Abd al-Mu'min (c.1094-1163) did not establish the first caliphate in the Islamic West, but his encompassed more territory than any that had preceded it. As leader of the Almohads, a politico-religious movement grounded in an uncompromising belief in the unity of God, he unified for the first time the whole of North Africa west of Egypt, and conquered much of southern Spain. Hammadibn Abu Sulayman (må Allah være tilfreds med ham) blev en af de førende forskere i retsvidenskab. Han indsamlede den viden, han havde lært af sine lærere, og lærte det til sine disciple i lang tid. I denne henseende er mange lærde vokset op under hans vejledning. Den mest berømte og fremtrædende af dem var Imam A'zam Abu Hanifa AbuIsmail Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman al-Achari ( arabă: أبو إسماعيل حماد بن أبي سليمان الأشعري) este un expert tabi'i în drept religios ( fiqh), renumit pentru că a fost principalul profesor al Abu Hanifa de aproape 20 de ani. Thenarrations recorded in the Musannaf are all Hafs's narrations from Abu Hanifah from Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, either from Hammad's own opinion or narrating from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i or Sa'id ibn Jubayr. 6. 'Abd Allah ibn Numayr (no. , 12388, 12401, 12602, 18685, 27562) Reliabilityof Ibn Abi Umayr's Mursal Early Scholars. Twelver Shi'a scholars have reached consensus that Ibn Abi Umayr is a reliable narrator. Al-Shaykh al-Tusi remarked on the third level of companions of Ijma' (consensus): Twelver Shi'a scholars have reached a consensus, if rijal of a source reliable to one the companions of the third level, the hadith would be accepted as sahih. dalam proses produksi massal produktivitas mengacu pada peningkatan. Al- Imam Al Azam Abu Hanifa's name was Numan. His father's name was Thabit. His grandfather's name was Numan, too. He was the first of the four great imams of the Ahl as-Sunnah. Imam Abu Hanifa was a descendant of a Persian notable, he was born in Kufa in 80 698 He learned Fiqh with the help of Hammad ibn Abi Sulaiman. He enjoyed the companionship of many notables of the Tabiin, and of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq. He memorized innumerable Hadiths. He was brought up so as to become a great judge, but he became an imam Al-madhhab. He had a superior, and amazingly keen intellect. In Al fiqh, he attained an unequalled grade in a short time. He then became very popular all over the world. Imam Abu Hanifa joined his father's business, where he showed scrupulous honesty and fairness. His agent in another country once sold some silk cloth on his behalf but forgot to point out a slight defect to the customers. When Abu Hanifa learnt of this, he was greatly distressed because he had no means of returning the money to the customers. So he immediately ordered the entire proceeds of the sale of the consignment of silk to be distributed to the poor. Abu Hanifa's interest in Islamic jurisprudence was sparked perhaps by chance. While running an errand for his mother, he happened to pass the home of Sha'bi, one of Kufa's most well-known scholars. Sha'bi, mistaking him for a student, asked him whose classes he attended. When Abu Hanifa responded that he did not attend any classes, Sha'bi said, "I see signs of intelligence in you. You should sit in the company of learned men." Taking Sha'bi's advice, Abu Hanifa embarked on a prolific quest for knowledge that would in due course have a profound impact on the history of Islam. Of the most prominent of Abu Hanifa's teachers was Jafar Sadiq, who is regarded by many Islamic scholars as the root of most of Islamic jurisprudence, with a massive influence on Hanafi, Maliki and Shia schools of thought extending well into mainstream Hanbali and Shafi'i thought. Abu Hanifa is quoted by many souces as having said "If it was not for those two years [I spent with Ja'afar as-Sadiq] Numan [Abu Hanifah] would have perished" law laahu sanataan la halaka'n nu'man. Imam Abu Hanifa is also said to have studied Fiqh from Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman and was eventually his successer in teaching Fiqh. Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman himself was the successor to Ibrahim an-Nakha'i, who was the successor to his uncle 'Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha'i, a student of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law fiqh was systematically studied by his students under his guidance. A number of his devoted and highly intelligent students worked under him for thirty years, and it is their labor which produced the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence. Imam Abu Hanifa was probably the most liberal of the four great Imams of fiqh. The Hanifi fiqh is thus the most flexible and adaptable. He saw Islamic law as an organic growth in which changes would be necessary from time to time as society changed. He advocated the use of reason based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah in the consideration of religious questions. Yazid ibn 'Amr, Governor of Iraq during the time of Marwan ibn Muhammad, the fourteenth and last Umayyad Khalifah, asked Abu Hanifa to become a judge for the law-court of Kufa. But, since he had he refused his offer, for he wanted to devote his time and effort serving Islam, and had not interest in worldly pleasures. He was afraid of not being able to safeguard human rights because of human weaknesses. With a command from Yazid, he was given a whipping, hundred and ten blows to the head. His blessed face and head swelled. The next day, Yazid took the Imam out and oppressed him by repeating his offer. The Imam said, "Let me consult," and obtained permission to leave. He left to Mecca and remained there for five or six years. The 'Abbasid Khalifah Abu Jafar Mansur offered Imam Abu Hanifa to be the chief of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 150 [767 Again the Imam refused, and was put into jail. He was subjected to whipping, ten blows more every following day. When the number of whipping reached one hundred, he attained martyrdom. So many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times before the Imam was actually buried. Abu Sad Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Harizmi, the third Saljuqi Sultan and the son of Sultan Alparslan, had a wonderful dome built over his grave. Afterwards, Ottoman emperors embellished and had his tomb restored several times. Imam Abu Hanifa was the first to compile and classify the Fiqh science, he collected information for each branch of knowledge. He wrote the books Fara'id and Shurut Obligations and Conditions. There are a lot of books describing his wide knowledge on fiqh, and his amazing superiority in piety, God consciousness, mildness and righteousness. The Hanafi Madhhab approach spread far and wide during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It almost became the official Islamic approach of the State. Today, more than half of the Muslims all over the world follow this approach. References 09 May, 2021Q Dear scholar, Ramadan Mubarak. In light of the COVID-19 lockdown, how should Muslim offer the Eid prayer?AnswerIn the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. In this fatwaIn the communities where the mosques have not yet opened due to Coronavirus COVID-19, the Eid Prayer should be prayed in one’s houses with one’s own family, and there is no need for a more light on the question at hand, we would like to quote the following post by Dr. Yasir QadhiIn the communities where the mosques have not yet opened because of Coronavirus COVID-19, the Eid Prayer should be prayed in one’s houses with one’s own family, and there is no need for a khutbah. The Eid prayer is not the same as the Friday prayer, as Friday prayer has different conditions and rulings. While the general rule is that Eid pryaer should be prayed in a large congregation, it is permissible even in regular circumstances for the one who missed Eid prayer to make it up at ibn Malik may Allah be pleased with him once missed the Eid prayer in Basrah, so he gathered his family and had one of his household lead them in two ibn Abi Rabah d. 114 AH said regarding the one who missed the Eid prayer, “Let him pray two rakahs and say the takbirs”.Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman d. 120 AH, the famous scholar of Kufa and teacher of Abu Hanifa, said when asked the same question, “He should pray as they prayed, and do the takbirat as they did.”