Al- Imam Al Azam Abu Hanifa's name was Numan. His father's name was Thabit. His grandfather's name was Numan, too. He was the first of the four great imams of the Ahl as-Sunnah. Imam Abu Hanifa was a descendant of a Persian notable, he was born in Kufa in 80 698 He learned Fiqh with the help of Hammad ibn Abi Sulaiman. He enjoyed the companionship of many notables of the Tabiin, and of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq. He memorized innumerable Hadiths. He was brought up so as to become a great judge, but he became an imam Al-madhhab. He had a superior, and amazingly keen intellect. In Al fiqh, he attained an unequalled grade in a short time. He then became very popular all over the world. Imam Abu Hanifa joined his father's business, where he showed scrupulous honesty and fairness. His agent in another country once sold some silk cloth on his behalf but forgot to point out a slight defect to the customers. When Abu Hanifa learnt of this, he was greatly distressed because he had no means of returning the money to the customers. So he immediately ordered the entire proceeds of the sale of the consignment of silk to be distributed to the poor. Abu Hanifa's interest in Islamic jurisprudence was sparked perhaps by chance. While running an errand for his mother, he happened to pass the home of Sha'bi, one of Kufa's most well-known scholars. Sha'bi, mistaking him for a student, asked him whose classes he attended. When Abu Hanifa responded that he did not attend any classes, Sha'bi said, "I see signs of intelligence in you. You should sit in the company of learned men." Taking Sha'bi's advice, Abu Hanifa embarked on a prolific quest for knowledge that would in due course have a profound impact on the history of Islam. Of the most prominent of Abu Hanifa's teachers was Jafar Sadiq, who is regarded by many Islamic scholars as the root of most of Islamic jurisprudence, with a massive influence on Hanafi, Maliki and Shia schools of thought extending well into mainstream Hanbali and Shafi'i thought. Abu Hanifa is quoted by many souces as having said "If it was not for those two years [I spent with Ja'afar as-Sadiq] Numan [Abu Hanifah] would have perished" law laahu sanataan la halaka'n nu'man. Imam Abu Hanifa is also said to have studied Fiqh from Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman and was eventually his successer in teaching Fiqh. Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman himself was the successor to Ibrahim an-Nakha'i, who was the successor to his uncle 'Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha'i, a student of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law fiqh was systematically studied by his students under his guidance. A number of his devoted and highly intelligent students worked under him for thirty years, and it is their labor which produced the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence. Imam Abu Hanifa was probably the most liberal of the four great Imams of fiqh. The Hanifi fiqh is thus the most flexible and adaptable. He saw Islamic law as an organic growth in which changes would be necessary from time to time as society changed. He advocated the use of reason based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah in the consideration of religious questions. Yazid ibn 'Amr, Governor of Iraq during the time of Marwan ibn Muhammad, the fourteenth and last Umayyad Khalifah, asked Abu Hanifa to become a judge for the law-court of Kufa. But, since he had he refused his offer, for he wanted to devote his time and effort serving Islam, and had not interest in worldly pleasures. He was afraid of not being able to safeguard human rights because of human weaknesses. With a command from Yazid, he was given a whipping, hundred and ten blows to the head. His blessed face and head swelled. The next day, Yazid took the Imam out and oppressed him by repeating his offer. The Imam said, "Let me consult," and obtained permission to leave. He left to Mecca and remained there for five or six years. The 'Abbasid Khalifah Abu Jafar Mansur offered Imam Abu Hanifa to be the chief of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 150 [767 Again the Imam refused, and was put into jail. He was subjected to whipping, ten blows more every following day. When the number of whipping reached one hundred, he attained martyrdom. So many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times before the Imam was actually buried. Abu Sad Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Harizmi, the third Saljuqi Sultan and the son of Sultan Alparslan, had a wonderful dome built over his grave. Afterwards, Ottoman emperors embellished and had his tomb restored several times. Imam Abu Hanifa was the first to compile and classify the Fiqh science, he collected information for each branch of knowledge. He wrote the books Fara'id and Shurut Obligations and Conditions. There are a lot of books describing his wide knowledge on fiqh, and his amazing superiority in piety, God consciousness, mildness and righteousness. The Hanafi Madhhab approach spread far and wide during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It almost became the official Islamic approach of the State. Today, more than half of the Muslims all over the world follow this approach. References
