Author: Mufti Abu Saeed Al-Rashid
Imam al-A’zam Abu Hanifah (RA): The Role Model (part 13)
Collection of Articles
The Views of the Scholars on the Exalted Status of Imam al-Aʿzam (Continued)
Imam Isa ibn Yunus (d. 264 AH) said, “Do not speak ill of Abu Hanifah, nor believe anyone who speaks negatively about him. By Allah, I have never seen anyone superior to him, more God-fearing than him, or more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than him.” Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr commented regarding him: “A great number of the early scholars praised him for his profound understanding, keen intelligence, sound analogical reasoning (qiyas), piety, and his avoidance of rulers.”
Sufyan ibn Uyaynah (RA) said: “My eyes have never seen anyone like Abu Hanifah.” The renowned authority in al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdil, Imam Yahya ibn Saʿid al-Qattan (RA), said: “By Allah, he was the most knowledgeable person of this Ummah concerning what came from Allah and His Messenger.” Yahya ibn Maʿin (RA), one of the teachers of Imam al-Bukhari (RA), stated, “He was upright and trustworthy. What do you think of a man whom great authorities such as Ibn Al-Mubarak and Waki declared reliable?”
Al-Hafiz Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Shafi’i (RA), in his book Uqud al-Juman, wrote, “Abu Hanifah was among the greatest masters and preservers of Hadith.” Al-Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr al-Malek i (d. 463 AH) wrote, “Hammad ibn Zayd narrated many Hadiths from Abu Hanifah.” Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi (RA), while introducing Imam Abu Hanifah, wrote, “Abu Hanifah, the Greatest Imam, the jurist of Iraq, was pious, knowledgeable, acted upon his knowledge, devoted to worship, and possessed an exalted rank.”
The eminent Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun stated: “He was among the great mujtahids in the science of Hadith.” The Commander of the Hadith Scholars (Amīr al-Muʾminīn fi al-Hadith), ʿAli ibn al-Madani (RA), said: “He is trustworthy; there is no criticism against him.” Imam al-Shafiʿi (RA) relates that Imam Malek was once asked whether he had seen Imam Abu Hanifah. He replied, “Yes, I saw him. He was a man who, if he presented proofs to convince you that this pillar was made of gold, he would certainly establish his argument.”
The renowned historian Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Yusuf al-Salihi, in his celebrated work Uqud al-Juman fi Manaqib al-Imam al-Aʿẓam Abi Hanifah al-Nuʿman, writes regarding the status of Imam Abu Hanifah: “Know—may Allah have mercy upon you—that Imam Abu Hanifah was among the greatest preservers of Hadith. Earlier it was mentioned that he acquired knowledge from four thousand teachers among the Tabiʿun and others.
The distinguished Hadith critic Abu Abdullah al-Dhahabī included him among the Hadith scholars in his celebrated work Tabaqat al-Huffaz, and he was entirely correct in doing so. Had Imam Abu Hanifah not devoted himself extensively to Hadith, he would never have been able to derive the principles and rulings of Islamic jurisprudence from their evidences, for he was the first to systematically deduce them from the textual proofs.” [1]
Indeed, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was one of the foremost preservers of Hadith. As mentioned previously, he studied under four thousand scholars from among the Tabiʿun and other leading authorities.
The distinguished historian Ibn Khallikan (RA), in Wafayat al-Aʿyan, writes: “Abu Hanifah al-Nuʿman ibn Thabit ibn Zūṭā, the jurist of Kufah, was a client (mawla) of Taym Allah ibn Thaʿlabah and belonged to the circle of Hamzah al-Zayyat. He was a merchant dealing in silk cloth. His grandfather, Zuta, was originally from Kabul, though it has also been said that he was from Babylon, al-Anbar, Nasa, or Tirmidh. He had once been enslaved and was later emancipated, while his son Thabit was born as a Muslim. Ismaʿil ibn Hammad ibn Abi Hanifah said, “I am Ismaʿīl ibn Hammad ibn al-Nuʿman ibn Thabit ibn al-Nuʿman ibn al-Marzuban. We are Persians, born free, and by Allah, none of us was ever enslaved. My grandfather was born in the year 80 AH. When Thabit was still a child, he was taken to ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA), who supplicated for blessings upon him and his descendants. We hope that Allah accepted ʿAli’s supplication for us. Al-Nuʿman ibn al-Marzuban, the father of Thābit, presented a sweet dish (faludhaj) to ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib on the occasion of the Persian festival of Nawruz.’” [2]
Imam al-Aʿzam (RA) earned his livelihood through the trade of fine silk fabrics, with his principal business established in Kufah while maintaining commercial branches in various cities. During the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), the city of Kufah was founded by his command, and thousands of the noble Companions settled there. Among them was Amr ibn Ḥurayth (RA), who constructed a large and well-known marketplace adjacent to the central mosque. Imam Abu Hanifah’s silk workshop and shop were located within this marketplace.