📚 Read Also How to Apply Islamic Legal Maxims to COVID-19 QueriesThese reports are in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, 2/4-5. All of these reports are regarding those who missed Eid for any reason. Notice that the Friday prayer would not be made up’ like this, and one who misses Friday prays Zhuhr given our current situation, there is no problem in advising families to observe all of the Sunnahs of Eid of taking a ghusl, eating a breakfast, wearing one’s best [permissible] garments, saying the general takbirat after Fajr, etc. and then praying a congregational prayer at home with one’s Eid prayer has special takbirat. There are 7 takbirat in the first rakah including takbirat al-ihram, and 6 in the second rakah including takbirat al-qiyam – this is the position of the Hanbali school, and Ibn Taymiyyah. Note that Shafi`is say 7 not including the takbirat al-ihram that would make 8 total; as well the Ḥanafis state 4 takbirat including the takbirah of the ihram and the qiyam for both well, the Eid khutbah is not a requirement of the prayer, hence there is no need to give one. All four schools of law state that the khutbah of Eid is not obligatory. In the report above, Anas merely prayed two rakahs and didn’t ask his servant to deliver a it would be allowed for mosques to broadcast Eid khutbahs, and all families pray their individual congregational prayers at a given time, and then, after they finish their own Eid prayers, they can listen to a khutbah broadcast live from their mosque as a general Allah knows Dr. Yasir Qadhi Facebook Page* This Fatwa was first published in 2020 Abu HanifaThe founder of Hanafiyya school of fiqhMausoleum of Abu Hanifa Maqbarat al-Khayzaran where the mosque of Abu Hanifa was built afterward in al-A'zamiyya reign, Baghdad, Nameal-Nu'man b. ThabitTeknonymAbu HanifaEpithetal-Imam al-A'zam •Siraj al-A'immaReligious AffiliationSunniLineageOriginally PersianBirth80/699-700Place of BirthKufaPlace of ResidenceKufa • Baghdad • Medina • MeccaDeath/Martyrdom150/767-8Cause ofDeath/MartyrdomDied in the prison of al-Mansur al-'AbbasiBurial PlaceBaghdadEraAl-Mansur al-'AbbasiProfessorsHammad b. Abi Sulayman • 'Asim b. Abi l-Nujud al-Kufi • Imam Muhammad al-Baqir a and wa l-Muti'allim • al-Fiqh al-akbar, ... Abū Ḥanīfa al-Nuʿmān b. Thābit Arabicأبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت, b. 80/699-700 d. 150/767-8 was a scholar of fiqh and theology in Kufa and the founder of Hanafiyya, one of the four sects of Sunni Islam. Hanafis refer to him as "al-Imam al-A'zam" the greatest leader and "Siraj al-A'imma" the light of the leaders. Lineage According to the oldest biographies, Abu Hanifa's family had the relation of wala' al-'itq being emancipated slaves with the Banu Taym Allah b. Tha'laba clan from the Rabi'a tribe, a significant branch of the great tribe of Bakr b. Wa'il. According to some sources, Thabit, Abu Hanifa's father, was an emancipated slave of a man from the Banu Qafal family from the above tribe. Moreover, according to 'Uthman b. Sa'id al-Darimi's citation from Ibn Asbat, Abu Hanifa's father was a Nazirite for some time after his birth. Life Little is known about Abu Hanifa's personal life. It is said that he was born in Kufa, was in the business of selling fur, and when he was young, he had relations with Hammad 'Ajrad, a poet in Kufa. Education and Teachers Abu Hanifa studied with many scholars and faqihs, but Hammad b. Abi Sulayman was the particular teacher whose lectures he attended for 18 years. He accompanied him until death. His teachers in Kufa, as mentioned in his biographies, include 'Amir al-Sha'bi, Abu Ishaq al-Subay'i, 'Asim b. Abi l-Nujud, Qays b. Muslim, Sammak b. Harb, 'Alqama b. Marthad, 'Atiyya b. Sa'd al-'Awfi, Hakam b. 'Atiyya. According to biographies, he also studied with people from Basra, such as Qatada b. Di'ama and Malik b. Dinar. During his studies before 114/732-3, he travelled to Hijaz and studied with teachers there. In Medina, he attended the lectures of Rabi'a b. Abi 'Abd al-Rahman, a scholar of fiqh, and in Mecca, he attended the lectures of 'Ata' b. Abi Ribah d. 114/732-3 or 115/733-4. In Medina, he also studied with Imam Muhammad al-Baqir a, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Hurmuz al-A'raj, Nafi' mawla Ibn 'Umar, Muhammad b. Munkadir, and Ibn Shahab al-Zuhri, and in Mecca, he also studied with people such as 'Amr b. Dinar and Abu l-Zubayr al-Makki. Relationship with Imam al-Baqir a and Imam al-Sadiq a Some Sunni sources have pointed to the relationship between Abu Hanifa and two Shi'a Imams a with respect to the transmission of hadiths. Al-Dhahabi and