Fadhl Bin Ziyaad Al-Bazzaar says that he was searching for Imaam Ahmad Bin Hambal during Haj. He found him in the majlis [gathering] of Imaam Shaafi’ (Rahmatullahi alaih). Imaam Shaafi’ was at that time still a youth. Fadhl Al-Bazzaar enquired from Imaam Ahmad: “Why did you leave the majaalis [gatherings] of the Mashaaikh of Hadeeth; Ibn Uyainah, Zuhri and Amr Bin Deenaar for that youth?” Imaam Ahmad retorted: “Keep quiet! If you do not get an aali sanad [that is, a Hadeeth with a short chain], you will get a naazil sanad [a Hadeeth with a long/longer chain]. But, if his mind [that is Imaam Shaafi’s intelligence and his understanding of the Hadeeth] is lost to you, then you will never get that anywhere else.” We can learn from this that understanding is more important than mere retention of narrations. For this reason the Suhbat [company] of the Fuqaha is emphasised so much. The Fuqaha were those Ulama who had the true understanding of the Shariah and deep insight in Deeni matters.
