Author: Mawlawi Abdul Rahim Rashed
Imam al-A’zam Abu Hanifah (RA): The Role Model (part 20)
Collection of Articles
The Teaching Services of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) and His Renowned Students
Part One: His Students among the Hadith Scholars
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Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (RA)
The renowned Hadith scholar Imam al-Nawawi, in Tahdhib al-Asma’ wa al-Lughat, described him in these words:
“He was the imam whose greatness and leadership in every field were unanimously acknowledged. Mercy descends when he is mentioned, and through love for him, hope for Allah’s forgiveness arises.”
His rank in the science of Hadith was so high that the scholars of Hadith called him Amir al-Mu’minin fi al-Hadith (the Commander of the Believers in Hadith).
One day, one of his students addressed him as “O scholar of the East.” Imam Sufyan, who was also a renowned Hadith scholar and was present there, said, “What are you saying? You call him the scholar of the East? He is the scholar of both the East and the West.”
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak himself said, “I learned the science of Hadith from four thousand shaykhs and narrated from one thousand of them.”
His virtue, excellence, asceticism, and piety had captivated people’s hearts to such an extent that many kings and rulers did not possess the same influence and awe.
One day, Caliph Harun al-Rashid went to the city of Raqqah. At the same time, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak also arrived there. When news spread of his arrival, people rushed toward him from every direction. The crowd became so large and intense that people’s shoes were torn apart. He continued walking while thousands of people accompanied him.
One of Harun al-Rashid’s wives saw the enormous crowd from the top of a tower and, astonished, asked what was happening. The people told her, “A scholar from Khurasan has arrived. His name is Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak.”
She replied, “Indeed, this is the true meaning of kingship. What kind of authority does Harun al-Rashid have if nobody comes to him without the force of police and soldiers?” [1]
He was one of the famous students of Imam Abu Hanifa and had a special devotion to Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him). He acknowledged that whatever he had learned was through the blessing and influence of Abu Hanifa and Sufyan al-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on them both).
He famously said: لولا أن الله تعالى غاثني بأبي حنيفة وسفيان لكنت كسائر الناس Translation: “Had Allah Almighty not assisted me through Abu Hanifa and Sufyan, I would have been no more than an ordinary person.”
He was from Merv. He was born in 118 AH and passed away in the region of Hit in 181 AH.
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Yahya ibn Zakariya ibn Abi Za’idah (RA)
He was a renowned Hadith scholar. In Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Imam al-Dhahabi mentions only those scholars who were recognized as Hafiz al-Hadith, and Yahya was among them. In fact, al-Dhahabi placed his name at the beginning of that generation.
Ali ibn al-Madini, the renowned teacher of Imam al-Bukhari, used to say: “During the time of Yahya, knowledge came to an end with Yahya.”
Many Hadiths narrated through him are found in the six major books of Hadith. He was both a Hadith scholar and a jurist and reached a high level of excellence in both fields.
Imam al-Dhahabi begins his account of him in Mizan al-I‘tidal with the words: أحد الفقهاء الكبار والمحدثين الأثبات Translation: “One of the great jurists and reliable Hadith scholars.”
He was one of the senior students of Imam Abu Hanifa and remained with him for a long period. Imam al-Dhahabi even referred to him in Tadhkirat al-Huffaz as Sahib Abi Hanifa, meaning “the companion of Abu Hanifa.”
He participated in the compilation of Imam Abu Hanifa’s jurisprudence. Imam al-Tahawi wrote that:
“He accompanied him for thirty years.”
Although this exact period may not be historically precise, it is certain that Yahya spent a long time with Imam Abu Hanifa in compiling jurisprudential rulings. In particular, he was responsible for writing and recording them.
Mizan al-I‘tidal states that some scholars believed Yahya was the first person to compile scholarly works in Kufa. However, the reality was that because he was responsible for writing and recording the jurisprudential decisions, some people assumed that he had independently authored a book.
He served as a judge in Madain and eventually passed away in 182 AH at the age of 63. [2]
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Waki‘ ibn al-Jarrah (RA)
He was considered one of the firm pillars of the science of Hadith. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RA) was always proud of being his student. Whenever he wanted to narrate a Hadith from him, he would begin by saying, “I heard this narration from a great man whose equal your eyes have never seen.”
