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{{Short description| |
{{Short description|Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian (699–767)}} | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date |
{{Other uses}} | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}} | |||
{{Infobox religious biography | {{Infobox religious biography | ||
| |
| honorific_prefix = ] | ||
| name = |
| name = Abu Hanifa | ||
| native_name = أَبُو حَنِيفَة | |||
| title = The Great Imam<br/>{{lang|ar|الإمام الأعظم}} | |||
| native_name_lang = ar | |||
| title = {{plainlist| | |||
*] ('Shaykh of Islam') | |||
*Al-Imam al-A'zam ('the Greatest Imam') | |||
*Siraj al-A'imma ('Lamp of the Imams') | |||
}} | |||
| birth_date = September 699 CE (Rajab 80 AH) | |||
| birth_place = ], Umayyad Caliphate (modern-day ]) | |||
| death_date = 767 CE (150 AH; aged 68–70) | |||
| death_place = ], Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iraq) | |||
| resting_place = ], | |||
Baghdad, Iraq | |||
| religion = ] | | religion = ] | ||
| children = {{plainlist| | |||
| birth_date = 696 (77 Hijri)<br />], ] | |||
*Hammad | |||
| death_date = 767 (150 Hijri)<br />], ] | |||
*Hanifa<ref name=muftisays>{{cite web|url=https://www.muftisays.com/qa/history/1868-imamabuhanifah|title=imamAbuhanifah|publisher=muftisays|date=May 19, 2006|access-date=Jan 21, 2024}}</ref> | |||
| region = ]<ref name="jacb1">{{cite book|last1 = A.C. Brown|first1 = Jonathan|author-link = Jonathan A.C. Brown|title = Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy|date = 2014|publisher = ]|isbn = 978-1780744209|pages = |url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/misquotingmuhamm0000brow/page/24}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
| era = Late ] – early ] | |||
| region = Kufa<ref name="jacb1">{{cite book|last1=A.C. Brown|first1=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan A.C. Brown|title=Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy|date=2014|publisher=]|isbn=978-1780744209|pages=|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/misquotingmuhamm0000brow/page/24}}</ref> | |||
| denomination = ] | | denomination = ] | ||
| jurisprudence = ] | | jurisprudence = ] (eponym of the ]) | ||
| main_interests = ] | | main_interests = {{plainlist| | ||
*] | |||
*] | |||
| notable_ideas = ] | |||
*] | |||
| works = '']'', '']'', '']'' | |||
| influences = ]<br>]<br> ] | |||
| influenced = ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and all Sunnis, especially the ] | |||
| resting_place = ], | |||
], ] | |||
| children = Hammad | |||
| teachers = ] | |||
| honorific prefix = al-Imām al-Aʿẓam | |||
}} | }} | ||
| notable_ideas = {{plainlist| | |||
*Hanafi school | |||
*] | |||
}} | |||
| notable_works = {{plainlist| | |||
*'']'' | |||
*'']'' | |||
*'']'' | |||
}} | |||
| occupation = {{plainlist| | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
}} | |||
| module1 = {{infobox Arabic name|embed=yes | |||
|ism=Al-Nuʿmān | |||
|ism-ar=ٱلنُّعْمَان | |||
|nasab=Ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān | |||
|nasab-ar=ٱبْن ثَابِت بْن زُوطَا بْن مَرْزُبَان | |||
|kunya=Abū Ḥanīfa | |||
|kunya-ar=أَبُو حَنِيفَة | |||
|nisba=Al-Taymī al-Kūfī | |||
|nisba-ar=ٱلتَّيْمِيّ ٱلْكُوفِيّ | |||
}} | |||
| influences = {{flatlist| | |||
* ] | |||
*] | |||
*{{interlanguage link|Alqama ibn Marthid|ar|علقمة بن مرثد}} | |||
*{{interlanguage link|Salama ibn Kuhayl|ar|سلمة بن كهيل}} | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
}} | |||
| influenced = {{flatlist| | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*all Hanafis | |||
}} | |||
}} | |||
'''Abu Hanifa'''{{efn|Full name '''Abū Ḥanīfa al-Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān al-Taymī al-Kūfī''' ({{langx|ar|أَبُو حَنِيفَة ٱلنُّعْمَان بْن ثَابِت بْن زُوطَا بْن مَرْزُبَان ٱلتَّيْمِيّ ٱلْكُوفِيّ}}); he is also known by the titles '''Shaykh al-Islam''' ('Shaykh of Islam'), '''al-Imam al-A'zam''' ('the Greatest Imam'), and '''Siraj al-A'imma''' ('Lamp of the Imams').<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="Cambridge"/>}} ({{langx|ar|أَبُو حَنِيفَة|translit=Abū Ḥanīfa}}; September 699–767)<ref name="iranicaonline.org"></ref> was a Muslim ], ], ], ],<ref name="ReferenceA">Pakatchi, Ahmad and Umar, Suheyl, "Abū Ḥanīfa", in: ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'', Editors-in-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary.</ref> and eponym of the ] of ] ], which remains the most widely practiced to this day.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His school predominates in ] and ], ], ], ], and some parts of the ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Nazeer Ahmed|title=Islam in Global History: Volume One: From the Death of Prophet Muhammed to the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UavBlPQfuagC|date=2001|publisher=]|isbn=9781462831302|page=113}}</ref><ref name="Ludwig W. Adamec 2012 17">{{cite book|author=Ludwig W. Adamec|author-link=Ludwig W. Adamec|title=Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AAHna6aqtX4C|date=2012|publisher=]|isbn=9780810878150|page=17}}</ref> | |||
Born to a Muslim family in ],<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Abu Hanifa traveled to the ] region of Arabia in his youth, where he studied in the ] of ] and ].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He was named by ] as "one of the geniuses of the sons of ]" who "combined jurisprudence, worship, scrupulousness, and generosity".<ref>{{cite book|last=Al-Dhahabi|author-link=Al-Dhahabi|title=Al-Ibar fi Khabar man Ghabar|url=https://shamela.ws/book/25841/162|volume=1|page=164}}</ref> | |||
As his career as a jurist and theologian progressed, he became known for favoring the use of ] in his jurisprudential rulings, and even in his theology.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His school grew after his death, and the majority of its followers would also eventually come to follow the ] of theology.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> He left behind two major students, ] and ], who would later become celebrated jurists in their own right. | |||
'''Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān''' ({{lang-ar|نعمان بن ثابت بن زوطا بن مرزبان}}; {{circa|696}}–767), commonly known by his '']'' '''Abū Ḥanīfa''' ({{lang-ar|أبو حنيفة}}), or reverently as '''Imam Abū Ḥanīfa''' by ] ],<ref></ref> was a Sunni Muslim ] and ]<ref name="ReferenceA">Pakatchi, Ahmad and Umar, Suheyl, "Abū Ḥanīfa", in: ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'', Editors-in-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary.</ref> who became the eponymous founder of the ] ], which has remained the most widely practised law school in the Sunni tradition,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> predominating in ], ], ] (until the 16th century), ], ], ], ], ], Muslims in ], ], and some parts of the ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Nazeer Ahmed|title=Islam in Global History: Volume One: From the Death of Prophet Muhammed to the First World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UavBlPQfuagC|date=2001|publisher=]|isbn=9781462831302|page=113}}</ref><ref name="Ludwig W. Adamec 2012 17">{{cite book|author=Ludwig W. Adamec|author-link=Ludwig W. Adamec|title=Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AAHna6aqtX4C|date=2012|publisher=]|isbn=9780810878150|page=17}}</ref> He is also called '''''al-Imām al-Aʿẓam''''' ("The Greatest Imam") and '''''Sirāj al-Aʾimma''''' ("The Lamp of the Imams") by some of his Sunni followers.<ref name="Cambridge" /><ref name="ReferenceA" /> | |||
==Name== | |||
Born to a Muslim family in ],<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Abu Hanifa is known to have travelled to the ] region of ] in his youth, where he studied in ] and ].<ref name="ReferenceA" /> As his career as a theologian and jurist progressed, Abu Hanifa became known for favouring the use of ] in his legal rulings (''faqīh dhū raʾy'') and even in his theology.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Abu Hanifa's theological school is claimed to be what would later develop into the ] school of ].<ref name="ReferenceA" /> | |||