al-Qaramani have referred to his transmission of hadiths from Imam al-Baqir a and Imam al-Sadiq a. Abu l-Hajjaj al-Mizzi mentioned Imam al-Baqir a as one of his masters. Other Sunni scholars, such as Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki, and Sulayman al-Qunduzi said that he transmitted hadiths from Imam al-Sadiq a. Ibn Abi l-Hadid al-Mu'tazili explicitly said that Abu Hanifa was Imam al-Sadiq's a student. There is a well-known statement attributed to Abu Hanifa "if there were not those two years, Nu'man [Abu Hanifa] would perish" لولا السنتان، لهک نعمان. It is said that the statement was first cited in the 14th/20th century in the short book, Tuhfa al-ithna 'asharaiyya. Some people have interpreted this statement as referring to Abu Hanifa's studies with Imam al-Sadiq a for two years. Others believe that it refers to his studies with Zayd b. 'Ali, and not Imam al-Sadiq a, because he did learn hadiths from Zayd. However, the authenticity of such an attribution to Abu Hanifa was called into question, because it cannot be found in early sources. Some people have suggested that the phrase "سنتان" in this statement should be read as “Sunnatan” the two traditions, rather than "sanatan" the two years, in which case it would not refer to his studies. After the death of Hammad b. Abi Sulayman 120/737-8, his most prominent student, Abu Hanifa, became the authority for issuing fatwas and teaching fiqh in Kufa. He enjoyed a distinctive social position. Political Activities In last years of the Umayyad dynasty from 121/738-9 to 132/749-50, Abu Hanifa was a significant figure for opponents of the government, except Khawarij. Abu Hanifa secretly helped and sponsored Zayd b. 'Ali in his uprising and provided him with warfare. In 126/743-4, Abu Hanifa played the role of a moderator between people of Khorasan and Ajlah, an official close to the caliph, in order to receive a safe conduct for Harith b. Surayj a revolutionary head of Khorasan. In 127/744-5 and 128/745-6 when Sufri Khawarij occupied Kufa under the leadership of Dahhak b. Qays al-Shaybani, Abu Hanifa had debates with them. Leaving Kufa When Yazid b. 'Umar b. Hubayra was appointed by Marwan II in 129/746-7 as the ruler of Iraq, he proposed the position of judgeship or, on some other accounts, monitoring the Treasury, to Abu Hanifa, but he rejected the proposal despite the pressures from Ibn Hubayra. The pressures by Ibn Hubayra made him leave Kufa to Mecca. Thus, in the last two years to the end of the Umayyad dynasty, Abu Hanifa lived in Mecca, propagating his beliefs and opinions in fiqh. His serious rival there was Ayyub Sakhtiyani, the faqih of Basra, who had a sojourn in Mecca at the time. Return to Kufa When the Abbasids toppled down the Umayyad government and al-Saffah became the caliph, Abu Hanifa returned to Kufa, but he avoided pledging his allegiance to al-Saffah by means of a trick. Death in the Prison of Baghdad In the last days of Abu Hanifa's life, al-Mansur al-'Abbasi summoned him to Baghdad and imprisoned him for reasons unknown to us. After few days, Abu Hanifa died in the prison. In his the Origins and Early Development of Shi'a Islam , Jafari holds that Abu Hanifa was imprisoned because of his support for the Uprising of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya against al-Mansur. Abu Hanifa's body was buried in the al-Khayzaran cemetery of Baghdad after Hasan b . 'Umara al-Bajali, the Kufi muhaddith scholar of Hadith, said Funeral Prayer on his body. A dome and school were constructed over his burial place in 459/1066-7. Today the place in which his burial place is located is called "Hayy al-A'zamiyya" al-A'zamiyya neighborhood. Abu Hanifa's School of Thought According to some reports, Abu Hanifa was an active participant of theological meetings in Kufa when he was young. He also travelled to Basra to debate with Ibadis, Sufris, and other theological branches of Islam. Abu Hanifa's Beliefs Faith Many authors from People of Hadith, Imamis, Mu'tazilis, and Ash'aris, take Abu Hanifa to lean towards Murji'a. It has been taken as a widely accepted fact. The problem of whether a person who commits a major sin counts as having Iman faith or not was a matter of severe debate in the second half of the 2nd/8th century. It led to three different positions and sects Khawarij who believed that such a person will no longer count as having