Al-Shafi'i: The Maker of Islam’s History – Presentation and Critique

Abstract

This study aims to criticize the claims maintained by Georges Tarabichi, a prominent figure in contemporary modernist thought, affirming that the Prophetic Sunnah is a human construct driven by ideological motives. Tarabichi stipulates that Al-Shafi'i managed to establish a cohesive theoretical framework to legitimize its authority.
Therefore, it is paramount to quest the legitimacy of Tarabichi's attempt to foster an alternative interpretation of Islamic history, as well as the objectivity of the foundations upon which his critique of Al-Shafi'i’s establishment of the Sunnah's authority is based. This probe employs a descriptive approach to deliver the major critical arguments of Tarabichi before subjecting them to analysis and deconstruction.