Hammadibn Abi Sulayman himself was the successor to Ibrahim an-Nakha'i, who was the successor to his uncle 'Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha'i, a student of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law (fiqh) was systematically studied by his students under his guidance. A number of his devoted and highly intelligentIt is a well known fact throughout the Muslim world that Imam Abu Hanifah had almost 4000 teachers رŘمه الله thought his life time. Some of the most famous teachers include; Imam As-Sha’bi رŘمه الله , Imam Hammad ibn Abu Sulayman رŘمه الله and Imam Muhammad al-Baqir رŘمه الله , Imam Ata ibn Abi rabah رŘمه الله and Awn ibn Abd Allah ibn Utbah ibn Masud الله. Imam Hammad ibn Abu Sulayman The following report from al-Khatib’s Tarikh illustrates the importance of the close apprenticeship to a master teacher in order to develop the ability of ijtihad and fiqh. Just as Alqamah and Aswad closely accompanied Ibn Mas’ud and as a consequence acquired his adeptness at fatwa, and Ibrahim al-Nakha’i likewise earned this quality from his close companionship of them, and then Hammad as is clear from the biographical notices on him was the closest and most adept student of Ibrahim, Abu Hanifah gained the quality of faqahah by a close attachment to his shaykh. And, consequently, the group of fuqaha in this chain were the greatest jurists of their times as stated by Imam al-Dhahabi in his Siyar A’lam al-Nubala. Imam Abu Ismail Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman al-Ashari d. 120 was the first and primary teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah. His narrations are found in all six collections of hadith, although in Sahih al-Bukhari they are without chain muallaq. He narrated from the Sahabi Sayyedina Anas ibn Malik d. 93, and from the famous Tabii, Said ibn Jubayr 38-95 H, and others. His primary teacher was Ibrahim al-Nakhai, a major scholar of hadith and fiqh from the Tabiin, who was the most learned regarding the opinions of Abd Allah ibn Masud and his students. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated with his chain from Abd al-Malik ibn Iyas “I asked Ibrahim [al-Nakhai] Who should we ask after you?’ He said Hammad.’” Yahya ibn Main and al-Nasa’i said he is thiqah. Al-Ijli said “Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, a Kufan, trustworthy. He was the greatest jurist from the companions of Ibrahim.” Dawud al-Ta’i said “Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman was generous with food and he was generous with dinars and dirhams.” Tahdhib al-Kamal 7269-79 Al-Dhahabi said under the biography of Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman in Siyar Alam al-Nubala’ “The greatest faqih from the inhabitants of Kufa were Ali and Ibn Mas’ud. The greatest faqihfrom their companions was Alqamah. The greatest faqih from his companions was Ibrahim [al-Nakha’i]. The greatest faqih from the companions of Ibrahim was Hammad [ibn Abi Sulayman]. The greatest faqih from the companions of Hammad was Abu Hanifah. The greatest faqih from his companions was Abu Yusuf. The companions of Abu Yusuf spread to the furthest regions, and the greatest faqih from them is Muhammad [ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani]. The greatest faqih from the companions of Muhammad is Muhammad Abu Abd Allah al-Shafi’i. Allah Exalted is He have mercy on them all.” Siyar A’lam al-Nubala 5236 Imam Ata ibn Abi Rabah Ata ibn Abi Rabah was a great teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah’s and he has many narrations found in all six of the famous collections of hadith. He met 200 companions of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, and he would issue fatwa in the presence of the Noble companions, such that Ibn Abbas RA would say “O people of Makkah! Do you gather your questions to me, when Ibn Abi Rabah is amongst you?!” Tahdhib al-Kamal 2069-86 The two reports of Abu Hanifah reporting from him in the Musannaf are in the form of fatwas which he took from him. In the first, Abu Hanifah asked Ata’ about an illegitimately born man leading the people in prayer, and he replied “There is no harm in it – is there not from amongst them those who pray and fast more than us?” This indicates that Imam Abu Hanifah took both fiqh and hadith an example was given in the previous post from Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah. Imam Awn ibn Abd Allah Awn ibn Abd Allah ibn Utbah ibn Masud al-Kufi al-Zahid was the grandson of the Sahabi Utbah ibn Masud ra, and he is a narrator found in the six collections of hadith besides Sahih al-Bukhari. He was a Tabii who narrated from a number of the younger companions. Al-Ijli, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Main, Ibn Sad and al-Nasa’i said he is thiqah. Awn ibn Abd Allah said he prayed behind Abu Hurayrah d. 59 situating his birth around the middle of the first century. He was known as an ascetic who would frequently remember the afterlife and weep. Musa ibn Abi Isa narrated that when Awn would narrate to them, his beard would become wet with tears. Maslamah ibn Jafar narrated that Awn would say “May I be destroyed! How can I become heedless of my soul while the Angel of Death is not heedless of my soul?! May I be destroyed! How can I claim I have my intellect while I put to waste my share of the afterlife?! May I be destroyed! May I be destroyed! Nay, woe to me! Woe to me! Destruction is inevitable for me if I die proceeding upon the disobedience of my Lord.” Then he would cry until his beard became wet with tears. At his death, he distributed all his properties to the poor. It was reported from Awn that he said “Those before us would assign for their worldly life whatever was left over from their afterlife, while you assign for your afterlife whatever is left over from your worldly life.” He also said “I don’t think a person looks at the faults of men but from a heedlessness which has made him to forget himself.” Tahdhib al-Kamal 22453-61 Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