iman, and is, therefore, an unbeliever; Murji'a who believed that such a person still has iman, since for them, iman is not a matter of increase or decrease; and People of Hadith who avoided to count such a person as being an unbeliever, but took iman to be a matter of degrees and subject to increases and decreases. Since Abu Hanifa believed that iman is subject to increases and decreases, he was considered by his opponents as leaning towards Murji'a. In his book, al-'Alim wa l-muta'allim, Abu Hanifa emphasized on the importance of actions, explicitly holding that not all believers will go to the Heaven, and sinners who do not repent will be punished by God or forgiven by Him. According to Abu Hanifa, there are three groups of people with respect to their position in the afterlife people of Heaven, people of Hell, and monotheists concerning whom we should suspend judgment. Imamate One of the most crucial problems regarding imamate in the history of Islamic denominations is that of the early successors of the Prophet s and the four Rashidun Caliphs. In the first half of the 2nd/8th century, it was common among denominations of Islam other than Shi'a and Khawarij to take Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa and 'Umar b. al-Khattab as superior to other caliphs, but with respect to 'Ali a and 'Uthman b. 'Affan, not only was there a disagreement with respect to their superiority, but the early Murji'a, as Ibn Sa'd says, had even suspended judgment about whether they were believers holders of iman or faith in the first place. A well-known figure of the early Murji'a was Muharib b. Dithar, a teacher of Abu Hanifa. Abu Hanifa's position about this problem was expressed in his Mujmal al-fiqh al-akbar where he said "we leave the judgment about 'Uthman and 'Ali to God". It was quoted by Ibn Shahrashub as follows “judgment about what happened between 'Ali and 'Uthman is left to God". 'Ali's a being Right Abu Hanifa takes Ali a to be on the right side in all of his battles, taking his enemies to be "baghi" transgressors. He takes Imam al-Hasan a to be the right caliph and imam after 'Ali a. Abu Hanifa and Shi'a There are many hadiths involving debates between Abu Hanifa and Imam al-Sadiq a or Imam al-Kazim a, as well as some Imami scholars of Kufa, such as Muhammad b. 'Ali Sahib al-Taq, Faddal b. Hasan, and Haytham b. Habib al-Sayrafi. The chains of transmitters of each of these hadiths have to be assessed with respect to their reliability. In these debates, various issues are discussed, such as imamate, faith, and predestination. In some hadiths, Imam al-Sadiq a is cited as reproaching Abu Hanifa and sometimes taking him to be a person who does not love and respect 'Ali a so much. Relation between Abu Hanifa and Zaydiyya Abu Hanifa's intimate relation with Zayd b. 'Ali and Ibrahim al-Hasani is the best evidence for his good relations with Zaydiyya. Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Dibaj, Imam al-Sadiq's a son, and a Zaydi imam, admired Abu Hanifa and took his support of Zayd to be evidence of his love for the people of faith. Abu Hanifa's Fiqh The Structure of his Fiqh In addition to the formulated Hanafi fiqh which is extant today, the only thing known about sources of his fiqh from old reports are some hadiths which are not very reliable. The most important and comprehensive of such hadiths is the one transmitted by Yahya b. Durays in which Abu Hanifa took the sources of his fiqh to be the following The Qur'an The Prophet's s tradition and reliable hadiths transmitted from him by reliable transmitters. Sayings of the Sahaba Ijtihad and personal opinion Qiyas Istihsan The View of the Imamiyya about Abu Hanifa's Fiqh During his lifetime, Abu Hanifa was criticized in debates with Imam al-Sadiq a and Imam al-Kazim a as well as with Imami scholars such as Muhammad b. 'Ali Sahib al-Taq, Hurayz b. 