Ahkaam al-Fiqh Module 2

‫احكام الفقه‬
The Learning of Imam Abu Hanifa (rh)

Imam Abu Hanifa (rh) had many chains of learning in different cities and under many teachers
(with some accounts reporting up to 4000 teachers in total). A few of these chains are illustrated
below with some background of the constituents.

Rasoolillah(SAW)
Chain of Kufa
1

500 Anas ibn Malik Abdullah ibn Abu Hurayra (RA)

Sahaba (RA) Masood(RA)

Alqamah
Sha’bi Met in his ‘Ain ibn Abdullah
lifetime(rh) (rh)
Hisham ibn Urwah Ibrahim Nakhai

Hammad KUFA

Imam Malik
Sufyan Thawri
Sufyan b. Uyaynah Abu Hanifa

The above central chain is one of the most well-known of the chains of learning of Imam
Abu Hanifah(rh). It comprises of:
a) Abdullah ibn Masood(RA) – He was a Mujtahid Mutlaq who was guaranteed
Jannah in the lifetime of Rasoolillah(SAW). He was very close to the family of
Rasoolillah(SAW) being mistaken as part of Ahl ul Bait by some bediouns.

Abu Musa Ashari says, ‘When we came from Yemen, we thought for some time
that Abdullah was a member of the Blessed Household, because Abdullah and his
mother were constantly coming and going in the Prophet presence.

He was regularly of the first in the row for salaah behind Rasoolillah(SAW) and
was first to recite the Quran to the Quraysh publicly.

The Prophet had always desired to make Ibn Masood a leader of men, as it is clear

1
Based in Makkah and one of the most prominent teachers of Imam Shafie(rh)

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from the following words of the Prophet , ‘If I was to make anyone a leader over
someone without consulting anyone, I would make Ibn Masood a leader.’

Of his piety, it is narrated that under the Khilaafah of Uthman (RA) on his death-
bed, Uthman came to visit him and said: "What is your ailment?" "My sins", he
replied. "And what do you desire?", Uthman asked. "The mercy of my Lord",
replied Ibn Masud. Uthman asked, "Shall I not give you your stipend which you
have refused to take for years now?" Ibn Masud replied, "I have no need of it."
"Let it be for your daughters after you", Uthman said. Abdullah Ibn Masud asked,
"Do you fear poverty for my children? I have commanded them to read Surah al-
Waqiah every night for I have heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever reads Al-
Waqiah every night shall not be afflicted by poverty ever."

b) Alqama (rh) – Ibn Masood (RA) said of him ‘Whoever has met Alqamah has met
ibn Masood’

Alqama was the founder of the School of Kufa in Islamic religious sciences.
Alqama followed in the footsteps of Ibn Mas‘ud in praying and conduct, in
practising Islam as a whole. ‘Amr ibn Shurahbil, who was among the great
scholars who narrated Traditions from Alqama, frequently suggested to those near
him: ‘Come and let us go to the one who resembles Ibn Mas‘ud the most in
conduct and attitudes”

It is said that Basra was honored, during the time of the blessed generation
succeeding the Companions, by, in particular, Hasan al-Basri, the Yemen by
Tawus ibn Qaysan, Madina by Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, and Kufa by Alqama ibn
Qays al-Nakha’i.

c) Ibrahim Nakhai (rh) – He was the main student of Alqama (rh) with an
outstanding memory. He was also the main teacher of Hammad who was in turn
the main teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah.

d) Hammad began teaching Imam Abu Hanifah at the age of 22 and on his passing
away Imam Abu Hanifah took over his majlis (circle) at the age of 40. Despite his
having been giving permission to teach in the lifetime of Hammad(rh) the Imam
never did so out of respect for his teacher.

e) Sha’bi(rh) – Imam Shafie(rh) said of him that the science of hadith owes a debt to
him, which is why he was known as the Pillar of Hadith.

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Imam Ibn ul Abideen in his sharh (commentary) of Durr ul Muktar quotes from Ibn Hajar
Makki (rh) "Al Khairat al Hisan" on the authority of Ibn Sulayman (rh) that the
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "The splendour of the world will be lifted in the
year 150 AH"

Imam Quduri (rh) commented on this saying that this is none other than Abu Hanifah
(rh). Ibn 'Abidin, in his commentary on Durr al-mukhtar, quoted the following
hadith ash-Sharif from the book Al-khairat al-hisan by Ibn Hajar al-Makki: "The
ornament of the world will be taken away in the year 150." He went on to say "The
great fiqh scholar Shams al-aimma 'Abd al-Ghaffar al-Kardari (d. 562/1166 A.D.)
said, "It is obvious that this hadith ash-Sharif refers to al-Imam al-azam Abu
Hanifa, since he passed away in 150."

