Stories of the Prophets
Al-Laits bin Sa'd
اللَّيْث بْنُ سَعْدٍ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ
Egyptian Jurisprudence Imam (d. 175 AH)
Al-Laits bin Sa'd was a great Egyptian scholar whose knowledge was so respected that Imam Ash-Shafi'i once commented that Al-Laits was actually more faqih (understanding of jurisprudence) than Imam Malik, only that his students did not develop his thoughts into a separate school of thought that survived. He is also known to be very generous, channeling most of his wealth to help students of science and the poor around him.
1Generous Egyptian Priest
Al-Laits bin Sa'd (94–175 H), Egyptian jurist and hadith expert, contemporary of Imam Malik. Imam Syafi'i said, "Al-Laits was more knowledgeable than Malik, only his students did not spread his school of thought." He was so generous that his large income was spent on alms.
📖 QS Al-Baqarah: 261
2Science and Generosity Combined
Al-Laits spent his wealth on the clerics and the poor without calculation, upholding the glory of knowledge with a generous hand. He died in Egypt in 175 AH, remembered as an example of a rich but ascetic scholar.
📖 QS Saba: 39