How Abu Hanifa earned his name is disputed. According to some ], including Muhyi al-Din, ''ḥanīfa'' refers to "inkpot" in Abu Hanifa's ]. He was often seen with one, thus earning his name this way.<ref name=muftisays/> According to this interpretation, his name literally means the "Father of the Inkpot". | |||
However, some ] contest he earned it as he had a daughter named Hanifa.<ref name=muftisays/> His name would then mean the "Father of Hanifa". The opposing side believes he never had a daughter with such name. | |||
==Life== | |||
==Biography== | |||
===Family background=== | ===Family background=== | ||
Abu Hanifa was born in ] |
Historians generally agree Abu Hanifa was born in Kufa during the period of the ], but they differ regarding the year: 699 CE / 80 AH,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Çakmak|first1=Cenap|title=Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia|date=18 May 2017|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-217-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSHFDgAAQBAJ&dq=abu+hanifa+born+in+kufa&pg=PA32}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Suwaidan|first=Dr. Tareq Al|title=Imam Abu Hanifa an-Nu'man|publisher=الابداع الفكري|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_a3DwAAQBAJ&dq=abu+hanifa+born+in+kufa&pg=PT28|quote=Abu Hanifa, may God have mercy on him, was born in Kufa in 80 AH, as the preponderant opinion states. This is what al-Khattab mentioned in his narration of Isma'il, Abu Hanifa's grandson, ...}}</ref> 696 CE / 77 AH,<ref>{{cite book|last=Ibn Abd al-Barr|author-link=Ibn Abd al-Barr|title=Jami' Bayan al-Ilm wa-Fadlih}}</ref> 689 CE / 70 AH,<ref>{{cite book|last=Ibn Hibban|author-link=Ibn Hibban|title=al-Jarh wa-l-Ta'dil}}</ref> or 680 CE / 61 AH.<ref name=adhdhahabi>{{cite book|last=adh-Dhahabi|author-link=adh-Dhahabi|title=The Virtues of Imam Abu Hanifa|publisher=Visions of Reality Publishing|pages=9–10}}</ref> Many historians choose the latest date, 699 CE / 80 AH; however, ], adjunct to the office of the last Elder of Islam of the ], believed the date of 689 CE / 70 AH is supported by two considerations.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} First, Muhammad ibn Makhlad al-Attar considered the narration of Abu Hanifa's son, Hammad, from ] to be an example of an older man's narration rather than a younger man. Second, Abu Hanifa was concerned with who should succeed ] after his death in 96 AH. This concern would have only arisen if he was older than 19, since it is considered he only took his religious studies seriously after then. If Abu Hanifa was born in 80 AH, Abu Hanifa would have been 16 at the time of al-Nakhai's death.<ref name=adhdhahabi/> | ||
Abu Hanifa is thought to be of ] ancestry |
Abu Hanifa is thought to be of ] ancestry.<ref name=Cambridge>S. H. Nasr (1975), "The religious sciences", in R.N. Frye, ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', Volume 4, Cambridge University Press. p.474: "Abū Ḥanīfah, who is often called the "grand imam"(al-Imam al-'Azam) was Persian</ref><ref name=Cyril>Cyril Glasse, "The New Encyclopedia of Islam", Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. p.23: "Abu Hanifah, a Persian, was one of the great jurists of Islam and one of the historic Sunni Mujtahids"</ref> However, he has also been stated to have descended from the ], ] who migrated into ] during the ].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |volume=II (C-G) |date=1998 |url=https://brill.com/edcollbook/title/1481 |editor= ] |editor2=] |editor3=] |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-07026-4|quote=Abu Hanīfa was also of ] stock, his grandfather being known as Zūṭi, apparently a corruption of Zuṭṭi.|page=489}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wink |first=André |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCVyhH5VDjAC&pg=PA161 |title=Al-hind: The Making of the Indo-islamic World | author-link =André Wink|date=1991 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-09249-5 |language=en|page=161|quote=Some Jat freemen became famous in the Islamic world, as for instance Abu Hanifa ( 699-767 ? )}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Malik |first=Jamal| author-link = Jamal Malik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAT1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |title=Islam in South Asia: Revised, Enlarged and Updated Second Edition |date=2020 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-42271-1 |language=en|quote="...Abu Hanifa (699–767), the founder of the Hanafi school of law, who was of Jat stock, most likely descending from those early prisoners sent to Iraq."|page=44}}</ref> His grandfather, Zuta, may have been captured by Muslim troops in ] and sold as a slave in Kufa, where he was purchased and freed by an Arab tribesman of the ], a branch of the ]. Zuta and his progeny thereafter would have become ] of the Taym Allah, hence the sporadic references to Abu Hanifa as "al-Taymi".{{sfn|Schacht|1960|p=123}} According to his grandson Isma'il, however, his lineage went back to free Persians who had never been held as slaves. He called Abu Hanifa's great-grandfather "Marzuban", which is an Arabicized form of the ] military office of ], held by governors of the frontier provinces of the Sasanian realm.<ref name="iranicaonline.org"/> | ||
===Early life and scholarship=== | ===Early life and scholarship=== | ||
There is scant biographical information about Abu Hanifa. It is generally known that he worked a producer and seller of |
There is scant biographical information about Abu Hanifa. It is generally known that he worked a producer and seller of ''khazz'', a type of silk clothing material. He attended lectures on jurisprudence conducted by the Kufan scholar ] (d. 737).{{sfn|Schacht|1960|p=123}} He also possibly learnt jurisprudence (]) from the Meccan scholar ] (d. {{circa|733}}) while on ]. | ||
When Hammad died, Abu Hanifa succeeded him as the principal authority on Islamic law in Kufa and the chief representative of the Kufan school of jurisprudence.{{sfn|Schacht|1960|p=123}} Abu Hanifa gradually gained influence as an authority on legal questions, founding a moderate rationalist school of |
When Hammad died, Abu Hanifa succeeded him as the principal authority on Islamic law in Kufa and the chief representative of the Kufan school of jurisprudence.{{sfn|Schacht|1960|p=123}} Abu Hanifa gradually gained influence as an authority on legal questions, founding a moderate rationalist school of Islamic jurisprudence that was named after him.<ref name="Ludwig W. Adamec 2012 17"/> | ||
{{portal|Islam}} | {{portal|Islam}} | ||
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] in ], ]]] | ] in ], ]]] | ||
In 763, ], the ] ] offered Abu Hanifa the post of ''] al-qudat'' (chief judge of the state), but he declined the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student ] was later appointed to the post by Caliph ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e40?_hi=0&_pos=10|title=Oxford Islamic Studies Online|website=Abu Yusuf|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> | In 763, ], the ] ] offered Abu Hanifa the post of ''] al-qudat'' (]), but he declined the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student ] was later appointed to the post by Caliph ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e40?_hi=0&_pos=10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405233909/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e40?_hi=0&_pos=10|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 5, 2016|title=Oxford Islamic Studies Online|website=Abu Yusuf|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> | ||
In his reply to al-Mansur, Abu Hanifa said that he was not fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post |
In his reply to al-Mansur, Abu Hanifa said that he was not fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post accused Abu Hanifa of lying. | ||
"If I am lying," Abu Hanifa responded, "then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a |
"If I am lying," Abu Hanifa responded, "then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a ''qadi''?" | ||