Rasoolillah(SAW)

Abdullah ibn
Ali (RA) Anas ibn Malik Masood(RA)
(RA)

Al-Hassan
Alqamah Chain of
Basr
Al-Husayn
Qatadah a
Ibrahim Nakhai
Ali Zayn
al Abideen
Hammad
Imam Baqir
Imam Awzai
(Egypt)
Imam Jafar Met Abu Hanifa Met
al Sadiq
Imam Malik
(Madina)

As is illustrated by the above chains Imam Abu Hanifahs quest for knowledge took him
to Makkah at a time when it was a busy centre for learning. Here, he studied from the
likes of ‘Ata bin Rabah (a famous Tabie who in his own lifetime had assocaited with
more than 200 Sahaba). Indeed, it was Abdullah ibn Umar(RA) who often used to day
“Why do people come to me when ‘Ata ibn Abi Rabahis there for them to go to?”. Of the
other muhaditheen of Makkah whose classes the Imam attended was ‘Ikrimah (the slave
and pupil of Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas).

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Indeed the trustworthiness of Imam Abu Hanifah was attested by many just based upon
his permissions to teach. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr relates in al-Intiqa, ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-
Dawraqi said: “Ibn Ma’inn was asked about Abu Hanifah as I was listening, so he said
‘He is trustworthy (thiqatun), I never heard that anyone had weakened him’. No less than
Shu’ba (amir al mu’mineen fil hadith) wrote to him for narrations and ordered him to
narrate hadith. Ibn Hajar said in in Kharija ibn al Salts’ notice in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, ibn
Abi Khaythama said:”If al-Shubi narrates from someone and names him, that man is
thiqa and his narration is used as proof (‫)يهتج بحديثه‬.

Many well known shuyukh narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah, such as al Thawri, ibn al
Mubarak, Hammad ibn Zayd and ‘Abd al-Razzaq (one of the teachers of Imam Bukhari).

What are the criterion of a mujtahid Imam

This is the pinnacle of learning and shares categories and levels, including Mujtahid fee
Madhab, Mujtahid Murajjih and Mujtahid Mutlaq (complete). There are a vast number of
criterion which must be fulfilled to reach the level of Mujtahid requiring knowledge in
fields such as:
- Usool al hadith - Usool al Fiqh
- Asbaab al-Nuzul - Ilm ul Hadith2
- Lugha & Nahw / Sarf - Tafseer
- Ijma al-Sahabah - Amal of the Sahaba
These sciences were studied to high levels of perfection before the acts of deriving
ahkaam from the Sacred Texts could begin.

Some of the Sahabah were Mujtahid Imams whom other Sahabah would refer to for
understandings of ahkaam al Shariah such as Ali(RA), Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn
Masood etc.

Types of mujtahid

1. The mujtahids of Islam, who constructed the methods and principles of deriving tenets
from the four sources of the religion (Adilla-i arba'a), and derived tenets in accordance
with the principles they established. The mams of the four madhahib were of this
category.

2. The mujtahids in a Madhhab, who, following the principles formulated by the imam of
the Madhhab, derived rules from the four sources. Examples of such were Imam Abu
Yusuf and Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani

3. The mujtahids of matters (masala), who for the matters that were not dealt with by the
founder of the Madhhab, derived rules using the methods and principles of the Madhhab.
Yet in doing this, they had to follow the imam. Scholars of this type included Imam at-
Tahawi (238-321 A.H.), Hassaf Ahmad ibn 'Umar (d. 261), 'Abdullah ibn Husain al-
Karkhi (340), Shams al-aimma al-Halwani (456), Shams al-aimma as-Sarahsi (483)
(RAA).
2
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal(rh) was of the opinion that this had a lower limit of 700,000 ahadith by memory

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4. Ashab at-takhrij, who are not able to employ ijtihad. They were scholars who
explained in brief, unclear rules derived by mujtahids. Husam ad-din ar-Razi 'Ali ibn
Ahmad (d. 593 A.H., in Damascus) was one of them. He (rh) wrote a commentary to Al-
Quduri.

5. Arbab at-Tarjih, who preferred one of the several riwayas (narrations or opinions of the
mujtahids as narrated) coming from mujtahids. They were Abu l'Hasan al-Quduri (362-
428 A.H.) and Burhan ad-din 'Ali al-Marghinani, the author of Al-hidaya, who was
martyred by the soldiers of Genghis in the Bukhara Massacre of 593 A.H. [1198 A.D.].

6. Those who wrote various riwayas about a matter in an order with respect to their
reliability were called muqallids. They did not include any refused riwaya in their books.
Abu 'l-Barakat 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad an-Nasafi (d. 710 A.H.), the author of Kanz ad-
daqaiq; 'Abdullah ibn Mahmud al-Musuli (d. 683), the author of Mukhtar; Burhan ash-
Sharia Mahmud ibn Sadr ash-Sharia 'Ubaid-Allah (d. 673), the author of Al-wiqaya; and
Ibn as-Sa'ati Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-Baghdadi (d. 694), the author of Majma' al-bahrain, are of
these (RAA).

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