Imam al-Shafi’i and the making of usul al-fiqh
Imam al-Shafi’i (767 to 820 CE) taught in Makkah, Madinah, Baghdad and Egypt, and wrote al-Risala. Here is his life as a timeline, with the sources.
four imams
Imam Malik ibn Anas and the Muwatta: life and legacy
The life of Imam Malik of Madinah: his teachers, the flogging, how the Muwatta came to be written, and how his school spread across North and West Africa.