Egypt and from there, it will spread across the Islamic world. (Tareekh-e-Baghdad, vol. 2, pp. 57)

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب           صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

The beloved father of Imam Shaafi’i رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه passed away when he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was two years old. His mother brought him to Makkah-e-Mukarramah where he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was raised, brought up and educated. (Kitab-us-Saqaat Li-Ibn-e-Habban, Raqm 2997, Muhammad Bin Idrees, vol. 5, pp. 406)

Initially, Imam Shaafi’i رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was more inclined towards ‘ilm-e-lughat (lexicology [a branch of linguistics]) and Arabic couplets. Later on, he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه started acquiring knowledge in the field of Hadees and Fiqh and gained immense expertise in it. While talking about the event that made him leave ‘Ilm-e-lughat and couplets and made him more inclined towards Hadees and Fiqh, he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه himself said ‘One day, I was passionately reading the couplets of the Arab poet named Labeed. All of a sudden, I heard an admonitory voice from the unseen: ‘Why are you wasting your time in couplets? Acquire the knowledge of Fiqh.’ He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه states that ‘this voice from the unseen had a very strong impact on my heart and I acquired knowledge from Sayyiduna Sufyan Bin ‘Uyainah رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه in Makkah-e-Mukarramah. Thereafter, I acquired the blessings of ‘ilm [knowledge] from Sayyiduna Muslim Bin Khalid Zanji رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه and then came in the court of Imam Malik رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه in Madina-e-Munawwarah.’ (Hilyat-ul-Awliya, vol. 9, pp. 83, Hadees 13191)

Maula Ali رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ granted a ring

A pious person has said that he heard Sayyiduna Imam Shaafi’i رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه say: I saw Sayyiduna Ali-ul-Murtada رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ in my dream. He رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ came and I quickly leaped forward to him, said Salaam and shook his hands. He رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ embraced me, took the ring out of his finger and put it in my finger. When I woke up in the morning, I relayed my dream to the dream interpreter. He said to me: O Abu Abdullah! There is glad tiding for you. You beholding Sayyiduna Ali-ul-Murtada رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ in Masjid-e-Haraam is the glad