Question Summary:
Imam Al Sarakhsī

Question Detail:

 
1- How do we reconcile between the hadith about a man being punished in the grave for not caring while passing urine, with the ruling that impurities smaller than a coin can be overlooked. After relieving oneself, if after istibra' there is still one drop on the underwear, can I overlook it (lesser than a palm) and will I be punished in grave for this? Because I knew najasat got onto me.
2- Can we have a small biography of 'shams ul a'immah' al-sarakhsi (ra) as I heard he was a great scholar who taught from memory from prison.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
1.
The punishment of the grave is from ahkām al ākhirah, and excusing a dirham’s amount of urine for the validity of salah is from ahkām al dunyā. The punishment in regards to urine is for being heedless of cleanliness by not performing istinjā/istibrā.[1] One dirham’s amount has been excused due to difficulty[2], as involuntarily a few droplets may soil the clothing due to unavoidable splashes, etc. For example, if a person relieves himself taking all the precautions, and involuntarily a few drops soil his clothing, he will not be punished because mistakes are overlooked in ahkām al ākhirah.[3] As such, these are two separate issues which should not be confused.
2.
Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abi Sahl Abu Bakr Shams Al A’immah Al Sarakhsī was born in Sarakhs, a place in Khurasan.[4] He was a master in ‘ilm al kalām, debate, and principles of fiqh. Ibn Kamāl Bāshā considered him from the Mujtahideen fil masā’il. Imam Al Sarakhsī was constant in the company of Shams Al A’immah Al Halwānī, eventually becoming an accomplished scholar under his tutelage.[5]
During a point in his life, Imam Al Sarakhsī had a conflict with the Amīr of Ūzjand. The Amīr exercising his power imprisoned Imam Al Sarakhsī in a well. The Imam’s students fearing they would be deprived of his knowledge, lest he passes on, made way with their teacher to the prison. The students would sit around the mouth of the well while Imam Al Sarakhsī would dictate his commentary on Al Kāfī of Al Hākim Al Shahīd. This commentary became his magnum opus, Al Mabsoot, which is printed in thirty volumes! After dictating the entire Al Mabsoot, he commenced with a book on the principles of fiqh, (Usool Al Sarakhsī printed in two volumes), followed by a portion of a commentary on Al Siyar Al Kabīr of Imam Muhammad; all these works were dictated by memory. It was then that he was released from prison by the grace of Allah.[6] After his release, he went to Farghānah where he was honored by Al Amīr Hasan.
Along with his academic achievements, Imam Al Sarakhsī had utmost dignity and respect for knowledge. As he would be studying/researching at night, due to a gastric ailment he would perform wudu seventeen times in one night, lest that he touches books of knowledge without wudu![7] Perhaps it was his high regard for knowledge and its tools which took him to such great lengths.  
Imam Al Sarakhsī passed away in 483 a.h.[8] May Allah shower his grave with blessings.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hisham Dawood
Student, Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net