'Abd Allah al-Sajistani, and Hisham b. Hakam for his appeals to personal opinion, qiyas, and some of his views regarding certain rulings of fiqh. In 4th/10th century, Ibn Junayd al-Iskafi represented an approach in the Imami fiqh, which was very similar in its methods to Abu Hanifa's fiqh. Despite the dominant approach in the Imami fiqh, Ibn Junayd appealed to qiyas in fiqh. Al-Sharif al-Radi d. 406/1015, a scholar of Baghdad, also had views in usul al-fiqh which were close to those of Ibn Junayd. He had learned some texts of the Hanafi fiqh from teachers. However, in the same period, al-Shaykh al-Mufid, the well-known Imami faqih, strongly attacked Abu Hanifa's methodology in usul al-fiqh and some of his rulings in fiqh. In later centuries, some scholars showed respect for Abu Hanifa, and some criticized his views and methods. Abu Hanifa and Transmitted Sciences Recitation of the Quran Abu Hanifa learned the recitation of the Qur'an from prominent teachers such as 'Asim one of the Seven Reciters, al-A'mash one of the Fourteen Reciters, and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Layla. Hasan b. Ziyad al-Lu'lu'i transmitted his recitation of the Quran. He had a recitation of his own recorded by Abu l-Fadl Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Khuza'i d. 408/1017-8. It is cited by Hudhali in al-Kamil and al-Makki in Manaqib. Hadiths Throughout the works by Abu Hanifa's students, such as al-Athar by Abu Yusuf and al-Athar by Muhammad b. Hasan al-Shaybani, there are hadiths transmitted by Abu Hanifa. This shows the significance of the transmission of hadiths for him. Abu Hanifa never gathered his hadiths in a single collection. This led some authors throughout centuries to collect several works under Musnad Abi Hanifa in which hadiths transmitted by Abu Hanifa here and there are collected in a single collection. Information about Abu Hanifa's teachers and students in the transmission of hadiths comes from these hadiths. Thus, this information is usually treated with caution. His narrators Hammad b. Abi Hanifa Zufar b. Hudhail 'Ibad b. 'Awam 'Abd Allah b. Mubarak Hashim b. Bashir Waki' b. Jarrah Muslim b. KHalid al-Zanji Dahhak b. Mukhallad 'Abd Allah b. Yazid Nawh b. Darraj al-Qadi Abu Na'im Fadl b. Dakin Ibrahim b. Tahan Hamza b. Habib Reliability in Rijal Scholars of rijal biography of the transmitters of hadiths reproached him in different ways because he was their intellectual adversary. They, nevertheless, admitted that he was a truthful person. The only hadith cited in al-Sihah al-Sitta from Abu Hanifa is one concerning hudud punishments in al-Nasa'i's al-Sunan al-Kubra. Al-Tirmidhi has cited a biographical remark by Abu Hanifa about Jabir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi and 'Ata' b. Abi Ribah in his al-Sunan, and in several parts of the book, he referred to Abu Hanifa's views in fiqh. A number of hadiths transmitted by Abu Hanifa are cited in three of the Four Books of Imamiyya. There are some of his hadiths in other Shiite collections of hadiths as well. Works Al-'Alim wa l-Muti'allim Al-Fiqh al-akbar Al-Fiqh al-absat Al-Wawiyya Risala ila 'Uthman al-Batti Wasiyya ila tilmidhih al-Qadi Abi Yusuf Wasiyya ila ibnih Hammad Wasiyya ila Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti Risala fi al-iman wa takfir man qal bi khalq al-Qur'an Mujadila li ahad al-dahriyyin References Part 1 Part 2 The incident that directed Abu Hanifah to frequenting the scholars is narrated by all of his biographers. He recounts the incident himself“One day, I passed by [`Amir] al-Sha`bi who was seated. He called me and asked “Where do you go?”I named a merchant whom I was going to see.“I did not mean [your going to] the market,” al-Sha`bi said. “Rather, I meant which scholars you go to.”I said “I hardly ever attend any of their classes.”Then Sha`bi said “You ought to study knowledge [ of the religion] and sit in the company of learned men. I discern signs of intelligence and energy in you.”His advice struck my heart, and I left off turning to the market, and turned to learning. Thus, God, Exalted is He, benefitted me by his advice.”[1]Al-Sha`bi was a prominent tabi`i and among the most senior of Abu Hanifah’s teachers. Following his encounter with al-Sha`bi, Abu Hanifah immersed himself in the circles of on some reports, it is related that he started off his scholarly pursuit engaging in kalam dogma/theology. He travelled to Basra often for business related matters where he was exposed to a lot of the rhetoric-revolving was a bustling city with a diverse range of sects and viewpoints. Abu Hanifah found himself busy debating and refuting various groups and sects, namely the Kharijis. These debates played an important role in developing some of Abu Hanifah’s skills. Dr. Akram Nadwi states, “He acquired a general reputation for sharpness and brilliance in such debates.”