Yahya ibn Ma‘in, himself one of the leading authorities in the science of narrator criticism, praised him by saying: “I have never found anyone whom I could place above Waki‘.”
The great authorities of Hadith used the highest expressions of praise for him, and the works of al-Bukhari and Muslim contain many narrations transmitted through him. His views and narrations concerning Hadith and the evaluation of narrators are regarded as among the most reliable and valuable scholarly sources.
Waki‘ was a loyal and distinguished student of Imam Abu Hanifa and learned countless hadiths from him. He followed Imam Abu Hanifa in many matters of jurisprudence and issued legal verdicts according to his position.
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi explicitly states in his Tarikh: كان يفتي بقول أبي حنيفة وكان قد سمع منه شيئاً كثيراً. Translation: “He used to issue legal verdicts according to the opinion of Abu Hanifa, and he had heard a great deal from him.” Imam al-Dhahabi also confirmed this fact in Tadhkirat al-Huffaz.
Waki‘ ibn al-Jarrah passed away in 197 AH. [3]
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Yazid ibn Harun (RA)
He was one of the renowned authorities of Hadith, and many of the great scholars of this field were proud to have been his students. Eminent scholars such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ali ibn al-Madini, Yahya ibn Ma‘in, and Ibn Abi Shaybah studied under him.
Imam al-Nawawi wrote regarding the enormous number of his students: “Their number cannot be counted.”
Yahya ibn Abi Talib narrates: “One day I attended his teaching circle. People estimated that the number of those present was approximately seventy thousand (70,000).”
Yazid was renowned for his powerful memory and the vast number of Hadiths he had memorized. He himself said: “I have twenty thousand Hadiths memorized in my heart.”
Ali ibn al-Madini, the teacher of Imam al-Bukhari, believed, “I have never seen anyone stronger than him in memorizing Hadith.”
He benefited from the vast knowledge of Imam Abu Hanifa. Imam al-Dhahabi recorded his name among the narrators of Imam Abu Hanifa in Tadhkirat al-Huffaz.
His long association with Imam Abu Hanifa made him deeply familiar with his teacher’s character, principles, and intellectual approach. He himself acknowledged: “I associated with many great scholars, but I never found anyone superior to Abu Hanifa.”
He was born in 117 AH and passed away in 206 AH. [4]
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Hafs ibn Ghiyath (RA)
He was a highly respected Hadith scholar. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi described him as Kathir al-Hadith, meaning “a prolific narrator of Hadith,” while al-Dhahabi included him among the leading memorizers of Hadith. Great scholars such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ali ibn al-Madini narrated from him.
One of Hafs’s unique qualities was that he could narrate all his Hadiths from memory and did not need written notes or books while narrating. The number of hadiths he narrated in this manner from memory reached thirty or forty thousand. [5]
He was a capable student of Imam Abu Hanifa and one of his close and devoted companions. Imam Abu Hanifa used to say to his students: “You are the comfort of my heart and those who remove my worries.”
Imam Abu Hanifa used similar expressions regarding Hafs.
For a long time, Hafs lived free from worldly attachments. Eventually, however, financial pressures placed him in difficult circumstances. By coincidence, in 177 AH, Harun al-Rashid heard of his reputation, summoned him, and appointed him as a judge.
Because he was burdened with debts, he was compelled to accept the position.
At that time, Qadi Abu Yusuf held the position of chief judge, and judicial affairs were largely under his authority. Since Harun al-Rashid had appointed Hafs without informing Abu Yusuf, Abu Yusuf became somewhat concerned. He said to Hasan ibn Ziyad: “If any of Hafs’s judgments come to us for review, examine them critically and look for their weaknesses.”
However, when Abu Yusuf examined Hafs’s judicial decisions and rulings, he admitted: “Divine approval accompanies Hafs.”
He was born in 117 AH, served as a judge in Kufa for thirteen years and in Baghdad for two years, and passed away in 196 AH. [6]
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Abu ‘Asim al-Nabil (RA)
His name was Al-Dahhak ibn Makhlad, and he was a renowned Hadith scholar. His narrations are frequently found in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other Hadith collections.
