Al-Layth ibn Sa'd

Al-Layth ibn Sa'd lived from 713 to 791, born in Qalqashanda and dying in Fustat, both in Egypt, and was the chief representative, imam and eponym of the Laythi school of Islamic jurisprudence, regarded as the main representative of an Egyptian tradition of Islamic law. Sources describe his family as of Persian origin from Isfahan despite the Arabic nisba al-Fahmi it carried. He was influenced by the jurist and hadith scholar Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and in turn influenced later scholars including Al-Shafi'i, founder of the Shafi'i school, and Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi. Al-Shafi'i is reported to have said that al-Layth was an even greater jurist than Malik ibn Anas, who was both the founder of the Maliki school and al-Shafi'i's own teacher, a striking compliment given Malik's standing.