Incensed by this reply, al-Mansur had Abu Hanifa arrested, locked in prison and tortured. It was said that once in prison he was never fed nor cared for.<ref>], vol. III, p.86; Muruj al-dhahab, vol. III, pp. 268–270.</ref> Even in prison, the jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to visit him. | Incensed by this reply, al-Mansur had Abu Hanifa arrested, locked in prison and tortured. It was said that once in prison he was never fed nor cared for.<ref>], vol. III, p.86; Muruj al-dhahab, vol. III, pp. 268–270.</ref> Even in prison, the jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to visit him. | ||
On 15 Rajab 150,<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna.htm |title=Understanding the Ahle al-Sunnah: Traditional Scholarship & Modern Misunderstandings |last=Ammar |first=Abu |publisher=Islamic Information Centre |year=2001 |chapter=Criticism levelled against Imam Abu Hanifah |access-date=2018-06-13 |chapter-url=http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna7.htm}}</ref> (15 August 767<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://habibur.com/hijri/150/7/ |title=Islamic Hijri Calendar For Rajab – 150 Hijri |website=habibur.com |access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref>) Abu Hanifa died in prison. The cause of his death is not clear, as it was said by some that Abu Hanifa issued a legal opinion for bearing arms against al-Mansur, so al-Mansur had him poisoned.<ref>Najeebabadi, Akbar S. (2001). The History of Islam. vol, 2. Darussalam Press. pp. 287. {{ISBN|9960-892-88-3}}.</ref> His fellow prisoner and founder of ], ], was said to have received life-saving counsel from Abu Hanifa.<ref>Nemoy, Leon. (1952). Karaite Anthology: Excerpts from the Early Literature. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. pp. 4–5. {{ISBN|0-300-00792-2}}.</ref> It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for the more than 50,000 people who had massed before he was actually buried. The historian al-Khatib said that for a full 20 days people performed funeral prayers for him. Many years later, the ] was built in the ] neighbourhood of ]. Abu Hanifa also supported the cause of ] and Ibrahim al Qamar, both ] ] Imams. | On 15 Rajab 150,<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna.htm |title=Understanding the Ahle al-Sunnah: Traditional Scholarship & Modern Misunderstandings |last=Ammar |first=Abu |publisher=Islamic Information Centre |year=2001 |chapter=Criticism levelled against Imam Abu Hanifah |access-date=2018-06-13 |chapter-url=http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna7.htm}}</ref> (15 August 767<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://habibur.com/hijri/150/7/ |title=Islamic Hijri Calendar For Rajab – 150 Hijri |website=habibur.com |access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref>) Abu Hanifa died in prison. The cause of his death is not clear, as it was said by some that Abu Hanifa issued a legal opinion for bearing arms against al-Mansur, so al-Mansur had him poisoned.<ref>Najeebabadi, Akbar S. (2001). The History of Islam. vol, 2. Darussalam Press. pp. 287. {{ISBN|9960-892-88-3}}.</ref> His fellow prisoner and founder of ], ], was said to have received life-saving counsel from Abu Hanifa.<ref>Nemoy, Leon. (1952). Karaite Anthology: Excerpts from the Early Literature. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. pp. 4–5. {{ISBN|0-300-00792-2}}.</ref> It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for the more than 50,000 people who had massed before he was actually buried. The historian ] said that for a full 20 days people performed funeral prayers for him. Many years later, the ] was built in the ] neighbourhood of ]. Abu Hanifa also supported the cause of ] and Ibrahim al Qamar, both ] ] Imams. | ||
The structures of the tombs of Abu Hanifa and ] were destroyed by ] of the ] in 1508.<ref></ref> In 1533, the ] conquered Baghdad and rebuilt the tombs of Abu Hanifa and Abdul Qadir, as well as other Sunni sites.<ref name="burak">{{cite book|title=The Second Formation of Islamic Law: The Ḥanafī School in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire|last=Burak|first=Guy|date=2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-09027-9|place=Cambridge|pages=1}}</ref> | The structures of the tombs of Abu Hanifa and ] were destroyed by ] of the ] in 1508.<ref></ref> In 1533, the ] conquered Baghdad and rebuilt the tombs of Abu Hanifa and Abdul Qadir, as well as other Sunni sites.<ref name="burak">{{cite book|title=The Second Formation of Islamic Law: The Ḥanafī School in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire|last=Burak|first=Guy|date=2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-09027-9|place=Cambridge|pages=1}}</ref> | ||
== |
== Sources and methodology == | ||
The sources from which Abu Hanifa derived Islamic law, in order of importance and preference, were: the ], the authentic narrations of the Muslim prophet ] (known as '']''), consensus of the Muslim community (]), analogical reasoning ('']''), juristic discretion ('']'') and the customs of the local population enacting Muslim laws (''']'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hanafi school {{!}} Definition & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanafiyah |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The development of analogical reason and the scope and boundaries by which it may be used was recognized by the majority of Muslim jurists, but its establishment as a legal tool was the result of the Hanafi school. While it was likely used by some of his teachers, Abu Hanifa is regarded by modern scholarship as the first to formally adopt and institute analogical reason as a part of Islamic law.<ref>See:<br />*], ''Introduction to the Sociology of Islam'', pg. 236–237. ]: Williams and Norgate, 1931–1933.<br />*], The Proposed Political, Legal and Social Reforms. Taken from Modernist Islam 1840–1940: A Sourcebook, pg. 280. Edited by ]. ]: ], 2002.<br />*Mansoor Moaddel, ''Islamic Modernism, Nationalism, and Fundamentalism: Episode and Discourse'', pg. 32. ]: ], 2005.<br />*Keith Hodkinson, ''Muslim Family Law: A Sourcebook'', pg. 39. Beckenham: Croom Helm Ltd., Provident House, 1984.<br />*''Understanding Islamic Law: From Classical to Contemporary'', edited by Hisham Ramadan, pg. 18. ]: ], 2006.<br />*Christopher Roederrer and {{Interlanguage link|Darrel Moellendorf|de}}, ''Jurisprudence'', pg. 471. Lansdowne: Juta and Company Ltd., 2007.<br />*Nicolas Aghnides, ''Islamic Theories of Finance'', pg. 69. New Jersey: Gorgias Press LLC, 2005.<br />*], "Ibn Mada's Criticism of Arab Grammarians." ''Orient'', v. 10, pgs. 89–113. 1974</ref> | |||
] listed 97 hadith scholars who were his students. Most of them went on to be hadith scholars, and their narrated hadiths were compiled in the '']'', '']'' and other books of hadith.<ref>''Tāhzibul Kamal'' by Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi</ref> Imām ] included another 260 students who studied ] and ] with Abu Hanifa.<ref>Māganīl Akhīar by Imām Aini</ref> | |||
As the fourth Caliph, ] had transferred the Islamic capital to ], and many of the ] of Muslims had settled there. The Hanafi school of law based many of its rulings on the prophetic tradition as transmitted by those first generation Muslims residing in Iraq. Thus, the Hanafi school came to be known as the Kufan or Iraqi school. Ali and ] helped form much of the base of the school, as well as other personalities from the direct relatives (or ]) of ] from whom Abu Hanifa had studied such as ]. Many jurists and historians had reportedly lived in Kufa, including one of Abu Hanifa's main teachers, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman.<ref>Nadwi, Sayyid Ijteba. ''Nuqoosh-e-Tabinda''. (in Urdu) (1994 First ed). Jamia Nagar: Dar Irnaws p. 254</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2017 |title=The Leading Fiqh Scholars (Founders of the four schools of Fiqh) |url=https://islamicfiqh.net/en/articles/the-leading-fiqh-scholars-founders-of-the-four-schools-of-fiqh-3}}</ref> | |||
His most famous students were Imām ], who served as the first chief justice in the Muslim world, and Imām ], who was the teacher of the ] school of jurisprudence founder, Imām ]. His other students included:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ilmfeed.com/40-students-of-imam-abu-hanifah/|title=40 Great Students of Imam Abu Hanifah|date=March 26, 2014|website=ilmfeed.com}}</ref> | |||
