The uṣūlī basis of Imam Al-Shāfiʿī's criticisms directed at the Iraqi school: With reference to the principal evidences (Al-Adillah al-aṣliyyah) of islamic jurisprudence

In this study, the foundational methodological principles behind the criticisms directed by Imam al-Shafi'i at the Iraqi school in the context of the primary legal sources are examined. The study consists of an introduction, four main chapters, and a conclusion. In the introduction, the topic, its scope, purpose, significance, methodology, main sources, and previous studies on the subject are discussed. The first chapter analyzes the criticisms that Imam al-Shafi'i made toward the Iraqi school within the context of the Kitāb and the wording-meaning (lafẓ–maʿnā) framework. The second chapter focuses on his criticisms within the context of the Sunnah, the third on ijmāʿ (consensus), and the fourth on qiyās (analogical reasoning). A qualitative research method was adopted in this study. Within this framework, the works of Imam al-Shāfiʿī were primarily used as sources, followed by the early writings of scholars from the Iraqi school on uṣūl al-fiqh (principles of Islamic jurisprudence) and furūʿ al-fiqh (branches of Islamic jurisprudence). In addition, relevant contemporary studies were also consulted. The criticisms by Imam al-Shafi'i of the Iraqi school regarding the primary sources are concentrated on certain points. These include: insufficient adherence to the proper order of legal evidences; abandoning the apparent meanings of the texts without clear evidence and turning instead to hidden interpretations; rejecting many sound Sunnah reports due to requiring additional criteria besides the chain of narration; accepting silent consensus (ijmāʿ sukūtī) as a valid proof; considering the agreement of scholars in their own region as ijmāʿ; and lacking a clearly defined approach to qiyās. The main objective of Imam al-Shafi'i's criticisms on these issues is to establish the legal evidences on a solid basis, to prevent qiyās and ijtihād not grounded in those evidences, and thereby preserve the objectivity of Islamic law by protecting it from subjective interpretations.