Author: Mufti Muhammad Gul Saeed
Imam al-A’zam Abu Hanifah (RA): The Role Model (part 15)
Collection of Articles
Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani’s Visit to the Shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa
Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, one of the most distinguished contemporary Muslim scholars (RA), visited the shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) and described his experience as follows: “When we left the shrine of Imam Abu Yūsuf (RA), the sun was about to set. My heart was filled with an indescribable longing to reach the shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa. Although the journey was somewhat long, our driver fulfilled the duty of hospitality with remarkable sincerity and brought us to Masjid al-Imam al-Aʿẓam in time for the Maghrib prayer. The entire district has become known as Aʿzamiyyah because of the blessed shrine of the Imam.”
Today, this district is regarded as one of the most beautiful areas of the city. During the lifetime of Imam Abu Hanifa, however, it was merely a cemetery known as Maqbarat al-Khayzuran, named after Khayzuran, the wife of the Caliph, who was buried there. Al-Khatib (RA) writes in Tarikh Baghdad that Muhammad ibn Ishaq, the renowned biographer of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), was also buried in this cemetery. Over the centuries, the other graves disappeared as the area became inhabited, yet the grave of Imam Abu Hanifa has remained preserved. Beside it now stands the magnificent congregational mosque known as Jamiʿ al-Imam Abu Hanifa.
As we arrived at the mosque, the beautiful call to the Maghrib prayer echoed through the air. Before visiting the shrine, we performed the Maghrib prayer in the mosque and then eagerly proceeded to the resting place of the Imam. It seemed as though serenity and dignity had taken physical form and surrounded the shrine. Before us rested a beloved leader whom I had cherished since childhood. Whenever I heard his blessed name, my heart would overflow with reverence and affection.
Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) was born in Kufah at a time when the city had become one of the greatest centers of Islamic scholarship. Every street and marketplace hosted circles of learning led by eminent scholars of Hadith and jurisprudence, and no serious student of knowledge considered himself independent of the scholars of Kufah.
His respected father was named Thabit, who passed away during the Imam’s childhood. One narration also states that his noble mother later married Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (RA), who subsequently assumed responsibility for raising the young Imam. [1]
Initially, Imam Abu Hanifa devoted himself to trade. Alongside his business activities, however, he developed an interest in theological discussions and frequently attended scholarly gatherings. When Amir ibn Shurahil observed his remarkable intelligence and exceptional aptitude, he advised him to dedicate himself fully to the pursuit of knowledge. This sincere counsel profoundly influenced the Imam, prompting him to abandon commerce and devote his life to learning. [2]
He studied under the greatest scholars of his age, to the extent that some historians estimate the number of his teachers to have reached four thousand. The tremendous service that Allah Almighty later rendered to Islam through Imam Abu Hanifa scarcely requires explanation. By Allah’s grace, more than half of the Muslim Ummah today relies upon his legal scholarship in understanding and explaining the Qur’an and the Sunnah, recognizing him as one of their foremost imams and guides.
The Imam remained in Kufah for a period of time, but Ibn Hubayrah, the governor of the city, imprisoned him for political reasons and subjected him to severe punishment. After his release, he migrated to Makkah to escape persecution and remained there for several years.
When conditions in Iraq improved, shortly before the establishment of the ʿAbbasid Caliphate, he returned to his homeland. Initially, he welcomed the new government, hoping it would uphold religious principles more faithfully than the Umayyads. When these hopes proved unfounded, however, disagreements arose between him and the ʿAbbasid rulers.
Caliph al-Manṣūr sought to strengthen his political legitimacy by appointing Imam Abu Hanifa to an official government position. The Imam consistently refused every appointment because he believed that executing certain governmental directives would inevitably compromise aspects of the Sacred Law. Eventually, under mounting pressure, he agreed only to supervise matters related to public endowments and certain administrative affairs. Al-Manṣūr, however, continued insisting that he accept the office of chief judge.
When the Imam firmly declined this prestigious position, he was imprisoned and reportedly flogged one hundred and ten times. Some historical reports state that he died in prison, while others relate that after his release the authorities forbade him from issuing legal verdicts or even leaving his home until death finally overtook him. Thus, the district of Aʿẓamiyyah in Baghdad was honored with becoming the resting place of this great Imam.