[2]As time passed and his understanding matured, he left kalam and began to study fiqh under the eminent scholar, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman al-Kufi. This change of interest took place from an apparent realization that he had gone through—in order to benefit the general body of Muslims, fiqh was the way Zahra states that there is no way we can find out the exact age when Abu Hanifah began his studies with Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman. However, what is known is that he remained with Hammad until his death. [3]Conversely, Dr. Akram Nadwi actually gives an estimate of how old Abu Hanifah was when he started his learning. According to him, Abu Hanifah stayed with Hammad for 18 years until the latter passed away in 120 Abu Zahra cites a report mentioning this as well. From this, we are able to calculate that when Abu Hanifah joined Hammad’s school he was twenty-two years old.[5] Although he studied with other teachers, there is no doubt that Abu Hanifah received his training mainly from Hammad.[6]Abu Hanifah performed Hajj and visited Makkah and Madinah numerous times. The two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah served as a focal point for scholars from different parts of the Islamic world to meet, learn, and exchange ideas.[7] Abu Hanifah would take advantage of his time in the two mosques and benefit from the scholars that he would meet studied under many of the tabi`in and from among the eminent scholars of his time. He studied both fiqh and Hadith with teachers of the highest caliber. According to one estimate he narrated Hadiths from about 300 different teachers, a considerable amount of them are recognized as leaders in the field of Hadith.[8]This indicates that he was indeed well versed in the sunnah, contrary to what some of his detractors claim. It is also important to note that he studied with all the famous authorities of his time, and that these authorities were also the teachers of Sufyan al-Thawri, of al-Awza`i, of Malik ibn Anas, and of Layth ibn Sa` Hadiths narrated by 74 of Abu Hanifah’s teachers are recorded in the Six Books, the compilations of Hadiths that became widely established as the most sahih or reliable,[9] that is, the collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Nadwi provides a survey and biographical description of some of the teachers of Abu Hanifah who were regarded as Imams in fiqh and Hadith. To point out a few of scholars he listed `Amir al-Sha`bi, `Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, `Amr ibn Dinar al-Makki, Qatadah ibn Di`amah al-Sadusi al-Basri, and is important to note that for fiqh, the derivation of laws, and for his methods of reasoning, he relied above all and most assiduously on Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman.[10] He was so loyal to Hammad to the extent that he never left his company. He did not conduct his own classes out of respect for his beloved teacher. It was only after Hammad’s death did he succeed him as the principal teacher of fiqh in Kufah and begin to conduct classes. By that time his fame spread far and wide. Experts of fiqh and Hadith attended his sessions, and people from every major city in the Islamic world came to study with him.[1] Nadwi, Abu Hanifah, 24.[2] Ibid., 24.[3] Abu Zahra, 132.[4] Nadwi, Abu Hanifah, 25.[5] Ibid., 25.[6] Ibid., 26.[7] Ibid., 27.[8] Ibid., 29.[9] Ibid., 29.[10] Ibid., 37. By Shaykh Taha Karaan Regarding Imam Abu Hanifah’s allegedly having studied under Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, please be informed as follows Imam Abu Hanifah was the pupil and intellectual successor of his mentor, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, who was the successor to Ibrahim an-Nakha’i, who was the successor to his uncle Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha’i, who was the successor to Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, who was sent as a teacher to the city Kufah by Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab. This chain of intellectual descent is known to anyone knowledgeable of the legislative history of Islam. In fact, Imam Abu Hanifah held his dicourses at the very same place in the masjid of Kufah where Ibn Mas’ud used to teach. This teaching circle was passed down generation after generation, by the men whose names you have just read From Ibn Mas’ud to Alqamah; from