Imam al-A‘zam Abu Hanifah (RA): The Role Model (part 1)
Collection of Articles
A Gathering on the Virtues of Siraj al-Ummah, Imam al-A‘zam Abu Hanifah (RA)
Speech of Shaykh al-Qur’an wa al-Hadith, Mawlana Muallim Jan Hanafi (HA)
In the name Of Allah
الحمد للهِ لأهلهِ والصلاةُ على أهلها؛ أما بعد فقد قال الله تعالى وتبارک في کتابهِ المجیدِ والفرقانِ الحمیدِ: «أَطِیعُوا الله وَأَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ». صدق الله العظیم. Translation: Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and obey those in authority among you. Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth.
My Muslim brothers and fellow believers!
First of all, I present to you the prophetic gift: السلام علیکم ورحمة الله وبرکاته Translation: Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Secondly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Kalemaat, the independent academic and research organization, and convey my happiness that it has organized such a blessed gathering. I consider it an honor and privilege to participate in this assembly. I also regard the brothers present here and the respected listeners as truly fortunate, for today they are hearing about the virtues of such a noble personality and one of the greatest leaders of this Ummah. They have the opportunity to become acquainted with him and to hear the account of his life and excellence from the scholars.
Respected participants! It is only fitting that we abundantly thank Allah (SWT), Who created us as Muslims, made us members of the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and then, among the great leaders of religion, made us followers and adherents of Imam al-A‘zam Abu Hanifah (RA).
Where was Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) born?
Where was he raised?
Who nurtured and educated him?
What status did he enjoy in the eyes of the scholars?
What rank did he attain?
Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was born in the city of Kufa, a city recognized as one of the greatest centers and strongholds of Islam, knowledge, and jurisprudence. The foundation of this city was laid by Amir al-Mu’minin, Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA).
Kufa became a place where many new Muslims settled. For this reason, Umar (RA) gave special attention to the education and development of its people. He appointed Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA), known as “Habr al-Ummah” (the Scholar of the Ummah), as the teacher of Kufa and addressed its people, saying: آثرتکم بعبدالله علی نفسی Translation: “I have preferred you over myself by sending Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud to you.”
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA) was a personality about whom Umar (RA) said, “کنیف ملیء علماً» Translation: “He was a vessel filled with knowledge. ” Huzaifah (RA) also said regarding him: «ما كان رجل اشبه برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هدياً ودلاً وسمتاً من عبدالله بن مسعود» Translation: “No man resembled the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) more in guidance, conduct, and demeanor than Abdullah ibn Mas’ud’. ” Likewise, the jurist of the Ummah, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal (RA), advised his student Maymun: “Go quickly and acquire knowledge from Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud.”
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA) exerted tremendous efforts in spreading knowledge throughout Kufa. As a result of these efforts, a generation of scholars emerged who devoted themselves day and night to teaching, transmitting, and disseminating the science of Hadith. Historical reports mention their number as seventy-four scholars.
Allamah Zahid al-Kawthari (RA) further states that four thousand scholars were trained in Kufa under the educational influence of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA). For this reason, when Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) arrived in Kufa and witnessed its scholarly greatness, he prayed for Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA), saying: «رحمه الله ابن أم عبد قد ملأ هذه القرية علماً» Translation: “May Allah have mercy upon Ibn Umm ‘Abd; he filled this city with knowledge.”
When Ali (RA) saw the distinguished students of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA), he remarked: «أصحاب ابن مسعود سروج هذه الأمة» Translation: “The students of Ibn Mas‘ud are the lamps of this Ummah.”
Kufa was not only home to Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA). Many other prominent Companions (Sahaba) resided there as well, including Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas (RA), Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (RA), Salman al-Farisi (RA), Ammar ibn Yasir (RA), Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (RA), and Abdullah ibn Harith ibn Jaz’ (RA).
In addition to these noble Companions, Imam al-‘Ijli recorded that approximately 1,500 Companions (RA) lived in Kufa. This number refers only to those who settled there permanently. The number of Companions who visited Kufa for shorter periods and then traveled elsewhere was considerably greater.
Later, when Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) made Kufa the capital of the Caliphate and moved there himself, the city became an even greater center of learning and religion.
Masruq ibn al-Ajda‘ (RA) stated that Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) collectively possessed the essence of the knowledge of all the Companions. He said, “درتُ في الصحابة فوجدت علمهم ينتهي إلى ستة ثم نظرت فوجدت علمهم ينتهي إلى اثنين علي وعبدالله.” Translation: “I examined the Companions and found their knowledge concentrated in six individuals. Then I looked further and found that the knowledge of those six ultimately returned to two: Ali and Abdullah.”
Since both Ali (RA) and Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (RA) resided in Kufa and devoted themselves to teaching Islam and Hadith, Kufa rightfully earned its reputation as a treasury of knowledge and a center of Hadith scholarship.
Its scholarly atmosphere was so remarkable that Allamah Taj al-Din al-Subki (RA), in Tabaqat al-Shafi ‘iyyah al-Kubra, narrates from Abu Bakr ibn Dawud:
“I traveled to Kufa in search of knowledge, for traveling in pursuit of knowledge was the practice of the scholars. I had only one dirham with me, with which I bought thirty measures of beans. Each day I ate one measure and wrote down one thousand hadiths in the gathering of Imam Ashbah (RA). By the end of the month, my beans were finished, but I had recorded thirty thousand hadiths from him.”
Thus, Kufa was a city where a student could learn thirty thousand Hadiths from a single teacher in one month. Considering that thousands of teachers were present there, one can only imagine the immense volume of learning, research, and teaching that took place daily.
The scholarly movement in Kufa was so vibrant that lessons in Hadith were conducted in homes and throughout the city.
Allamah Abu Muhammad al-Ramahurmuzi (RA), in Al-Muhaddith al-Fasil, narrates from Anas ibn Sirin (RA): «أتيت الكوفة فوجدت بها أربعة آلاف يطلبون الحديث وأربعمائة قد فقهوا» Translation: “I came to Kufa and found four thousand people studying Hadith and four hundred who had already attained mastery in jurisprudence.”
Thus, our crown and yours, the Lamp of the Ummah, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA), was born in such a city. He opened his eyes in this great center of knowledge, and the scholars of that land undertook his education and training. He acquired the sciences of Hadith and Fiqh from the scholars of the same city.
For this reason, it is difficult to find among people anyone who reached the rank and status of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) in jurisprudence and the science of Hadith or who could be considered his equal. The reason for this is that others were not blessed with teachers like those of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA). His teachers were either from among the Companions (RA), the Tabi‘un, or the Taba‘ al-Tabi‘in, and he had no teachers from generations below these distinguished ranks.
As for his connection with the noble Companions (RA), the status of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) as a Tabi‘i is a well-established and widely accepted fact that cannot be denied. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (RA) states that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was born in the year 80 AH. Likewise, Imam Ibn Sa‘d (RA) mentions in his book Al-Tabaqat that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was blessed with meeting and seeing Anas ibn Malik (RA).
Allamah Al-Suyuti (RA), in his work Tabyid Al-Sahifah bi Manaqib Abi Hanifah, narrates numerous reports from which it becomes evident that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA)…