==Reception== | |||
# ] | |||
] | |||
# Abu Nuāim Fadl Ibn Dukain | |||
# Malik bin Mighwal | |||
# Dawood Taa’ee | |||
# Mandil bin Ali | |||
# Qaasim bin Ma’n | |||
# Hayyaaj bin Bistaam | |||
# Hushaym bin Basheer Sulami | |||
# ] | |||
# Ali bin Tibyaan | |||
# Wakee bin Jarrah | |||
# Amr bin Maymoon | |||
# Abu Ismah | |||
# Zuhayr bin Mu’aawiyah | |||
# Aafiyah bin Yazeed | |||
=== Positive === | |||
== Sources and methodology == | |||
He was highly regarded across the various fields of sacred knowledge and significantly influenced the development of Muslim theology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Magill |first=Frank Northen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CurSh3Sh_KMC |title=Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages |date=January 1, 1998 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781579580414 |page=17 |language=en}}</ref> During his lifetime, he was acknowledged as a jurist of the highest calibre.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hallaq |first=Wael B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPCN1yXEdg8C |title=The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law |date=January 1, 2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521005807 |page=159 |language=en}}</ref> The Shafi'i and prominent hadith scholar, ], stated that criticism of Abu Hanifa holds no significance, as figures like Abu Hanifa are "''on a degree to which Allah - the Exalted - has raised them, in that they are followed and imitated.''" <ref>{{Cite book |last=as-Sakhawi |first=Shams ad-Deen |title=al-Jawahir wa al-Durar fi Tarjama Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajr |date=1999 |publisher=Dar Ibn Hazm, Beirut |pages=vol.2 pp.946–947}}</ref> | |||
The sources from which Abu Hanifa derived Islamic law, in order of importance and preference, were: the ], the authentic narrations of the Muslim prophet ] (known as ]), consensus of the Muslim community (]), analogical reasoning (]), juristic discretion (]) and the customs of the local population enacting Muslim laws (]). The development of analogical reason and the scope and boundaries by which it may be used was recognized by the majority of Muslim jurists, but its establishment as a legal tool was the result of the Hanafi school. While it was likely used by some of his teachers, Abu Hanifa is regarded by modern scholarship as the first to formally adopt and institute analogical reason as a part of Islamic law.<ref>See:<br />*], ''Introduction to the Sociology of Islam'', pg. 236–237. ]: Williams and Norgate, 1931–1933.<br />*], The Proposed Political, Legal and Social Reforms. Taken from Modernist Islam 1840–1940: A Sourcebook, pg. 280. Edited by ]. ]: ], 2002.<br />*Mansoor Moaddel, ''Islamic Modernism, Nationalism, and Fundamentalism: Episode and Discourse'', pg. 32. ]: ], 2005.<br />*Keith Hodkinson, ''Muslim Family Law: A Sourcebook'', pg. 39. Beckenham: Croom Helm Ltd., Provident House, 1984.<br />*''Understanding Islamic Law: From Classical to Contemporary'', edited by Hisham Ramadan, pg. 18. ]: ], 2006.<br />*Christopher Roederrer and {{Interlanguage link|Darrel Moellendorf|de}}, ''Jurisprudence'', pg. 471. Lansdowne: Juta and Company Ltd., 2007.<br />*Nicolas Aghnides, ''Islamic Theories of Finance'', pg. 69. New Jersey: Gorgias Press LLC, 2005.<br />*], "Ibn Mada's Criticism of Arab Grammarians." ''Orient'', v. 10, pgs. 89–113. 1974</ref> | |||
] credited Abu Hanifa for his knowledge and addressed the accusations against him, stating, “''There is no doubt regarding Imam Abu Hanifa's knowledge. People later attributed many lies to Imam Abu Hanifa, which were all untrue. The aim of such writings was to taint Imam Abu Hanifa''” <ref>{{Cite book |last=Ibn Taymiyya |title=Minhaj as-Sunna An-Nabawiyya |pages=vol.1, page 259}}</ref> His students, ] and ], held similar opinions about Abu Hanifa, extensively rebuking accusations against him and praising his contributions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ibn Kathir |title=Al-Bidāya wa l-Nihāya}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=adh-Dhahabi |title=Tadhkira al-Huffaz}}</ref> | |||
As the fourth Caliph, ] had transferred the Islamic capital to ], and many of the ] of Muslims had settled there. The Hanafi school of law based many of its rulings on the prophetic tradition as transmitted by those first generation Muslims residing in Iraq. Thus, the Hanafi school came to be known as the Kufan or Iraqi school. Ali and ] helped form much of the base of the school, as well as other personalities from the direct relatives (or ]) of ] from whom Abu Hanifa had studied such as ]. Many jurists and historians had reportedly lived in Kufa, including one of Abu Hanifa's main teachers, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman.<ref>Nadwi, Sayyid Ijteba. ''Nuqoosh-e-Tabinda''. (in Urdu) (1994 First ed). Jamia Nagar: Dar Irnaws p. 254</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://islamicfiqh.net/en/articles/the-leading-fiqh-scholars-founders-of-the-four-schools-of-fiqh-3|title=The Leading Fiqh Scholars (Founders of the four schools of Fiqh)|date=April 20, 2017}}</ref> | |||
He received the honorific title ''al-Imam al-A'zam'' ("the highly venerated Imām")<ref>{{Cite book |last=Houtsma |first=M. Th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CP7fYghBFQC |title=E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936 |date=January 1, 1993 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9004097902 |page=840 |language=en}}</ref> and his tomb, surmounted by a dome erected by admirers in 1066 is still a shrine for pilgrims.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Magill |first=Frank Northen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CurSh3Sh_KMC |title=Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages |date=January 1, 1998 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781579580414 |page=18 |language=en}}</ref> It was restored in 1535 by ] after the ] conquest of Baghdad.<ref name="burak" /> | |||
=== Negative === | |||
Abu Hanifa also had his critics. He was perceived by ], ] and ] and to be a heretic and in opposition to the instructions of Muhammad, and al-Bukhari's teacher, ], was one of the first to pen a refutation of his Abu Hanifa's thought.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Ahmad |title=Heresy and the formation of medieval Islamic orthodoxy: the making of Sunnism, from the eighth to the eleventh century |date=2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-09837-3 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom New York, NY |pages=27–37, 45–46, 57–68}}</ref> The ] scholar ] quoted ]: "The affairs of men were in harmony until they were changed by Abù Hanìfa in Kùfa, al-Batti in Basra and Màlik in Medina".<ref>], "This Day I have Perfected Your Religion For You: A Zahiri Conception of Religious Authority," p.33. Taken from ''Speaking for Islam: Religious Authorities in Muslim Societies''. Ed. Gudrun Krämer and ]. ]: ], 2006</ref> Early Muslim jurist ] once related a story about a highway robber who posed as an old man to hide his identity; he then remarked that were the robber still alive he would be a follower of Abu Hanifa.<ref>], The Zahiris, pg. 15. Volume 3 of Brill Classics in Islam. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2008. {{ISBN|9789004162419}}</ref> | |||
=== Today === | |||
Today, the Hanafi school is followed by 45% of Muslims<ref>{{Cite web |last=Esposito |first=John |date=2017 |title=The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims |url=http://themuslim500.com/downloads/TheMuslim500-2017-lowres.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927233013/http://themuslim500.com/downloads/TheMuslim500-2017-lowres.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |website=The Muslim 500 |page=32 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and Abu Hanifa is popularly known amongst ] as a man of the highest personal qualities: a performer of good works, remarkable for his self-denial, humble spirit, devotion and pious awe of God.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waines |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYxZ0QpKBGsC |title=An Introduction to Islam |date=November 6, 2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521539067 |page=66 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