Alqamah to Ibrahim; from Ibrahim to Hammad; and ultimately from Hammad to Abu Hanifah, after whom it was occupied by three of his students successively firstly Zufar ibn Hudhayl; then Abu Yusuf; and then Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. Now, regarding the link between Abu Hanifah and Ja’far as-Sadiq, you need to keep in mind the following Firstly Imam Abu Hanifah was born in the year 80 AH Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq was born in the year 83 AH In other words, not only were they contemporaries; but Abu Hanifah was 3 years older than Ja’far as-Sadiq. Secondly Imam Abu Hanifah’s education took place in Kufah, in the school originally established by Ibn Mas’ud. Like other ulama of his time, he used to go to Hijaz for Hajj, and passing through Madinah, he used to benefit from the knowledge of eminent men of learning, such as the father of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, namely Imam Muhammad al-Baqir. Many of the ahadith he narrates from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir are documented in the books of his pupils Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. Thirdly It is true that Imam Abu Hanifah does narrate some ahadith from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq. But that was according to the habit of the ulama to narrate from even their contemporaries. If that alone is to be taken as evidence that Imam Abu Hanifah “studied” under Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, then we will be bound to conclude that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq similarly learnt from people other than his father, such as Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri, Ata ibn Abi Rabah, Urwah ibn Zubaur and Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq has narrated hadith from all of these men, and even others besides them. Tahdhib al-Kamal vol. 5 p. 75 Fourthly In the year 132 the Abbasids came to power, having ousted the Umayyads. Abu Hanifah was then 52 years of age. The Abbasid khalifah Abu Ja’far al-Mansur wanted Abu Hanifah as his chief justice, which post he refused. In order to escape the vengeance of the khalifah, Abu Hanifah betook himself to the Hijaz where he spent the next 2 years. It is in terms of this sojourn in the Hijaz that he is reported to have said, “Were it not for the 2 years, Nu’man Abu Hanifah would have been destroyed”. Creative Shi’i imaginations would have us believe that what he actually meant thereby was that it was during this period that he gained his knowledge at the feet of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq. The absurdity of this can be seen from the fact that by that time he was already so famous as a man of learning, that he was sought by the khalifah as the chief justice. Apart from that, he was, as already shown, over 50 years of age. Fifthly There is a famous story in circulation about Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq posing certain questions to Imam Abu Hanifah regarding the use of Qiyas analogy. You should be informed that the story appears in this form in Shi’i books such as al-Kafi. In the Sunni literature it appears with significant changes. First of all, the discussion is not between Abu Hanifah and Ja’far as-Sadiq, but between Abu Hanifah and Muhammad al-Baqir. Secondly, the story goes as follows Al-Baqir asks Abu Hanifah if he is the one who is changing the Deen of his al-Baqir’s grandfather Rasulullah sallallahu `alayhi wasallam through the use of Qiyas. Abu Hanifah denies that he is changing the Deen. In order to demonstrate the falsehood of the rumours, he then goes on his knees in front of Imam al-Baqir and uses the comparison between 1 the share of a man and a woman in the spoils of war; 2 fasting and prayer with regard to a woman in menstruation having to pray in the former and not the latter; 3 urine and semen in respect of the method of purification for either one. After this lucid demonstration of his usage of Qiyas only where there is no textual evidence, and strictly adhering to the authority of text where it exists, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir stands up and kisses Imam Abu Hanifah on his forehead. Manaqib Abi Hanifah by al-Kardari, p. 99 It was only later that the Shi’ah would adapt the story to suit their own particular needs.

hammad ibn abi sulayman