Imam al-Dhahabi wrote in Mizan al-I‘tidal: “All scholars unanimously agree regarding his reliability and credibility.”
He was extremely ascetic and humble. Imam al-Bukhari narrated that Abu ‘Asim himself said: “From the time I learned that backbiting is prohibited until today, I have never backbitten anyone.”
His title was al-Nabil, meaning “noble,” “distinguished,” and “honorable.”
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi records that someone once asked him: “Who was more knowledgeable in jurisprudence, Sufyan al-Thawri or Abu Hanifa?”
He replied, “Comparison can only be made between two things that are of the same kind and similar. Abu Hanifa was the founder of jurisprudence, whereas Sufyan was simply a jurist.”
He passed away in 212 AH at the age of 90. [7]
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Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hammam (RA)
Imam al-Dhahabi begins his biography with the words أحد الأعلام الثقات Translation: “One of the great and reliable authorities.”
He was a highly distinguished and famous Hadith scholar. The works of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim contain numerous narrations transmitted through him.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was once asked, “Have you seen anyone greater than Abd al-Razzaq in narrating Hadith?” He replied: “No.”
Great Hadith scholars such as Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, Yahya ibn Ma‘in, Ali ibn al-Madini, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on them all) were among his students in the science of Hadith.
Students of Hadith would travel long distances to attend his gatherings. Some scholars have stated that after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), students of knowledge had not traveled from such distant places to study under anyone as they did to Abd al-Razzaq.
A valuable work on Hadith was left by him, known as Jami‘ Abd al-Razzaq. Imam al-Bukhari acknowledged, “I benefited greatly from that book.”
Imam al-Dhahabi also wrote about this book in Mizan al-I‘tidal: “It is a treasury of knowledge.”
In the science of Hadith, he was a student of Imam Abu Hanifa. ‘Uqud al-Juman mentions in various places that he spent a considerable amount of time in the company of Imam Abu Hanifa. Consequently, many accounts concerning the character and conduct of Imam Abu Hanifa have been transmitted from him.
He famously said, “I have never seen anyone more forbearing and patient than Abu Hanifa.”
He was born in 126 AH and passed away in 211 AH. [8]
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Dawud al-Ta’i (RA)
Allah Almighty had granted him remarkable spiritual excellence. The Sufis considered him a complete spiritual guide, and the historical accounts attribute a lofty spiritual rank to him.
The jurists, particularly Hanafi jurists, acknowledged his virtue, deep understanding of jurisprudence, and ability in independent legal reasoning. According to the Hadith scholars, he was unquestionably trustworthy and, in reality, deserving of all these titles and distinctions.
Muharib ibn Dithar, a renowned Hadith scholar, used to say: “If Dawud had lived in ancient times, Allah Almighty would have mentioned his story in the Noble Qur’an.”
He was one of the famous students of Imam Abu Hanifa. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ibn Khallikan, Imam al-Dhahabi, and other historians, whenever writing about his life, specifically mentioned his studentship under Imam Abu Hanifa.
He also participated with Imam Abu Hanifa in the compilation of jurisprudence and was a respected member of his scholarly council.
He passed away in 160 AH.
In addition to these great scholars, many other Hadith scholars—such as Fadl ibn Dukayn, Hamzah ibn Habib al-Zayyat, Ibrahim ibn Tahman, Sa‘id ibn Aws, Umar ibn Maymun, Fadl ibn Musa, and others—were also among the students of Imam Abu Hanifa.
However, we have limited ourselves to mentioning those who were considered his close and distinguished students and who benefited from his company for a longer period.
To be continued…
Previous Part
References:
[1]. Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, by al-Hāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar.
[2]. Wafayāt al-Aʿyān (Ibn Khallikān’s Biographical Dictionary), entry on ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak.
[3]. Tahdhīb al-Asmāʾ wa al-Lughāt, by Imām al-Nawawī.
[4]. Tahdhīb al-Asmāʾ wa al-Lughāt, by Imām al-Nawawī.
[5]. Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl.
[6]. al-Jawāhir al-Muḍiyya.
[7]. al-Jawāhir al-Muḍiyya.
[8]. Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl.