==Generational status== | ==Generational status== | ||
Abu Hanifa is regarded by some authorities as one of the ], the generation after the ], who were the companions of the ], ]. This is based on reports that he met at least four |
Abu Hanifa is regarded by some authorities as one of the ], the generation after the ], who were the companions of the ], ]. This is based on reports that he met at least four ''sahaba'' including ],<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Meri |first=Josef W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFZsBgAAQBAJ |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia |date=October 31, 2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135456030 |page=5 |language=en}}</ref> with some even reporting that he transmitted '']'' from him and other companions of Muhammad.<ref name="masud"></ref><ref>http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/alsunna7.htm last accessed June 8, 2011</ref> Others take the view that Abu Hanifa only saw around half a dozen companions, possibly at a young age, and did not directly narrate hadith from them.<ref name="masud" /> | ||
Abu Hanifa was born at least 60 years after the death of |
Abu Hanifa was born at least 60 years after the death of Muhammad, but during the time of the first generation of Muslims, some of whom lived on until Abu Hanifa's youth. Anas ibn Malik, Muhammad's personal attendant, died in 93 AH and another companion, Abul Tufail Amir bin Wathilah, died in 100 AH, when Abu Hanifa was at least 20 years old. The author of al-Khairat al-Hisan collected information from books of biographies and cited the names of Muslims of the first generation from whom it was reported that the Abu Hanifa had transmitted hadith. He counted 16 of them, including ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Imam-ul-A'zam Abū Ḥanīfah, The Theologian |url=http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/abu_hanifa.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212202055/http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/abu_hanifa.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2010 |publisher=Masud.co.uk}}</ref> | ||
== |
== Students == | ||
] listed 97 hadith scholars who were his students. Most of them went on to be hadith scholars, and their narrated hadiths were compiled in the '']'', '']'' and other books of hadith.<ref>''Tāhzibul Kamal'' by Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi</ref> Imām ] included another 260 students who studied '']'' and '']'' with Abu Hanifa.<ref>Māganīl Akhīar by Imām Aini</ref> | |||
] | |||
He was highly regarded across the various fields of sacred knowledge and significantly influenced the development of Muslim theology.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CurSh3Sh_KMC|title=Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages|last=Magill|first=Frank Northen|date=January 1, 1998|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781579580414|page=17|language=en}}</ref> During his lifetime, he was acknowledged as a jurist of the highest calibre.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPCN1yXEdg8C|title=The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law|last=Hallaq|first=Wael B.|date=January 1, 2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521005807|page=159|language=en}}</ref> | |||
His most famous students were Imām ], who served as the first chief justice in the Muslim world, and Imām ], who was the teacher of the ] school of jurisprudence founder, Imām ]. His other students included ] and ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ilmfeed.com/40-students-of-imam-abu-hanifah/|title=40 Great Students of Imam Abu Hanifah|date=March 26, 2014|website=ilmfeed.com}}</ref> | |||
==Character and appearance== | |||
Outside of his scholarly achievements, Abu Hanifa is popularly known amongst ] as a man of the highest personal qualities: a performer of good works, remarkable for his self-denial, humble spirit, devotion and pious awe of God.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYxZ0QpKBGsC|title=An Introduction to Islam|last=Waines|first=David|date=November 6, 2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521539067|page=66|language=en}}</ref> | |||
Al-Nadr ibn Muhammad recalled Abu Hanifa had "a beautiful face, beautiful clothing, and fragrant scent."<ref name="aldhahabisiyar">{{cite book |last=Al-Dhahabi |url=https://shamela.ws/book/10906/4649 |title=Siyar al-A'lam al-Nubula' |volume=6 |pages=399–400 |author-link=Al-Dhahabi}}</ref> | |||
His student Abu Yusuf described him as "well-formed, from the best of people in appearance, most eloquent in speech, sweetest in tone, and clearest in expressing his thoughts."<ref name="aldhahabisiyar" /> | |||
His tomb, surmounted by a dome erected by admirers in 1066 is still a shrine for pilgrims.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CurSh3Sh_KMC|title=Dictionary of World Biography: The Middle Ages|last=Magill|first=Frank Northen|date=January 1, 1998|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781579580414|page=18|language=en}}</ref> It was restored in 1535 by ] after the ] conquest of Baghdad.<ref name="burak" /> | |||
His son Hammad described him as "very handsome, dark-skinned, having good posture, wearing much cologne, tall, not speaking except in reply to someone else, and not involving himself in what did not concern him."<ref name="aldhahabisiyar" /> | |||
The honorific title ''al-Imam al-A'zam'' ("the greatest leader") has been granted to him<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CP7fYghBFQC|title=E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936|last=Houtsma|first=M. Th|date=January 1, 1993|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004097902|page=840|language=en}}</ref> in many communities where his legal theory is followed.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} According to ], 45% of all Muslims follow the Hanafi school.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://themuslim500.com/downloads/TheMuslim500-2017-lowres.pdf|title=The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims|last=Esposito|first=John|date=2017|website=The Muslim 500|page=32|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927233013/http://themuslim500.com/downloads/TheMuslim500-2017-lowres.pdf|archive-date=September 27, 2017|url-status = dead|access-date=August 2, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
Ibn al-Mubarak remarked he "never saw a man more revered in gatherings, nor better in character and forbearance, than Abu Hanifa."<ref name="aldhahabisiyar" /> | |||
Abu Hanifa also had his critics. The ] scholar ] quoted ]: "he affairs of men were in harmony until they were changed by Abù Hanìfa in Kùfa, al-Batti in Basra and Màlik in Medina".<ref>], "This Day I have Perfected Your Religion For You: A Zahiri Conception of Religious Authority," p.33. Taken from ''Speaking for Islam: Religious Authorities in Muslim Societies''. Ed. Gudrun Krämer and ]. ]: ], 2006</ref> Early Muslim jurist ] once related a story about a highway robber who posed as an old man to hide his identity; he then remarked that were the robber still alive he would be a follower of Abu Hanifa.<ref>], The Zahiris, pg. 15. Volume 3 of Brill Classics in Islam. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2008. {{ISBN|9789004162419}}</ref> | |||
==Connection with the family of Muhammad == | ==Connection with the family of Muhammad == | ||
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{{Islam scholars diagram}} | {{Islam scholars diagram}} | ||