Al-Khaṭib al-Baghdadi records in Tarikh Baghdad that the silk merchants and their shops in the marketplace of Amr ibn Ḥurayth were widely renowned. It appears that this entire marketplace specialized in the weaving and sale of silk fabrics. Imam al-Yafiʿi (RA) also refers to Imam Abu Hanifah’s enterprise, writing, “He possessed a large establishment for producing silk cloth, employing numerous silk weavers.” Ibn Khushnam (RA), speaking about Imam Abu Hanifah’s expertise in textiles, wrote: “He was a silk merchant, and in buying and selling he exercised exceptional precision and careful judgment.” Whenever someone in Kufah sought a rare or high-quality fabric, people would direct him to Imam Abu Hanifah’s shop. His business appears to have operated much like modern wholesale markets, where prices were fixed and established, leaving no room for bargaining or unnecessary negotiation. His objective was never merely personal profit. Rather, he consistently prioritized the welfare of others above his own interests. A substantial portion of his wealth was devoted to supporting scholars and assisting the general public.
Sufyan ibn Uyaynah (RA) said that Imam Abu Hanifah was exceptionally generous and charitable. Whatever profits he earned, he spent in the service of people. He sent me so many valuable gifts that I was astonished by their abundance. When I mentioned this to some of his companions, they replied, “Had you seen the gifts he sent to Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArubah, your amazement would have been even greater.” Imam Abu Hanifah left no one without extending kindness and generosity.
It is also reported that Imam Abu Hanifah maintained a commercial partnership between Baghdad and Kufah. Through this enterprise he generated substantial profits, which he distributed among the scholars, Hadith specialists, and jurists of Kufah so that they could devote themselves to scholarship without financial hardship.
In summary, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) possessed the noblest character and the highest moral qualities. His virtues, noble traits, physical characteristics, miracles (karamat), political life, dealings with ordinary people, generosity toward scholars and the public, intellectual brilliance, sound reasoning, and business ethics are far too extensive to be contained within these few pages. What has been presented here is merely a small sample of his countless virtues. Those seeking a more comprehensive understanding should consult the numerous biographical works devoted to his life and legacy, several of which are listed at the end of this biography.
The books of Sirah and biographical literature record that whenever Imam Abu Hanifah encountered a particularly difficult legal issue, he would say to his companions: “This difficulty is due to a sin that I have committed.”
He would then begin seeking Allah’s forgiveness by repeatedly saying Astaghfirullah, and sometimes he would stand in prayer until the matter became clear to him. Thereafter, he would say: “It seems that Allah has forgiven my sin.”
When al-Fudhail ibn ʿIyad (RA), one of the greatest ascetics and spiritual masters of his era, learned of this practice, he wept profusely and remarked: “The sins of this man must indeed have been very few.” [3]
To be continued…
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[1] In the book Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fī Ikhtiraq al-Āfāq (Vol. 1, p. 195), it is stated: “Kabul is one of the cities of India adjacent to the land of Tokharistan. It is a city of great importance and fine construction. Its mountains produce high-quality aloeswood, and it is also known for coconuts and the Kabuli chebulic myrobalan (ihlilaj).”
[2] Wafayat al-Aʿyan, Vol. 5, p. 405.
[3] Tabaqat al-Hanafiyyah by Mulla Ali al-Qari, Vol. 2, p. 487, citing Risalat al-Mustarshidin.