Helearned the Hadith under 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah and Nafi', the disciple of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar. His main teacher was Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, and he continued to attend him until he passed away. Following the death of Hammad, after having spent 18 years with him, Abu Hanifah replaced his teacher. He was 40 at the time. Part 1 Part 2 The incident that directed Abu Hanifah to frequenting the scholars is narrated by all of his biographers. He recounts the incident himself“One day, I passed by [`Amir] al-Sha`bi who was seated. He called me and asked “Where do you go?”I named a merchant whom I was going to see.“I did not mean [your going to] the market,” al-Sha`bi said. “Rather, I meant which scholars you go to.”I said “I hardly ever attend any of their classes.”Then Sha`bi said “You ought to study knowledge [ of the religion] and sit in the company of learned men. I discern signs of intelligence and energy in you.”His advice struck my heart, and I left off turning to the market, and turned to learning. Thus, God, Exalted is He, benefitted me by his advice.”[1]Al-Sha`bi was a prominent tabi`i and among the most senior of Abu Hanifah’s teachers. Following his encounter with al-Sha`bi, Abu Hanifah immersed himself in the circles of on some reports, it is related that he started off his scholarly pursuit engaging in kalam dogma/theology. He travelled to Basra often for business related matters where he was exposed to a lot of the rhetoric-revolving was a bustling city with a diverse range of sects and viewpoints. Abu Hanifah found himself busy debating and refuting various groups and sects, namely the Kharijis. These debates played an important role in developing some of Abu Hanifah’s skills. Dr. Akram Nadwi states, “He acquired a general reputation for sharpness and brilliance in such debates.”[2]As time passed and his understanding matured, he left kalam and began to study fiqh under the eminent scholar, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman al-Kufi. This change of interest took place from an apparent realization that he had gone through—in order to benefit the general body of Muslims, fiqh was the way Zahra states that there is no way we can find out the exact age when Abu Hanifah began his studies with Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman. However, what is known is that he remained with Hammad until his death. [3]Conversely, Dr. Akram Nadwi actually gives an estimate of how old Abu Hanifah was when he started his learning. According to him, Abu Hanifah stayed with Hammad for 18 years until the latter passed away in 120 Abu Zahra cites a report mentioning this as well. From this, we are able to calculate that when Abu Hanifah joined Hammad’s school he was twenty-two years old.[5] Although he studied with other teachers, there is no doubt that Abu Hanifah received his training mainly from Hammad.[6]Abu Hanifah performed Hajj and visited Makkah and Madinah numerous times. The two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah served as a focal point for scholars from different parts of the Islamic world to meet, learn, and exchange ideas.[7] Abu Hanifah would take advantage of his time in the two mosques and benefit from the scholars that he would meet studied under many of the tabi`in and from among the eminent scholars of his time. He studied both fiqh and Hadith with teachers of the highest caliber. According to one estimate he narrated Hadiths from about 300 different teachers, a considerable amount of them are recognized as leaders in the field of Hadith.[8]This indicates that he was indeed well versed in the sunnah, contrary to what some of his detractors claim. It is also important to note that he studied with all the famous authorities of his time, and that these authorities were also the teachers of Sufyan al-Thawri, of al-Awza`i, of Malik ibn Anas, and of Layth ibn Sa` Hadiths narrated by 74 of Abu Hanifah’s teachers are recorded in the Six Books, the compilations of Hadiths that became widely established as the most sahih or reliable,[9] that is, the collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Nadwi provides a survey and biographical description of some of the teachers of Abu Hanifah who were regarded as Imams in fiqh and Hadith. To point out a few of scholars he listed `Amir al-Sha`bi, `Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, `Amr ibn Dinar al-Makki, Qatadah ibn Di`amah al-Sadusi al-Basri, and is important to note that for fiqh, the derivation of laws, and for his methods of reasoning, he relied above all and most assiduously on Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman.[10] He was so loyal to Hammad to the extent that he never left his company. He did not conduct his own classes out of respect for his beloved teacher. It was only after Hammad’s death did he succeed him as the principal teacher of fiqh in Kufah and begin to conduct classes. By that time his fame spread far and wide. Experts of fiqh and Hadith attended his sessions, and people from every major city in the Islamic world came to study with him.[1] Nadwi, Abu Hanifah, 24.[2] Ibid., 24.[3] Abu Zahra, 132.[4] Nadwi, Abu Hanifah, 25.[5] Ibid., 25.[6] Ibid., 26.[7] Ibid., 27.[8] Ibid., 29.[9] Ibid., 29.[10] Ibid., 37. UNGSa) THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC CULTURE 3 THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC CULTURE VOLUME THREE THE SPREAD OF ISLAM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Editors: Idris El Hareir and El H Downloadbook 2681 Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman and his doctrine of the faith pdf Muhammadibn Sulayman ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn Abbas (Arabic: Ů…ŘŮ…ŘŻ بن سليمان بن علي بن عبدالله بن عباس; c. 740 -789) was a member of the Abbasid dynasty who served as provincial governor of Kufa and Basra and its dependencies in the Persian Gulf for most of his life. He also played a leading role in the suppression of the pro-Alid uprisings of 762-763 and PHl24.