The Sufism Thoughts of Imam al-Shafi’i: A Critical Analysis from the Diwan al-Shafi'i

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Imam al-Shafi'i r.h.m.'s view on Sufism through the Diwan Shafi'i. The Diwan is an anthology of his poetry as a premier source that compiled all his fruitful poetries with his figurative language. His expressions about sufism analyzed through qualitative method based on content analysis of documents and materials, mostly derived from secondary sources, published articles and books related to the subject. In this approach, in-depth analysis on his poems are brought forward to determine his thought on sufism. The analysis is focusing on the meaning behind his poetic stanzas. The study found that Imam al-Shafi'i r.h.m.'s poems brought some elements of sufism with no doubt.