When we use the term Fiqh al-Shafi`i, we are associating the verbal noun to its doer and omitting mention of the done-to. In other words, Shafi`i is the one who is doing the action of understanding, and the object of his understanding is the Sunna, but this is not mentioned for reasons of brevity and obviousness (what else would Shafi`i be trying to understand?).Those who use the term Fiqh al-Sunna are associating the verbal noun to its done-to and omitting mention of the doer. In other words, the thing that is being understood is the Sunna, but the one who is doing the understanding has not been mentioned. Why has the doer not been mentioned?
The reason why the doer has not been mentioned is to give the misleading impression that someone who is following Fiqh al-Sunna is following the understanding of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) himself, whereas someone who is following Fiqh al-Shafi`i is merely following the understanding of a fallible human being. In other words, we are being made to believe that in the idafa, Fiqh al-Sunna, the verbal noun has been associated to its doer instead of its done-to.
Fiqh al-Sunna
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