Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani محمد بن الحسن الشيباني

Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (132-189 AH / 749-805 CE), rahimahullah, was among the three most prominent students of Imam Abu Hanifa, alongside Abu Yusuf and Zufar ibn al-Hudhayl. Born in Wasit and raised in Kufa, he studied fiqh under Abu Hanifa and later traveled to Madina to study under Imam Malik ibn Anas, transmitting the Muwatta on his authority - this transmission (known as the Muwatta Imam Muhammad) is the edition attached to the Hanafi tradition. He subsequently served at the court of Caliph Harun al-Rashid and was appointed chief judge. Al-Shaybani authored the six foundational texts of Hanafi fiqh known as the Zahir al-Riwaya (al-Mabsut, al-Ziyarat, al-Jami al-Saghir, al-Jami al-Kabir, al-Siyar al-Saghir, al-Siyar al-Kabir), which codified the school's legal positions. He died in al-Rayy in 189 AH.