As with Malik ibn Anas (who was a teacher of Imam ],<ref name="Dutton">{{citation |title=The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal |last=Dutton |first=Yasin |author-link=Yasin Dutton |page=16}}</ref><ref name="Haddad2007">{{cite book |last=Haddad |first=Gibril F. |title=The Four Imams and Their Schools |location=], the ] |publisher=Muslim Academic Trust |year=2007 |pages=121–194}}</ref>{{rp|121}} who in turn was a teacher of Sunni Imam ]), Imam Abu Hanifa was a student of ], who was a ] of the ] (]) ]. Thus all of the four great Imams of Sunni '']'' are connected to Ja'far from the ] of Muhammad, whether directly or indirectly.<ref name="HistoryOfIslam">{{cite web |url=http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-classical-period/imam-ja%E2%80%99afar-as-sadiq/ |title=Imam Ja'afar as Sadiq |work=History of Islam |access-date=2012-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721215837/http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-classical-period/imam-ja%E2%80%99afar-as-sadiq/ |archive-date=2015-07-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | As with ] (who was a teacher of Imam ],<ref name="Dutton">{{citation |title=The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal |last=Dutton |first=Yasin |author-link=Yasin Dutton |page=16}}</ref><ref name="Haddad2007">{{cite book |last=Haddad |first=Gibril F. |title=The Four Imams and Their Schools |location=], the ] |publisher=Muslim Academic Trust |year=2007 |pages=121–194}}</ref>{{rp|121}} who in turn was a teacher of Sunni Imam ]), Imam Abu Hanifa was a student of ], who was a ] of the ] (]) ]. Thus all of the four great Imams of Sunni '']'' are connected to Ja'far from the ] (household) of Muhammad, whether directly or indirectly.<ref name="HistoryOfIslam">{{cite web |url=http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-classical-period/imam-ja%E2%80%99afar-as-sadiq/ |title=Imam Ja'afar as Sadiq |work=History of Islam |access-date=2012-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721215837/http://historyofislam.com/contents/the-classical-period/imam-ja%E2%80%99afar-as-sadiq/ |archive-date=2015-07-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
In one ], Abu Hanifa once said about Imam Ja'far: "I have not seen anyone with more knowledge than Ja'far ibn Muhammad."<ref>{{cite book |title=Siyār Aʿlām An-Nubalāʾ |volume=6 |page=257 |language=ar}}</ref> However, in another hadith, Abu Hanifa said: "I met with ] and I never saw in his generation a person more knowledgeable, as quick a thinker, or more eloquent than he was."<ref>{{cite book |title=Al-Tuhaf Sharh al-Zulaf |page=28 |language=ar}}</ref> | In one '']'', Abu Hanifa once said about Imam Ja'far: "I have not seen anyone with more knowledge than Ja'far ibn Muhammad."<ref>{{cite book |title=Siyār Aʿlām An-Nubalāʾ |volume=6 |page=257 |language=ar}}</ref> However, in another hadith, Abu Hanifa said: "I met with ] and I never saw in his generation a person more knowledgeable, as quick a thinker, or more eloquent than he was."<ref>{{cite book |title=Al-Tuhaf Sharh al-Zulaf |page=28 |language=ar}}</ref> | ||
==Opposition to |
==Opposition to anthropomorphism== | ||
Imam Abu Hanifa was quoted as saying that ] (d. 128/745) went so far in his denial of ] (Tashbih) as to declare that 'God is not something (Allah laysa bi shay')'. ] (d. 150/767), likened God to His creatures.<ref>{{cite book|author=M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth|title=History of civilizations of Central Asia: Volume IV: The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century - Part Two: The Achievements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9yTFnuWQKvkC|date=2000|publisher=]|isbn=9789231036545|page=122}}</ref> | Imam Abu Hanifa was quoted as saying that ] (d. 128/745) went so far in his denial of ] (Tashbih) as to declare that 'God is not something (Allah laysa bi shay')'. ] (d. 150/767), likened God to His creatures.<ref>{{cite book|author=M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth|title=History of civilizations of Central Asia: Volume IV: The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century - Part Two: The Achievements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9yTFnuWQKvkC|date=2000|publisher=]|isbn=9789231036545|page=122}}</ref> | ||
] narrated in his ''Tarikh Baghdad'' (History of Baghdad) that Imam Abu Hanifa said: {{Cquote|Two groups of the worst of people are from ]: the ] (followers of ]) and the Mushabbihah (antropomorphists), and he probably said (instead of Mushabbihah) "Muqatiliyyah" (followers of ]).<ref>{{cite |
] narrated in his ''Tarikh Baghdad'' (History of Baghdad) that Imam Abu Hanifa said: {{Cquote|Two groups of the worst of people are from ]: the ] (followers of ]) and the Mushabbihah (antropomorphists), and he probably said (instead of Mushabbihah) "Muqatiliyyah" (followers of ]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ilmgate.org/the-scholarly-acceptance-of-imam-abu-hanifah%E2%80%99s-pronouncements-on-al-jarh-wa-al-ta%E2%80%99dil/|title=The Scholarly Acceptance of Imam Abu Hanifah's Pronouncements on al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil|work=IlmGate|date=December 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://darulmaarif.com/answers-to-doubts-over-the-aqidah-of-imam-abu-hanifah/|title=Answers to Doubts over the 'Aqidah of Imam Abu Hanifah|date=March 2014|publisher=Darul Ma'arif}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=1182&bk_no=60&flag=1|title=Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' by Al-Dhahabi|publisher=Islam Web}}</ref>}} | ||
== |
==Footnotes== | ||
{{notelist}} | |||
{{Noref section|date=June 2021}} | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+Scholarly works by Abu Hanifa | |||
!Title | |||
!Description | |||
|- | |||
|'']'' | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|''Al-Fiqh al-Absat'' | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|'']'' | |||
|Narrated by Imam ] & Imam ] – compiled from a total of 70,000 hadith | |||
|- | |||
|''Al-Wasiyyah'' | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
|''] Imam Abu Hanifah'' | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
===Confusion regarding Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar=== | |||
The attribution of ''Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar'' to Abu Hanifa has been disputed by A.J. Wensick<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wensick|first1=A.J.|title=The Muslim Creed|date=1932|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=London|page=125}}</ref> as well as by Zubair Ali Zai.<ref>]'s . Taken from ''The Story of the Fabricated book and the Rabbaanee Scholars'', pg. 19–20. Trns. Abu Hibbaan and Abu Khuzaimah Ansaari.</ref> | |||
Other scholars have agreed that Abu Hanifa was the author including ], al-Bazdawi, and Abd al-Aziz al-Bukhari.<ref name="White Thread Press">{{cite book|last1=Ibn Yusuf Mangera|first1=Mufti Abdur-Rahman|author-link= Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera|title=Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar Explained|date=November 2007|publisher=White Thread Press|location=California, USA|isbn=978-1-933764-03-0|pages=24–35|edition=First}}</ref> The scholar, Ibn Abil-'Izz Al-Hanafi attributes the book to Abu Hanifa.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ibn Abil-Izz|title=Sharh At-Tahawiyah}}</ref> | |||
Scholars such as ] have pointed out that the book being brought into question by Wensick is actually another work by Abu Hanifa called: ''Al-Fiqh Al-Absat''.<ref name="White Thread Press" /> | |||
==Citations== | ==Citations== | ||
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===Online=== | ===Online=== | ||
* , in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, The Editors of |
* , in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, Thinley Kalsang Bhutia, Surabhi Sinha and Adam Zeidan | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* {{Wikiquote-inline}} | |||
{{linkfarm|date=July 2021}} | |||
* {{commons category-inline}} | |||
{{Wikiquote}} | |||
* {{wikibooks inline}} | |||
* Biography at Lost Islamic History. | * Biography at Lost Islamic History. | ||
* by Jamil Ahmad. | * by Jamil Ahmad. | ||
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* | * | ||
{{Islamic Theology|state=expanded}} | |||
{{Hanafi scholars}} | {{Hanafi scholars}} | ||
{{Islamic Theology}} | |||
{{People of Khorasan}} | {{People of Khorasan}} | ||
{{ |
{{authority control}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Hanifa}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Hanifa}} | ||
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Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian (699–767) For other uses, see Abu Hanifa (disambiguation).
ImamAbu Hanifa | |
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أَبُو حَنِيفَة | |
Title |
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Personal life | |
Born | September 699 CE (Rajab 80 AH) Kufa, Umayyad Caliphate (modern-day Iraq) |
Died | 767 CE (150 AH; aged 68–70) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iraq) |
Resting place | Abu Hanifa Mosque, Baghdad, Iraq |
Children |
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Era | Late Umayyad – early Abbasid |
Region | Kufa |
Main interest(s) | |
Notable idea(s) |
|
Notable work(s) | |
Occupation | |
Religious life | |
Religion | Islam |
Denomination | Sunni |
Jurisprudence | Independent (eponym of the Hanafi school) |
Muslim leader | |
Influenced by | |
Influenced | |
Arabic name | |
Personal (Ism) | Al-Nuʿmān ٱلنُّعْمَان |
Patronymic (Nasab) | Ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān ٱبْن ثَابِت بْن زُوطَا بْن مَرْزُبَان |
Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Ḥanīfa أَبُو حَنِيفَة |
Toponymic (Nisba) | Al-Taymī al-Kūfī ٱلتَّيْمِيّ ٱلْكُوفِيّ |
Abu Hanifa (Arabic: أَبُو حَنِيفَة, romanized: Abū Ḥanīfa; September 699–767) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence, which remains the most widely practiced to this day. His school predominates in Central and South Asia, Turkey, the Balkans, Russia, and some parts of the Arab world.
Born to a Muslim family in Kufa, Abu Hanifa traveled to the Hejaz region of Arabia in his youth, where he studied in the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. He was named by al-Dhahabi as "one of the geniuses of the sons of Adam" who "combined jurisprudence, worship, scrupulousness, and generosity".
As his career as a jurist and theologian progressed, he became known for favoring the use of reason in his jurisprudential rulings, and even in his theology. His school grew after his death, and the majority of its followers would also eventually come to follow the Maturidi school of theology. He left behind two major students, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani, who would later become celebrated jurists in their own right.
Name
How Abu Hanifa earned his name is disputed. According to some linguists, including Muhyi al-Din, ḥanīfa refers to "inkpot" in Abu Hanifa's dialect. He was often seen with one, thus earning his name this way. According to this interpretation, his name literally means the "Father of the Inkpot".
However, some historians contest he earned it as he had a daughter named Hanifa. His name would then mean the "Father of Hanifa". The opposing side believes he never had a daughter with such name.
Biography
Family background
Historians generally agree Abu Hanifa was born in Kufa during the period of the Umayyad Caliphate, but they differ regarding the year: 699 CE / 80 AH, 696 CE / 77 AH, 689 CE / 70 AH, or 680 CE / 61 AH. Many historians choose the latest date, 699 CE / 80 AH; however, Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, adjunct to the office of the last Elder of Islam of the Ottoman Empire, believed the date of 689 CE / 70 AH is supported by two considerations. First, Muhammad ibn Makhlad al-Attar considered the narration of Abu Hanifa's son, Hammad, from Malik ibn Anas to be an example of an older man's narration rather than a younger man. Second, Abu Hanifa was concerned with who should succeed Ibrahim al-Nakha'i after his death in 96 AH. This concern would have only arisen if he was older than 19, since it is considered he only took his religious studies seriously after then. If Abu Hanifa was born in 80 AH, Abu Hanifa would have been 16 at the time of al-Nakhai's death.
Abu Hanifa is thought to be of Persian ancestry. However, he has also been stated to have descended from the Zutt, Jats who migrated into Iraq during the Islamic Golden Age. His grandfather, Zuta, may have been captured by Muslim troops in Kabul and sold as a slave in Kufa, where he was purchased and freed by an Arab tribesman of the Taym Allah, a branch of the Banu Bakr. Zuta and his progeny thereafter would have become clients of the Taym Allah, hence the sporadic references to Abu Hanifa as "al-Taymi". According to his grandson Isma'il, however, his lineage went back to free Persians who had never been held as slaves. He called Abu Hanifa's great-grandfather "Marzuban", which is an Arabicized form of the Sasanian military office of marzban, held by governors of the frontier provinces of the Sasanian realm.
Early life and scholarship
There is scant biographical information about Abu Hanifa. It is generally known that he worked a producer and seller of khazz, a type of silk clothing material. He attended lectures on jurisprudence conducted by the Kufan scholar Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman (d. 737). He also possibly learnt jurisprudence (fiqh) from the Meccan scholar Ata ibn Abi Rabah (d. c. 733) while on pilgrimage.
When Hammad died, Abu Hanifa succeeded him as the principal authority on Islamic law in Kufa and the chief representative of the Kufan school of jurisprudence. Abu Hanifa gradually gained influence as an authority on legal questions, founding a moderate rationalist school of Islamic jurisprudence that was named after him.
Adulthood and death
In 763, al-Mansur, the Abbasid caliph offered Abu Hanifa the post of qadi al-qudat (chief judge of the state), but he declined the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student Abu Yusuf was later appointed to the post by Caliph Harun al-Rashid.
In his reply to al-Mansur, Abu Hanifa said that he was not fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post accused Abu Hanifa of lying.
"If I am lying," Abu Hanifa responded, "then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a qadi?"
Incensed by this reply, al-Mansur had Abu Hanifa arrested, locked in prison and tortured. It was said that once in prison he was never fed nor cared for. Even in prison, the jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to visit him.
On 15 Rajab 150, (15 August 767) Abu Hanifa died in prison. The cause of his death is not clear, as it was said by some that Abu Hanifa issued a legal opinion for bearing arms against al-Mansur, so al-Mansur had him poisoned. His fellow prisoner and founder of Karaite Judaism, Anan ben David, was said to have received life-saving counsel from Abu Hanifa. It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for the more than 50,000 people who had massed before he was actually buried. The historian al-Khatib said that for a full 20 days people performed funeral prayers for him. Many years later, the Abu Hanifa Mosque was built in the Adhamiyah neighbourhood of Baghdad. Abu Hanifa also supported the cause of Zayd ibn Ali and Ibrahim al Qamar, both Alid Zaydi Imams.
The structures of the tombs of Abu Hanifa and Abdul Qadir Gilani were destroyed by Shah Ismail of the Safavid Empire in 1508. In 1533, the Ottomans conquered Baghdad and rebuilt the tombs of Abu Hanifa and Abdul Qadir, as well as other Sunni sites.
Sources and methodology
The sources from which Abu Hanifa derived Islamic law, in order of importance and preference, were: the Qur'an, the authentic narrations of the Muslim prophet Muhammad (known as hadith), consensus of the Muslim community (ijma'), analogical reasoning (qiyas), juristic discretion (istihsan) and the customs of the local population enacting Muslim laws ('urf). The development of analogical reason and the scope and boundaries by which it may be used was recognized by the majority of Muslim jurists, but its establishment as a legal tool was the result of the Hanafi school. While it was likely used by some of his teachers, Abu Hanifa is regarded by modern scholarship as the first to formally adopt and institute analogical reason as a part of Islamic law.
As the fourth Caliph, Ali had transferred the Islamic capital to Kufa, and many of the first generation of Muslims had settled there. The Hanafi school of law based many of its rulings on the prophetic tradition as transmitted by those first generation Muslims residing in Iraq. Thus, the Hanafi school came to be known as the Kufan or Iraqi school. Ali and Abdullah, son of Masud helped form much of the base of the school, as well as other personalities from the direct relatives (or ahl al-bayt) of Muḥammad from whom Abu Hanifa had studied such as Muhammad al-Baqir. Many jurists and historians had reportedly lived in Kufa, including one of Abu Hanifa's main teachers, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman.
Reception
Positive
He was highly regarded across the various fields of sacred knowledge and significantly influenced the development of Muslim theology. During his lifetime, he was acknowledged as a jurist of the highest calibre. The Shafi'i and prominent hadith scholar, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, stated that criticism of Abu Hanifa holds no significance, as figures like Abu Hanifa are "on a degree to which Allah - the Exalted - has raised them, in that they are followed and imitated."
Ibn Taymiyya credited Abu Hanifa for his knowledge and addressed the accusations against him, stating, “There is no doubt regarding Imam Abu Hanifa's knowledge. People later attributed many lies to Imam Abu Hanifa, which were all untrue. The aim of such writings was to taint Imam Abu Hanifa” His students, Ibn Kathir and al-Dhahabi, held similar opinions about Abu Hanifa, extensively rebuking accusations against him and praising his contributions.
He received the honorific title al-Imam al-A'zam ("the highly venerated Imām") and his tomb, surmounted by a dome erected by admirers in 1066 is still a shrine for pilgrims. It was restored in 1535 by Suleiman the Magnificent after the Ottoman conquest of Baghdad.
Negative
Abu Hanifa also had his critics. He was perceived by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Muhammad al-Bukhari and Ibn Sa'd and to be a heretic and in opposition to the instructions of Muhammad, and al-Bukhari's teacher, al-Humaydi, was one of the first to pen a refutation of his Abu Hanifa's thought. The Zahiri scholar Ibn Hazm quoted Sufyan ibn `Uyaynah: "The affairs of men were in harmony until they were changed by Abù Hanìfa in Kùfa, al-Batti in Basra and Màlik in Medina". Early Muslim jurist Hammad ibn Salamah once related a story about a highway robber who posed as an old man to hide his identity; he then remarked that were the robber still alive he would be a follower of Abu Hanifa.
Today
Today, the Hanafi school is followed by 45% of Muslims and Abu Hanifa is popularly known amongst Sunni Muslims as a man of the highest personal qualities: a performer of good works, remarkable for his self-denial, humble spirit, devotion and pious awe of God.
Generational status
Abu Hanifa is regarded by some authorities as one of the tabi‘un, the generation after the sahaba, who were the companions of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. This is based on reports that he met at least four sahaba including Anas ibn Malik, with some even reporting that he transmitted hadith from him and other companions of Muhammad. Others take the view that Abu Hanifa only saw around half a dozen companions, possibly at a young age, and did not directly narrate hadith from them.
Abu Hanifa was born at least 60 years after the death of Muhammad, but during the time of the first generation of Muslims, some of whom lived on until Abu Hanifa's youth. Anas ibn Malik, Muhammad's personal attendant, died in 93 AH and another companion, Abul Tufail Amir bin Wathilah, died in 100 AH, when Abu Hanifa was at least 20 years old. The author of al-Khairat al-Hisan collected information from books of biographies and cited the names of Muslims of the first generation from whom it was reported that the Abu Hanifa had transmitted hadith. He counted 16 of them, including Anas ibn Malik, Jabir ibn Abd-Allah and Sahl ibn Sa'd.
Students
Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi listed 97 hadith scholars who were his students. Most of them went on to be hadith scholars, and their narrated hadiths were compiled in the Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and other books of hadith. Imām Badr al-Din al-Ayni included another 260 students who studied hadith and fiqh with Abu Hanifa.
His most famous students were Imām Abu Yusuf, who served as the first chief justice in the Muslim world, and Imām Muhammad al-Shaybani, who was the teacher of the Shafi‘i school of jurisprudence founder, Imām Al-Shafi‘i. His other students included Abdullah ibn Mubarak and Fudhayl bin Iyaadh
Character and appearance
Al-Nadr ibn Muhammad recalled Abu Hanifa had "a beautiful face, beautiful clothing, and fragrant scent."
His student Abu Yusuf described him as "well-formed, from the best of people in appearance, most eloquent in speech, sweetest in tone, and clearest in expressing his thoughts."
His son Hammad described him as "very handsome, dark-skinned, having good posture, wearing much cologne, tall, not speaking except in reply to someone else, and not involving himself in what did not concern him."
Ibn al-Mubarak remarked he "never saw a man more revered in gatherings, nor better in character and forbearance, than Abu Hanifa."
Connection with the family of Muhammad
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As with Malik ibn Anas (who was a teacher of Imam al-Shafi'i, who in turn was a teacher of Sunni Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal), Imam Abu Hanifa was a student of Ja'far al-Sadiq, who was a descendant of the Islamic nabi (prophet) Muhammad. Thus all of the four great Imams of Sunni fiqh are connected to Ja'far from the bayt (household) of Muhammad, whether directly or indirectly.
In one hadith, Abu Hanifa once said about Imam Ja'far: "I have not seen anyone with more knowledge than Ja'far ibn Muhammad." However, in another hadith, Abu Hanifa said: "I met with Zayd (Ja'far's uncle) and I never saw in his generation a person more knowledgeable, as quick a thinker, or more eloquent than he was."
Opposition to anthropomorphism
Imam Abu Hanifa was quoted as saying that Jahm ibn Safwan (d. 128/745) went so far in his denial of anthropomorphism (Tashbih) as to declare that 'God is not something (Allah laysa bi shay')'. Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 150/767), likened God to His creatures.
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrated in his Tarikh Baghdad (History of Baghdad) that Imam Abu Hanifa said:
Two groups of the worst of people are from Khurasan: the Jahmiyyah (followers of Jahm ibn Safwan) and the Mushabbihah (antropomorphists), and he probably said (instead of Mushabbihah) "Muqatiliyyah" (followers of Muqatil ibn Sulayman).
Footnotes
- Full name Abū Ḥanīfa al-Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān al-Taymī al-Kūfī (Arabic: أَبُو حَنِيفَة ٱلنُّعْمَان بْن ثَابِت بْن زُوطَا بْن مَرْزُبَان ٱلتَّيْمِيّ ٱلْكُوفِيّ); he is also known by the titles Shaykh al-Islam ('Shaykh of Islam'), al-Imam al-A'zam ('the Greatest Imam'), and Siraj al-A'imma ('Lamp of the Imams').
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- Dutton, Yasin, The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal, p. 16
- Haddad, Gibril F. (2007). The Four Imams and Their Schools. London, the U.K.: Muslim Academic Trust. pp. 121–194.
- "Imam Ja'afar as Sadiq". History of Islam. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
- Siyār Aʿlām An-Nubalāʾ (in Arabic). Vol. 6. p. 257.
- Al-Tuhaf Sharh al-Zulaf (in Arabic). p. 28.
- M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth (2000). History of civilizations of Central Asia: Volume IV: The Age of Achievement: A.D. 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century - Part Two: The Achievements. UNESCO. p. 122. ISBN 9789231036545.
- "The Scholarly Acceptance of Imam Abu Hanifah's Pronouncements on al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil". IlmGate. December 11, 2011.
- "Answers to Doubts over the 'Aqidah of Imam Abu Hanifah". Darul Ma'arif. March 2014.
- "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' by Al-Dhahabi". Islam Web.
Sources
- Schacht, J. (1960). "Abu Hanifa". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 123–124. OCLC 495469456.
Further reading
- al-Quduri, Ahmad ibn Muhammad (2010). Mukhtasar al-Quduri. Translated by Tahir Mahmood al-Kiani (First ed.). Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1842001189.
- Nu'mani, Shibli (1998). Imām Abū Ḥanīfah – Life and Works. Translated by M. Hadi Hussain. Islamic Book Service, New Delhi. ISBN 81-85738-59-9.
- Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf, Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar Explained
Online
- Abū Ḥanīfah: Muslim jurist and theologian, in Encyclopædia Britannica Online, by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, Thinley Kalsang Bhutia, Surabhi Sinha and Adam Zeidan
External links
- Quotations related to Abu Hanifa at Wikiquote
- Media related to Abu Hanifa at Wikimedia Commons
- Abu Hanifa at Wikibooks
- The Life of Imam Abu Hanifa Biography at Lost Islamic History.
- Imam Abu Hanifa by Jamil Ahmad.
- Al-Wasiyyah of Imam Abu Hanifah Translated into English by Shaykh Imam Tahir Mahmood al-Kiani.
- Book on Imam e Azam Abu Hanifa (Urdu)
- Abu Hanifa on Muslim heritage
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah By Shiekh G. F. Haddad
- Some teachers and students of Imam Abu Hanifa
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