Basic details:
This is Abû Hanîfah anNu^mân ibn Thâbit of Persian ascent, the faqîh of Kûfah, born in 80 H. He used to sell silk as an occupation. As a youngster he seeked knowledge and then devoted himself to teaching and giving fatwà. He met six Companions and narrated from them; these were: ‘Anas ibn Mâlik, ^Abdullâh ibn ‘Anas, Wâthilah ibn al’Asqa^, ^Abdullâh ibn ‘Abî ‘Awfà, ^Abdullâh ibn Juz’ azZabîdiyy and Ma^qil ibn Yassâr (radiya-llâhu ^anhum) so the Imam was a tâbi^i and consequently one of the Salaf.
He learned fiqh from Hammâd ibn Abî Sulaymân. He also received knowledge from ^Atâ’ ibn Rabâh, ‘Abû ‘Ishâq asSabî^iyy, Mahârib ibn Dithâr, alHaytham ibn Habîb asSawwâf, Muhammad ibn alMunkadir and Nâfi^. He reported hadîth from Abû Ja^far Muhammad ibn ^Aliyy ibn alHusayn ibn ^Aliyy ibn ‘Abî Tâlib (radiya-llâhu ^anhum), from ‘Abu lHasan Zayd ibn alHusayn (radiya-llâhu ^anhum) and ‘Abû Bakr azZuhriyy. The number of tâbi^i scholars he narrated from reaches two hundred.
Among his pupils were ^Ubaydullâh ibn alMubârak and Wakî^ but the most famous of them were ‘Abû Yûsuf alQâdî and Muhammad ibn alHasan ashShaybâniyy among many others.
His knowledge
The Imam was a mujtahid of the highest level and a brilliant defender of Islam. He opposed the Mu^tazilah, attending their sessions and debating with them, defeating them with evidence. His reputation as a scholar of kalâm spread in the community and he became like a rock Ahlu sSunnah relied on and the most famous of those who refuted sects, Mu^tazilites in particular. The author of “atTabsirahtu lBaghdâdiyyah” reported from Imam Abû ^Abdillâh asSaymariyy that Abû Hanîfah was the Mutakallim of his time and the faqîh of people in matters of halâl and harâm.
AlKhatîb alBaghdâdiyy reported in his famous book of history from Harmalah ibn Yahyà that ashShâfi^iyy said: “Whoever wants to become an authority in fiqh is the responsibility of Abû Hanîfah”. AshShâfi^iyy also narrated about the Imam’s extreme intelligence that someone asked Imâm Mâlik, “Did you see Abû Hanîfah?” and he answered: “Yes, I saw a man whom, if he were to assert a comumn was made of gold, would prove it by argument”.
AlKhatîb Abû Mansûr alBaghdâdiyy also reported in his book of history that Abû Hanîfah saw himself in a dream, digging in the grave of the Messenger of Allâh (salla-llâhu ^layhi wasallam), so he sent someone to ask Ibn Sîrîn about the interpretation of his vision who said: “The person who had this dream will be given a degree which was not given to anyone before him”.
His beliefs :
Imam Abû Hanîfah has remained a reference in matters of orthodox Islamic beliefs to this day. Some on his sayings are still famous. Among them :
“Allâh was and there was no space. He existed before He created creation. He was when there was no “where”, no creation, not a thing and He is the Creator of everything” (from his book: “alFiqhu l’Absat”).
“His “yad” is an attribute of His, without a how” (from alFiqh al’Akbar). That is to say that Allâh’s “yad” cannot be understood as an organ.
“And Allâh is One , not in the numerical meaning but rather that he does not have any partner. He has neither begotten nor is He begotten. He has no equal: no body, no created characteristics, He has no limit, no opponent, no rival nor is there any similar being. Hedoes not ressemble any of His creations and He is something whichis not like other things”.
“and He speaks but not they way our speech is. We speak with tools from articulation points and with letters whereas Allâh speaks without neither tool nor letters. So His attribute is not created nor contingent. Change and differences of states (only) happen in creatures. Whoever says it is contingent (muhdathah) or created, refuses to tell or doubts is a kâfir ». (alFiqhu l’Absat)
The merits of Imam Abû Hanîfah
Imam Abû Hanîfah (radiya-llâhu ^anh) had little interest for worldly matters, he was scrupulous and pious. He was filled with the fear of Allâh and with humility. He was constantly supplicating or praying his Lord.
Ibn Khalikân reported in “Wafayâtu l’A^yân” from ‘Asad ibn ^Amr that he said, “It has been recorded that Abû Hanîfah prayed fajr with the wudû’ he had performed for ^ishâ’ for forty years. He used to spend most of his night reading the whole Qur’ân in one rak^ah. People in the neighbourhood could hear him crying in the darkness and used to feel compassion for him. It has been recorded that he read the Book of Allâh seven thousand times in the very place where he passed away”.
Yazîd ibn alKoumayt said, “Abû Hanîfah had great fear of Allâh. The muezzin ^Aliyy ibn alHusayn read in our prayer sura azZalzalah while Abû Hanîfah was behind him. When he finished prayer and people went out I looked at Abû Hanîfah and there he was sitting, meditating and breathing heavily. When I went out I left with him a little lamp with a bit of oil which was about to run out. When I came back it was dawn and he was standing, holding his beard and saying “O You Who reward the weight of an atom of goodness with goodness! O You Who reward the weight of an atom of evil with punishment, protect anNu^mân Your servant from the Fire and from bad deeds which take closer to it and make him the object of Your mercy !” I called for prayer and the lamp was still shining. I came back in he said to me “Hide for me what you have seen me doing », then he performed two rak^ahs and sat down till I read the ‘iqâmah and he read with us the prayer of dawn with the wudû’ he had at the beginning of the night”.
Abbassid Caliph alMansoûr wanted to appoint him as a judge but he refused. AlMansoûr swore that he would but the Imam swore he would not. ArRabî^ ibn Yûnus, the chamberlain, told him, “Don’t you see the Commander of the Believers has sworn?”, he answered “The Commander of the Believers has more means to perform the expiation (kaffârah) for to fulfilling his oath than I have”. ArRabî^then narrated: “I saw alMansoûr visiting Abû Hanîfah about the issue of the judge appointment and Abû Hanîfah said to him: “fear Allâh and do not subject those you are responsible of to temptation, unless they fear Allâh. As for me, I am do not trust myself when I am pleased, how would trust myself in anger, I am not right for this
-You are lying, you are right for this, replied alMansoûr
-You have just passed judgement in my favour against yourself: how could you appoint a liar as a judge and be faithful to the trust vested in you?”
When Yazîd bin ^Umar bin Hubayrah alFizâriyy had been a governor he too wanted to appoint Abû Hanîfah as a judge in the town of Kûfah, under the califate of the Omayyad Marwân ibn alHakam but the Imam also refused then, so Yazîd alFizâriyy had him punished with one hundred and twenty lashes, ten per day. When he saw how obstinately Abû Hanîfah refused, he ordered for him to be freed.
His death
Imam Abû Hanîfah passed away in the year 150 of Hijrah, le 11 de Jumâda l’Oolà 11th. In the same year Imam ashShâfi^iyy was born. Some say that on the night he died he was in jail for refusing his appointment as a judge, others report in did not happen in those cricumstances.
Fifty thousant people took him to the graveyard and after the janâzah, he was buried in the Khayzaran cemetery of Bagdad.
May Allâh grant him abundant rewards and mercy.
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