What is the authenticity of attributing the following two poetic verses to Imam Al-Shafi'i: "Be a faqih and a Sufi, not just one, for by God, I sincerely advise you; That one is harsh, his heart has not tasted piety, and this one is ignorant, how can the ignorant be righteous?"
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
This poetry is not known to be authentically attributed to Imam Al-Shafi'i, and its presence in some editions of his Diwan does not confirm its attribution. The methodology of Sufism did not clearly emerge during Al-Shafi'i's era, in addition to the frequent erroneous attribution of poetry to Al-Shafi'i and Ali ibn Abi Talib whenever there is wisdom or advice.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/70229
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 70229
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy