Imam A\u2018zam Abu Hanifah And Hadith
\nBY Shaykh \u2018ABD AL-HAFIZ AL-MAKKI ANSWERING DISTORTIONS AND LIES, PRINCIPLES OF HADITH, TAQLID AND IJTIHAD
\nTranslated by Ismaeel Nakhuda
\nTranslator\u2019s foreword: The following is a translation of the introduction (by Shaykh \u2018Abd al-Hafiz al-Makki) to Shaykh Latif al-Rahman al-Bahraichi al-Qasmi\u2019s Al-Rasa\u2019il al-Thalathah al-Hadithiyyah, a collection of three hadith compilations containing narrations transmitted by Imam Abu Hanifah Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit. It was during the Hajj of 2009 that I was sat in a tent in Mina, a stone throw away from the Jamarat, when I was forced to listen to a young man\u2019s rant on how weak Imam A\u2018zam Abu Hanifah apparently was in hadith.
\nIgnoring the sanctity of the venue and time, this young man \u2014 who it later transpired was an instructor at Al Kauthar Institute \u2014 gave a very colourful and misleading description of the respected imam\u2019s supposed lack of knowledge and prowess in hadith. He also gave very little opportunity to others to rectify his wrong impressions. During this lengthy and greatly troubling speech, this young man \u2014 who, to add legitimacy to his views, claimed to be Hanafi and cited several contemporary Hanafi \u2018ulama to support his claim to this effect \u2014 made many frivolous comments regarding the great imam that left me greatly pained and astonished. I also wondered how one could indulge in such slander of an individual who met and narrated from several Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them), and that also at such a sacred time and place.
\nI pray and hope that by translating writings on this subject, misconceptions about this great tabi\u2018i, hadith scholar and faqih will be removed, insha-Allah. To add salt to my wounds, the Al Kauthar instructor also insisted that Imam Abu Hanifah apparently only knew seventeen hadiths! La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. I will, insha-Allah, deal with this issue in a subsequent translation.
\nShaykh \u2018Abd al-Hafiz writes:
\nIn the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful
\nAll praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and salat wa salam on the noblest of messengers and the seal of the prophets Sayyiduna and Mawlana Muhammad, the unlettered and noble prophet, and upon his family and companions, all of them.
\nAfter praising Allah and sending salutations upon the prophet:
\nThe Islamic Ummah is united that Imam A\u2018zam Abu Hanifah Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit (may Allah mercy him) is one of the four followed imams \u2014 Malik, al-Shafi\u2018i, Ahmad and Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy them all and be pleased with them).
\nAmong those issues upon which all of the people of knowledge from both the early and latter times are agreed is that these four jurists, and their likes from among the mujtahid imamswhose followers have gradually died out, only derived fiqh issues (masa\u2019il) and Shari\u2018ah rulings from the book of Allah Most High and the Sunnah of His Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and that which these two sources indicate towards such as consensus (ijma\u2018) and legal analogy (al-qiyas al-shar\u2018i) etc.
\nThe knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah are the basis of ijtihad and the process of deriving rules; it is because of this that the mujtahid jurists were leaders in the knowledge of the Noble Qur\u2019an and the pure Sunnah because without these two core sciences it would not be possible for them to carry out ijtihad and derive rulings and masa\u2019il.
\nIf they did not have the knowledge of the Noble Qur\u2019an and the pure Sunnah then how would they have been able to carry out ijtihad? How would they have been able to derive Shar\u2018i rulings and from where did they bring these religious masa\u2019il? Without the knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, the religion cannot be visualized, and nor can the Shari\u2018ah, its rulings and masa\u2019il.
\nIt is because of this that when any person is designated as a mujtahid, then everyone understands that this person has a large amount and great portion of the knowledge of the Qur\u2019an and Sunnah, such that he is able to perform ijtihad and has been designated as amujtahid.
\nHowever, in spite of all of this, we see some people speaking ill regarding the imam of thefuqahaand mujtahids Imam Abu Hanifah Nu\u2018man, the great tabi\u2018i (may Allah mercy him). They falsely and lyingly say, \u201cSurely, he had no knowledge of the pure Sunnah and the hadiths of the Noble Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and, even if he did, then it was very little.\u201d
\nThese people, even though they were very few in previous times, were refuted by the imams of hadith and Sunnah and the great notable individuals of this science in every age and place. However, a group known for its excesses and extremism, and for calling others heretics and innovators, has increased in recent times. We see some individuals among them in various lands making denigrating remarks regarding this great imam and flaunting unsound treatises, baseless views and malicious lies saying he was ignorant of the science of hadith and the Sunnah (we seek refuge with Allah) while calling themselves the Ansar al-Sunnah, the Ahl al-Hadith, the Salafiyyah and the Muhammadiyyah, as the situation demands. The real people of Sunnah and hadith, the pious predecessors and beloveds of Sayyiduna Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) are innocent of the vileness of what they say and do.
\nThe senior imams of hadith and those notable individuals of this science have refuted these disgraceful lies in every age, and wrote hadiths and their commentaries; and there are many that did this.
\nMany of them devoted books and specific treatises explaining the virtues (manaqib) of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy him) because of this. Among them were Imam Ibn Abi al-\u2018Awwam al-Sa\u2018di,[1] Imam Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Maliki, the hadith scholar Imam Yusuf ibn \u2018Abd al-Hadi al-Hanbali, Imam Hafiz al-Dhahabi, Imam Hafiz al-Zayla\u2018i, Imam Hafiz \u2018Ali al-Qari, Imam Hafiz al-Kirmani, Imam al-Kardari, Imam Ibn Hajar al-Makki, Imam Hafiz al-Suyuti, Imam Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Salihi, Imam Mawfaq ibn Ahmad al-Makki and others.
\nWe shall suffice here in this short introduction by mentioning what the researcher Imam Hafiz Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Dhahabi has mentioned in Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, an excellent book containing only details of the imams and notable hafizs[2] of hadith. Al-Dhahabi himself mentions regarding this book in his introduction:
\n\u201cThis Tadhkirah is of the names of those trusted (mu\u2018addal) bearers of the prophetic sciences and those who refer to their [own] ijtihad in considering [narrations to be] reliable, weak, correct and fabricated. It is upon Allah that I hold fast to, upon Him I rely and to Him I turn to.\u201d
\nIn this excellent and wonderful book, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Imam Hafiz al-Dhahabi mentions Imam Abu Hanifah among those major hafizs of hadith of the fifth rank (al-tabaqat al-khamisah). He writes:
\n\u201cAbu Hanifah, the great imam (imam al-a\u2018zam), the jurist of Iraq, Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit ibn Zuta al-Taymi (who were their masters) al-Kufi. He was born in 80 AH and saw Anas ibn Malik more than once when he came to them in Kufa. Ibn Sa\u2018d has narrated this from Sayf ibn Jabir that he heard Abu Hanifah say this. He narrated from \u2018Ata\u2019a, Nafi\u2018, \u2018Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz al-A\u2018raj, \u2018Adi ibn Thabit, Salamah ibn Kuhayl, Abu Ja\u2018far Muhammad ibn \u2018Ali, Qatadah, \u2018Amr ibn Dinar, Abu Ishaq and many others. Zufar ibn Hudhayl, Dawud al-Ta\u2019i, Qadi Abu Yusuf, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Asad ibn \u2018Amr, Hasan ibn Ziyad al-Lu\u2019lui, Nuh al-Jami\u2018, Abu Muti\u2018 al-Balkhi and others learned fiqh from him. He learned fiqh from Hammad ibn Abu Sulayman and others. Waki\u2018, Yazid ibn Harun, Sa\u2018d ibn al-Sult, Abu \u2018Asim, \u2018Abd al-Razzaq, \u2018Ubayd Allah ibn Musa, Abu Na\u2018im, Abu \u2018Abd al-Rahman al-Muqri and others narrated from him. He was an imam, pious, knowledgeable, someone who practiced, someone who indulged in great worship and a man of great ranking; he would not accept the sultan\u2019s gifts but would trade and earn a living.
\n\u201cDirar ibn Sard said, Yazid ibn Harun was asked, \u2018Who is a greater faqih, al-Thawri or Abu Hanifah?\u2019 He replied, \u2018Abu Hanifah was a greater faqih and Sufyan was greater in rememberinghadith.\u2019 Ibn al-Mubarak said, \u2018Abu Hanifah was the greatest faqih among the people.\u2019 Al-Shafi\u2018i said, \u2018People are children to Abu Hanifah in fiqh.\u2019 Yazid said, \u2018I never saw anyone more god fearing and more intelligent than Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qasim ibn Mihraz narrated from Yahya ibn Ma\u2018in who said, \u2018There is no issue with him; he was not accused of anything. Yazid ibn \u2018Umar ibn Hubayrah imposed on him to take up the judiciary but he refused to be qadi.\u2019 Abu Dawud (may Allah mercy him) said, \u2018Imam Abu Hanifah was an imam.\u2019
\n\u201cBishr ibn al-Walid narrates from Abu Yusuf who said, \u2018I was walking with Abu Hanifah when a man said to another, \u201cThis is Abu Hanifah, he does not sleep at night.\u201d Imam Abu Hanifah said, \u201cI swear by Allah, people do not speak of me regarding that which I have not done.\u201d He used to keep awake the night in prayer, du\u2018a and supplication.\u2019 I (Imam Hafiz al-Dhahabi) say: I have devoted a chapter to the virtues of this imam. He died in Rajab, 150AH. May Allah be pleased with him.\u201d
\nImam Hafiz al-Dhahabi has written under the biography of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy him) in Siyar A\u2018lam al-Nubala:
\n\u201cAnd he took an interest in seeking hadiths and travelled for this. As for fiqh and being precise in providing an opinion and its innermost points, he was at the top. And people are his children in that\u2026\u201d
\nWith his chain of transmission he writes:
\n\u201cIsma\u2018il ibn Hammad ibn Abu Hanifah informed us, \u2018Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit ibn al-Marzaban was from among the free people of Persia. I swear by Allah, we were never enslaved. My grandfather was born in the eightieth year. Thabit went to \u2018Ali when he was small and he prayed for barakah for him and his children. We hope to see Allah accept \u2018Ali\u2019s (may Allah be pleased with him) prayer for us\u2026\u2019
\n\u201cMuhammad Sa\u2018d al-\u2018Uwfi said, I heard Yahya ibn Ma\u2018in say, \u2018Abu Hanifah was reliable (thiqah), he did not narrate a hadith except that which he remembered and did not narrate that which he did not.\u2019
\n\u201cSalih ibn Muhammad said, I heard Yahya ibn Ma\u2018in say, \u2018Abu Hanifah was reliable in hadith.\u2019 Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Qasim ibn Mihraz narrated from Ibn Ma\u2018in, \u2018There is nothing wrong with Abu Hanifah.\u2019 And he said once, \u2018He is according to us from among the people of truth and was never accused of lying. Ibn Hubayrah imposed on him to take up the judiciary, but he refused to be a qadi\u2026\u2019
\n\u201cShu\u2018ayb ibn Ayyub al-Sarifini said, Abu Yahya al-Himmani narrated to us, \u2018I heard Abu Hanifah say, \u201cI saw a dream that scared me. I saw I was digging up the grave of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). I came to Basrah and ordered a man to ask Muhammad ibn Sirin and he asked him. He said, \u2018This man shall uncover the hadiths of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).\u2019\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cThe hadith scholar Mahmud ibn Muhammad al-Marwazi said that Hamid ibn Adam narrated to us that Abu Wahb Muhammad ibn Muzahim narrated to us that, \u2018I heard \u2018Abd Allah ibn Mubarak say, \u201cIf Allah had not aided me with Abu Hanifah and Sufyan, then I would have been like the rest of the people.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cAhmad ibn Zuhayr said that Sulayman ibn Abu Shaykh narrated to us that Hujr ibn \u2018Abd al-Jabbar narrated to me who said, Al-Qasim ibn Ma\u2018n was asked, \u2018Does it please you to be the servants of Abu Hanifah?\u2019 He replied, \u2018The people have not sat with anyone more beneficial than Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Al-Qasim then said to him, \u2018Come with me to him.\u2019 When he (the man who asked) came to him, he stayed with him and said, \u2018I have not seen anyone like him.\u2019
\n\u201cMuhammad ibn Ayyub al-Duris said Ahmad ibn al-Sabah narrated to us, \u2018I heard al-Shafi\u2018i say that Malik was asked, \u201cDid you see Abu Hanifah?\u201d He replied, \u201cYes, I saw a man if he were to speak to you regarding this pillar that he will make it gold then it would happen through his proofs.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cAsad ibn \u2018Amr narrates, \u2018Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy him) performed \u2018Isha and the morning prayer with one wudu for forty years.\u2019
\n\u201cBishr ibn al-Walid narrates from Qadi Abu Yusuf who said, \u2018While I was walking with Abu Hanifah I heard a man saying to another, \u201cThis is Abu Hanifah, he does not sleep at night.\u201d So Abu Hanifah said, \u201cI swear by Allah, it is not spoken of me that which I have not done.\u201d He used to keep awake the night in prayer, supplication and du\u2018a.\u2019
\n\u201cIt has been narrated through two chains that Abu Hanifah recited the entire Qur\u2019an in onerak\u2018ah\u2026
\n\u201cIbn al-Mubarak narrates, \u2018I have never seen a man commanding so much respect in his gathering, and nor more beautiful in manners and gentleness than Abu Hanifah\u2026\u2019
\n\u201cSharik narrates, \u2018Abu Hanifah is someone who would remain quiet for a long time and was someone of great intelligence.\u2019 Abu \u2018Asim al-Nabil said, \u2018Abu Hanifah would be called al-watd(the pole) due to performing so many salah.\u2019 Ibn Ishaq al-Samarqandi narrates from Qadi Abu Yusuf who said, \u2018Abu Hanifah used to complete the Qur\u2019an every night in one rak\u2018ah.\u2019
\n\u201cYahya ibn \u2018Abd al-Hamid al-Himmani narrates from his father that he remained with Abu Hanifah for six months. He said, \u2018I never saw him offer the morning prayer except with thewuduof the \u2018Isha of the previous night. He would complete the Qur\u2019an every night at dawn\u2026\u2019
\n\u201cNuh al-Jami\u2018 narrates from Abu Hanifah that he said, \u2018What is from the Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), then that will gladly be given priority (\u2018ala al-ra\u2019s wa al-\u2018ayn); what comes from the Companions, we shall choose, and what is apart from that, then they are men and we are men.\u2019
\n\u201cWaki\u2018 said, \u2018I heard Abu Hanifah say, \u201cUrinating in the masjid is better than some types of analogy.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Yusuf said that Abu Hanifah said, \u2018It is not appropriate for a man to narrate except that which he has remembered at the time when he heard it.\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Mu\u2018awiyah al-Dharir narrates, \u2018Loving Abu Hanifah is from the Sunnah.\u2019
\n\u201cIshaq ibn Ibrahim al-Zuhri narrates from Bishr ibn al-Walid who said, \u2018Mansur called for Abu Hanifah and wanted him to take up the judiciary and he swore that he will definitely take it. Imam Abu Hanifah refused and vowed, \u201cI will not.\u201d Al-Rabi\u2018 al-Hajib said, \u201cYou see the commander of the faithful taking an oath and you then also take an oath?\u201d He replied, \u201cThe commander of the faithful is more capable of fulfilling the compensation for his oath than I.\u201d He was sent to prison; he died there in Baghdad\u2026\u2019
\n\u201cThe jurist Abu \u2018Abd Allah al-Saymari said, \u2018He did not accept the position of qadi, so he was beaten, imprisoned and died in jail.\u2019 Hayyan ibn Musa al-Marwazi said that Ibn al-Mubarak was asked, \u2018Is Malik a greater jurist or Abu Hanifah?\u2019 He replied, \u2018Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Al-Khuraybi said, \u2018Only the jealous or ignorant disparages Abu Hanifah.\u2019
\n\u201cYahya ibn Sa\u2018id al-Qattan said, \u2018We do not lie in front of Allah. We have not heard any better opinion than that of Abu Hanifah. We have taken the majority of his opinions.\u2019
\n\u201c\u2018Ali ibn \u2018Asim said, \u2018If the knowledge of Imam Abu Hanifah were to be weighed against the knowledge of the people of his era, then he would surpass them.\u2019
\n\u201cHafs ibn Ghiyath said, \u2018The speech of Abu Hanifah in fiqh is finer than a hair; only an ignoramus finds fault in it.\u2019
\n\u201cIt has been narrated from A\u2018mash that he was asked regarding an issue, so he said, \u2018Only Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit al-Khazzaz would be able to answer that expertly. I think he was blessed in his knowledge.\u2019
\n\u201cJarir said, \u2018Mughayrah said to me, \u201cSit with Abu Hanifah, you will gain insight in fiqh. If Ibrahim al-Nakha\u2018i were alive then he would have sat with him.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cIbn al-Mubarak said, \u2018Abu Hanifah is the greatest faqih amongst the people.\u2019
\n\u201cAl-Shafi\u2018i said, \u2018People are children to Abu Hanifah in fiqh.\u2019 I (Imam Hafiz al-Dhahabi) say: leadership (imamat) in fiqh and its subtleties is resigned to this imam. And this is an issue in which there is no doubt.\u2019
\n\u201cAnd nothing will be correct in the minds,
\n\u201cWhen even the day asks for proof that it is day.
\n\u201cIt is possible that his biography can be separated into two volumes. May Allah be pleased with him and mercy him. He died a martyr having been given poison to drink in 150AH; he was 70 years old. Upon his grave are a large dome and a splendid tomb in Baghdad. And Allah is the most knowledgeable.\u201d
\nOur shaykh al-hadith, the imam of the hadith scholars, the a\u2018rif of Allah, the hafiz, the researcher, \u2018Allamah Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalwi then al-Madani (may Allah mercy him) writes in his introduction to Awjaz al-Masalik ila Muwatta Malik,
\n\u201cThe fourth beneficial lesson regarding his (i.e. Imam Abu Hanifah) lofty rank in hadith: And there is no need for this lesson because the imam (may Allah be pleased with him) was amujtahid by consensus, rather he was from among the senior mujtahids and no one has rejected that from those of the earlier and latter times. A man can only be a mujtahid after he has become an expert in the Noble Qur\u2019an, the noble hadiths, the athars,[3] history, lexicography and analogy, as has been explained by the previous and contemporary imams of the principles of fiqh (usul). After all this, rejecting the imamat of an imam in hadith is nothing but scepticism.
\n\u201cIn spite of this, we feel it is appropriate to mention some of the statements of experts on this issue. Ibn al-Mubarak said, \u2018He \u2014 may Allah be pleased with him \u2014 was, I swear by Allah, someone who would firmly grasp knowledge, avoid that which is forbidden, follow the \u2018ulamaof his city (Kufa), only permit taking that which has been correctly transmitted from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and he knew extremely well those hadiths that arenasikh from those which are mansukh.[4] He would seek reliable hadiths and those that show the action of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace). He would hold on to that which he found the \u2018ulama of Kufa on in following the truth and making it his religion. A group has slandered him and we have not answered, seeking forgiveness for him from Allah Most High.\u2019
\n\u201cMakki ibn Ibrahim said, \u2018Abu Hanifah \u2014 may Allah be pleased with him \u2014 was the most knowledgeable person of his era. [I (Shaykh Zakariyya) say: the meaning of \u2018ilm according to the people of hadith has already been covered \u2014 those who memorise the chains (isnad) and the texts (mutun)]. Mansur said to him, \u201cFrom whom have you taken knowledge?\u201d He replied, \u201cFrom the companions of \u2018Umar who took from \u2018Umar, the companions of \u2018Ali who took from \u2018Ali and the companions of Ibn Mas\u2018ud who took from Ibn Mas\u2018ud (may Allah be pleased with them).\u201d Mansur said, \u201cYou are confident.\u201d\u2019 Al-Suyuti has also narrated this and added some words: \u2018\u2026 and the companions of \u2018Abd Allah who took from \u2018Abd Allah. There was, on the face of the earth in the time of Ibn \u2018Abbas, no one more knowledgeable than he. He said, \u2018You are confident of yourself.\u2019
\n\u201cIbn Hajr said, \u2018Avoid being under the delusion that Abu Hanifah did not have full knowledge apart from fiqh. Allah forbid. He was in the sciences of Shari\u2018ah \u2014 such as exegesis (tafsir) and hadith \u2014 the auxiliary sciences relating to literature etc and legal intuition an ocean that could not be surpassed and an imam who could not be contested. The speech of some of his enemies regarding him is different to this; it is rooted in jealousy. The proof of this lies in his being superior to his contemporaries and their accusing him of falsities.\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Yusuf said, \u2018I never saw anyone more knowledgeable in explaining hadiths than him. He had greater insight in sahih hadiths than me.\u2019 It is in Jami\u2018 al-Tirmidhi regarding him, \u2018I never saw a greater liar than Jabir al-Ja\u2018fi and nor anyone more superior than \u2018Ata ibn Abu Rabah. Al-Bayhaqi has narrated regarding Abu Hanifah that he was asked about taking knowledge from Sufyan al-Thawri, he replied, \u201cWrite from him for he is reliable except those hadiths from Abu Ishaq narrating from Jabir al-Ja\u2018fi.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cAl-Khatib has narrated from Sufyan ibn \u2018Uyaynah that he said, \u2018The first to sit me down for hadith in Kufa was Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Sufyan said, \u2018He is the most knowledgeable of the people with regards to the hadiths of \u2018Amr ibn Dinar.\u2019 From this, his high worth in hadiths can also be understood. And why not? He was consulted regarding al-Thawri and would sit Ibn \u2018Uyaynah down. It is narrated from Hasan ibn Salih that \u2018Abu Hanifah \u2014 may Allah be pleased with him \u2014 would thoroughly investigate the abrogater (nasikh) from the abrogated (mansukh), he knew the hadiths of the \u2018ulama of Kufa, he stringently followed that which the scholars did, and he knew well that which reached him through the \u2018ulama of his city.\u2019
\n\u201cYahya ibn Adam said, \u2018Nu\u2018man gathered all of the hadiths of his city, he even saw the final hadiths narrating the Prophet\u2019s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passing away.\u2019 Al-Khatib has narrated from some of the imams of zuhd (ascetics) that they said, \u2018People should supplicate for Abu Hanifah in their prayers for protecting the Sunnah and fiqh for them.\u2019 He also said, \u2018People are jealous and ignorant regarding him. According to me, he is better than them all.\u2019
\n\u201cMu\u2018ammar said, \u2018I have not seen a man speaking so well in fiqh, having such vastness in the acquisition of knowledge and explaining hadiths with greater insight than Abu Hanifah; and nor [have I seen] anyone who would be so cautious that anything doubtful enters the religion of Allah than Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Yahya ibn Ma\u2018in was asked, \u2018Has Sufyan narrated from him?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes, he was reliable and truthful in fiqh and hadith. He was trustworthy in [matters relating] to the religion of Allah.\u2019 He was asked again and said, \u2018He was reliable, I have never heard of anyone considering him weak. This is Shu\u2018bah who writes that he would narrate hadiths, was experienced and surpassed him.\u2019 Hammad ibn Zayd said, \u2018We used to go to \u2018Amr ibn Dinar. When Abu Hanifah would come, he (\u2018Amr) would turn to him and we would begin asking Abu Hanifah. We would ask him and he would narrate to us.\u2019 Isra\u2019il ibn Yunus said, \u2018What a great man is Nu\u2018man. There was none who had retained every hadith in which there is fiqh more than he, scrutinised hadith more than he, and was more knowledgeable of thefiqh inside them than he.\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Yusuf narrates, \u2018I did not differ with him in anything ever except that I pondered over it and found the tract that he followed was more safe in terms of the hereafter. Sometimes, I would be inclined to a hadith and he had more insight in sahih hadiths than me.\u2019 He added, \u2018When he had made up his mind with regards to an opinion, I would visit the shaykhs of Kufa to see if I could find a hadith or athar supporting his view. Sometimes, I would find two or three hadiths, which I would take to him and from among that which he would say was this, \u201cThis is not sahih, or not ma\u2018ruf.\u201d So I would say to him, \u201cWhat do you know of it? Not withstanding, it agrees with your opinion.\u201d He would say, \u201cI know the knowledge of the\u2018ulama of Kufa.\u201d\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Hanifah was with A\u2018mash who was asked about some juristic issues. A\u2018mash said to Abu Hanifah, \u2018What do you say regarding this?\u2019 He replied and A\u2018mash said, \u2018Where did you get this from?\u2019 Abu Hanifah said, \u2018From your hadiths which I have narrated from you.\u2019 He then narrated to him a number of hadiths along with their chains of narration consecutively. A\u2018mash said to him. \u2018That\u2019s enough. What I narrated to you in a hundred days you narrate to me in an hour. I did not know you were acting on these hadiths. Oh community of jurists (fuqaha), you are the physicians and we are the pharmacists. And you fellow, you have taken both.\u2019
\n\u201cHafiz has derived (takhrij) from his hadiths many musnad[5] hadiths, many of which that have reached us are mentioned in the musnad compilations of our shaykhs.\u201d
\nAbu al-Mahasin al-Dimashqi al-Shafi\u2018i has established that the imam possessed a vast number of hadiths and was among the eminent hafizs; he has written individual chapters on both issues in\u2018Uqud al-Juman. Al-Suyuti has narrated that while explaining the hadith, \u201cThe Day of Judgment will not come until knowledge appears,\u201d Hasan ibn Sulayman said, \u201cIt is the knowledge of Abu Hanifah and his explanation of the hadiths.\u201d Al-Suyuti also narrates from Ibn al-Mubarak who recited the following poem:
\nThe imam of the Muslims, Abu Hanifah, has surely decorated the lands and those in them,
\nWith traditions and understanding of hadiths, the effects of which are like characters on a page,
\nThere is none like him in the lands of the east and the lands of the west, and nor in Kufa,
\nI saw those who belittle him foolish, they are in opposition of the truth equipped with weak proofs.
\nAl-Suyuti has mentioned him like this, and these verses are part of a long poem that historians have narrated from Ibn al-Mubarak. We have omitted the rest for the sake of brevity.
\nAl-Sha\u2018rani said:
\n\u201cAllah Most High has favoured me with studying the musnads of Abu Hanifah from a correct manuscript containing the writings of hafizs of hadiths, the last of whom was Hafiz al-Dimyati. I saw him only narrating hadiths from the best of the Followers (Tabi\u2018), those who were honest and reliable and from the khayr al-qurun as testified by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) such as Aswad, \u2018Alqamah, \u2018Ata, \u2018Ikramah, Mujahid, Makhul, Hasan al-Basri and their group (may Allah be pleased with them). All narrators between him and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were honest, reliable, and outstanding eminent personalities. There was none among them who was untruthful or had been accused of lying.\u201d
\nIt shall soon come in the writings of Ibn Khaldun that he said:
\n\u201cThis is proof that he was from among the major mujtahids in the science of hadith, that hismadhhab was held with esteem among them\u2026\u201d
\nMuhammad ibn Husayn al-Musali mentioned at the end of Kitab al-Du\u2018afa:
\n\u201cYahya ibn Ma\u2018in said, \u2018I have seen none who I can prefer over Waki\u2018. He used to issuefatwasaccording to the view of Abu Hanifah. He had memorised all of the hadiths and had heard many hadiths from Abu Hanifah. It was his \u2014 may Allah be pleased with him \u2014 habit that whenever a hadith scholar would enter Kufa he would pursue the hadiths that he would have.\u2019 Al-Mawfaq has narrated hadiths with his chain until \u2018Abd al-\u2018Aziz ibn Abu Razmah and has mentioned the knowledge of Abu Hanifah in hadith and said, \u2018A hadith scholar would come to Kufa and Abu Hanifah would say to his companions, \u201cSee, does he have any hadiths that we don\u2019t?\u201d He said, \u201cAnother hadith scholar would come to them so Abu Hanifah would say the same.\u201d\u2019\u201d
\nIt is in Jami\u2018 Usul fi al-Awliya in the imam\u2019s counsel to his son, Hammad:
\n\u201cHe selected five hadiths from five thousand; they are the four famous ones which Abu Dawud selected after him, and the fifth is, \u2018The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe.\u2019 Al-Mawfaq said, \u2018He \u2014 may Allah be pleased with him \u2014 selected hadiths from forty thousands hadiths.\u2019 It has been narrated from Yahya ibn Nasr, \u2018I heard Abu Hanifah say, \u201cI have chests of hadiths; I have only taken some of them from which benefit can be derived.\u201d\u2019 Hasan ibn Ziyad said, \u2018Abu Hanifah would narrate four thousand hadiths; two thousand from Hammad and two thousand from the rest of his shaykhs.\u2019
\n\u201cAbu Yusuf said, \u2018When a question would come to Abu Hanifah, he would say, \u201cWhich athardo you have regarding this?\u201d When we had narrated the athars, and he had mentioned what he had, he would examine. If the athars in support of one of the two views were more, then he would take that which is more, and if they were close then he would choose except if the analogy was wrong according to him, then he would leave it in favour of juristic preference (istihsan).\u2019
\n\u201cWaki\u2018 said, \u2018Surely, that level of cautiousness in hadith was found in Abu Hanifah that is not found in others.\u2019 Al-Mawfaq has narrated regarding Makki ibn Ibrahim al-Balkhi, the imamof Balkh and al-Bukhari\u2019s shaykh, \u2018He entered Kufa and remained in the company of Abu Hanifah and heard hadith and fiqh from him. He narrated much from him and loved him so much that Isma\u2018il ibn Bishr said, \u201cWe were in Makki\u2019s gathering when he said, Abu Hanifah narrated to us. Then a stranger called out, \u2018Narrate to us from Ibn Jurayj, don\u2019t narrate from Abu Hanifah.\u2019 Makki then said, \u2018We don\u2019t narrate to idiots. I forbid you from writing from me. Go from my gathering.\u2019 He did not narrate anything until the man was taken away from his gathering. Then he said, \u2018Abu Hanifah narrated to us\u2026\u2019 and continued.\u201d\u2019 There is another narration that the man said, \u2018I repent and have made a mistake.\u2019 But Makki refused to narrate to them. Ibn al-Mubarak said, \u2018Abu Hanifah had the upper hand in the ability to remember (hifz), understanding, and being meticulous and extremely cautious.\u2019 Khalf ibn Ayyub said, \u2018I used to frequent the gatherings of the \u2018ulama. At times I would hear something the meaning of which I did not understand which would distress me. When I would come to the gathering of Abu Hanifah, I would ask him about that which I did not know and he would explain it to me. Nur would enter my heart from his explanation and clarification.\u2019
\n\u201cHafs ibn Ghiyath narrates, \u2018I heard from Abu Hanifah his books and his hadiths. I never saw anyone with a more intelligent pen than he, and nor anyone more knowledgeable regarding that which is corrupt and right in matters relating to rulings than he.\u2019 Muhammad ibn Sa\u2018d said, \u2018I have heard from those who attended to Yazid ibn Harun, and with him was Yahya ibn Ma\u2018in, \u2018Ali ibn al-Madini, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Zuhayr ibn Harb and a group of people, when a questioner came and asked him regarding an issue. Yazid said to him, \u201cGo to the people of knowledge.\u201d Ibn al-Madini then said to him, \u201cAre the people of knowledge and hadith not besides you?\u201d He said, \u201cThe people of knowledge are the companions of Abu Hanifah. You are the chemists.\u201d\u2019\u201d
\nThe erudite \u2018allamah, hadith scholar and researcher Shaykh Latif al-Rahman al-Bahraichi al-Qasmi (may Allah protect him with goodness and blessings) has been working on an encyclopaedia of the hadiths of the Prophet transmitted by Imam Azam Abu Hanifah Nu\u2018man (may Allah mercy him and be pleased with him) which will consist of, insha Allah, all of theimam\u2019s narrations that are present in all of his musnad compilations that have been printed and are in manuscript form, and likewise all of his narrations that are in various collections of purehadiths, the books of rijal, rankings (tabaqat), biographies (tarajim), history, life history (siyar) etc.
\nIt was while working on this that we stumbled upon three short manuscripts relating to the narrations of Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy him):
\nKitab al-Arba\u2018in al-Mukhtarah min Hadith al-Imam Abi Hanifah Rahim Allah (Book of Forty Selected Narrations from the Hadiths of Imam Abu Hanifah May Allah Mercy Him) by theimam, the \u2018allamah, the hadith scholar, the faqih Shaykh Yusuf ibn Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn \u2018Abd al-Hadi al-Salihi al-Hanbali, who was famously known as Ibn al-Mabrad and died in 909AH (may Allah mercy him);
\n\u2018Awaliy al-Imam Abi Hanifah (The \u2018Awaliy[6] of Imam Abu Hanifah) by Imam Hafiz Shams al-Din Abu al-Hajjaj Yusuf ibn Khalil ibn \u2018Abd Allah al-Dimashqi al-Hanbali, who died in 648AH (may Allah mercy him);
\nAl-Ahadith al-Sab\u2018ah \u2018an Sab\u2018ah min al-Sahabah alladhina Rawa \u2018anhum al-Imam Abu Hanifah Rahim Allah (The Seven Hadiths from Seven Companions may Allah be pleased with him from whom Imam Abu Hanifah May Allah Mercy Him Narrated) by Imam Shaykh Nasir al-Sunnah Abu al-Makarim \u2018Abd Allah Ibn Husayn al-Nisapuri al-Hanafi.
\nBecause these manuscripts have never been published before, in fact the majority people of knowledge have also never heard of them, we decided to publish them separately before including them in the above mentioned encyclopaedia of hadith to make their benefit widespread, and earn the reward of propagating the pure Sunnah, serving the noble hadiths and defending one of the most eminent personalities of the Prophet\u2019s Ummah: the imam of theimams, fuqaha and mujtahids Abu Hanifah Nu\u2018man ibn Thabit (may Allah mercy him and be pleased with him). We have also placed them in one book due to their brevity and their all being related to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah mercy him) as they are all his hadiths.
\nWe hope that the Noble Creator \u2014 on behalf of the authors, the researcher, the publisher and all readers \u2014 accepts this blessed effort; spreads benefit and goodness far on account of it; and makes it a treasure for the hereafter, a source of reward, and a means of gaining He Who is Gloried and Most High\u2019s proximity and acceptance.
\nMay Allah Most High send salutations upon the best of His creation, the seal of His prophets, the master of His messengers, our chief, our master, our beloved, our exemplar Muhammad, and also upon his family, Companions, wives and followers, all of them. May He bless them, and send much peace.
\nAnd all praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
\nWritten by he who is in need of his noble lord
\n\u2018Abd al-Hafiz Malik \u2018Abd al-Haqq
\nThursday 13\/01\/1425
\nMakkah al-Mukarramah
\nDeoband.org
\n_____________________________
\nIbn Abi al-\u2018Awwam\u2019s Fadail Abi Hanifah wa Akhbaruhu wa Manaqibuhu was also recently published by Al-Maktabah al-Imdadiyyah, Makkah al-Mukarramah, with additional footnotes by Shaykh Latif al-Rahman al-Bahraichi. [\u21a9]
\nMufti Husain Kadodia writes on Sunni Forum that a hafiz is a hadith scholar who has memorised many hadiths and is accepted by the people of his time as a hafiz (Qawa\u2018id fi \u2018Ulum al-Hadith, page 28). [\u21a9]
\nAthar: That statement or act which is attributed to the Companions. [\u21a9]
\nIn other words that hadith that has abrogated another. The one that abrogates is known as thenasikh while the one that has been abrogated is known as the mansukh. [\u21a9]
\nA hadith traced up, ascribed or attributed to the author thereof by the mention uninterruptedly, in ascending order, of the persons by whom it has been transmitted, up to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). [\u21a9]
\nCiting several hadith scholars, Shaykh Latif al-Rahman al-Bahraichi writes on page 132 of this book that in the terminology of the scholars of hadith, the \u2018awaliy, which is the plural of \u2018aliyah, are those hadiths that have a high chain of narration with few links. [\u21a9]
\nhttp:\/\/jamiat.org.za\/blog\/imam-azam-abu-hanifah-and-hadith\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imam A\u2018zam Abu Hanifah And Hadith BY Shaykh \u2018ABD AL-HAFIZ AL-MAKKI ANSWERING DISTORTIONS AND LIES, PRINCIPLES OF HADITH, TAQLID AND IJTIHAD Translated by Ismaeel Nakhuda…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hadith","category-usulul-hadith","wpcat-5-id","wpcat-27-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}