As mentioned earlier, the site where Imam Abu Hanifa was buried had originally been known as Maqbarat al-Khayzurān. Following his burial, however, the area gradually became known as Aʿẓamiyyah. His devoted followers built a mosque beside his grave and established circles of teaching there. Over time, the mosque expanded into one of Baghdad’s great congregational mosques, with a rich and independent history. The present Imam of the mosque has authored a comprehensive work documenting its history.
People from every walk of life continue to visit the shrine of Imam Abu Hanifa. Out of his profound admiration for the Imam, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrates the following statement from Imam al-Shafiʿī:
“Indeed, I seek blessings through Abu Hanifa. I visit his grave every day. Whenever I have a need, I perform two rakʿahs of prayer, then come to his grave and ask Allah to fulfill my need there, and before long my supplication is answered.” [3]
Another well-known report concerning Imam al-Shafiʿī states that on one occasion, while visiting the grave of Imam Abu Hanifa, he deliberately omitted the Qunūt supplication during the Fajr prayer—contrary to his own legal opinion—out of respect for Imam Abu Hanifa’s position that the Qunūt should not be recited in the Fajr prayer.
Sitting beside the resting place of Imam Abu Hanifa brought such profound peace and tranquility that it resembled the comfort of a child resting securely in its mother’s embrace. One wished that such a moment could last forever. The longer I remained there, the less willing I became to leave. Eventually, I rose to depart, though my heart never truly wished to do so.
Numerous works have been written on the virtues and biography of Imam Abu Hanifa. Among the most notable are the following:
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Faḍāʾil al-Imam Abī Hanifa by Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Shuʿayb al-Ḥanafī.
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Akhbār Abī Hanifa wa Aṣḥābih by Imam al-Qāḍī Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣaymarī.
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Shaqāʾiq al-Nuʿmān fī Manāqib al-Nuʿmān by al-Zamakhsharī.
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Manāqib al-Imam al-Aʿẓam by Ṣadr Abī al-Muʾayyad Muwaffaq al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Makkī al-Khwārizmī.
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Qalāʾid ʿUqūd al-Durr wa al-ʿUqyān fī Manāqib Abī Hanifa al-Nuʿmān by Sharaf al-Dīn Abu al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAlīm al-ʿAynī.
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Al-Bustān fī Manāqib al-Nuʿmān by Muḥyī al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Qurashī.
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Kitāb al-Intiṣār li-Imam Aʾimmat al-Amṣār by Ibn Muẓaffar Yūsuf ibn Quzāghlī al-Baghdadi.
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Tuḥfat al-Sulṭān fī Manāqib al-Nuʿmān by Ibn Khallikān.
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Al-Khayrāt al-Ḥisān by Ibn Ḥajar al-Makkī.
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Tabyīḍ al-Ṣaḥīfah by al-Suyūṭī.
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ʿUqūd al-Jumān by Abu ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf al-Ṣāliḥī.
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Imam Abu Hanifa by Dr. Ṭāriq al-Suwaydān.
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Tārīkh al-Madhāhib al-Arbaʿah by Muḥammad Abu Zahrah.
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Al-Durr al-Munaẓẓam fī Manāqib al-Imam al-Aʿẓam by Nūḥ Afandī.
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The Political Life of Imam Abu Hanifa by Mawlānā Manẓūr Nuʿmānī.
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The Hadith Scholarship of Imam al-Aʿẓam Abu Hanifa by Mufti Muḥammad Nuʿmān.
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The Status of Imam Abu Hanifa Among the Hadith Scholars by Muḥammad Qāsim ʿAbduh al-Ḥārithī.
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The Status of Imam Abu Hanifa by ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Rashīd Nuʿmānī [4].
To be continued…
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References
[1] [1]. Ḥadāʾiq al-Ḥanafiyyah, p. 43, citing Miftāḥ al-Saʿādah.
[2] Al-Makkī, Manāqib al-Imām al-Aʿẓam, vol. 1, p. 59.
[3] Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, vol. 1, p. 123.
[4] Al-Jawāhir al-Muḍiyyah, vol. 1, p. 14; Jāmiʿ al-Masānīd, p. 33.
