Al-Layth ibn Sa'd

Of Persian client origin born in the Nile Delta, Al-Layth ibn Sa'd became the foremost legal authority and traditionist of early Islamic Egypt. Operating from Fustat, his independent legal school emphasized community practice and common welfare.

An immensely wealthy agricultural landowner, he never paid zakat because he gave away his entire annual income of thousands of gold dinars to scholars, students, and the destitute. Imam al-Shafi'i famously lamented: 'Al-Layth was more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Malik, but his students failed to record his school.'