sheds light on the broader context of early Islamic legal debates and the role of this work in shaping the identity and defense of the Ḥanafī school within the formative period of Islamic jurisprudence.