Ab

an fa

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Imaam Al-azam Abu Hanifa

Full name Born Imaam Al-azam Abu Hanifa 699 Kufa, Iraq 767 Baghdad, Iraq Islamic Golden Age Muslim Jurist Hanafi Fiqh Evolution of Fiqh

Died Era Region School Main interests Notable ideas Influenced by[show]

Influenced[show]

Nu m n ibn Th bit ibn Zu ibn Marzub n[3] (Arabic: ), known as Ab an fah, (Arabic: ) (699 765 CE / 80 148 AH) was the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Imam Abu Hanifa was a Tabiun, the generation after the companions (Sahabah), because he met the Sahabi Anas ibn Malik, and transmitted hadiths from him and other Sahaba.[4]

Contents
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1 Name, birth and ancestry

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2 Status as a Tabiun 3 Early life and education 4 Adulthood and death 5 Some of Abu Hanifa's Literary Works 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Name, birth and ancestry

Abu Hanifa (699 767 CE / 80 148 AH) was born in Kufa, Iraq during the reign of the powerful Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik (Abdul Malik bin Marwan). Acclaimed as Al-Imam alA'zam, or Al-A'dham (the Great Imam), Numan bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Mah koofi was better known by his kunya Abu Hanifa. It was not a true kunya, as he did not have a son called Hanifa, but an epithetical one meaning pure in monotheistic belief. His father, Thabit bin Zuta, a trader from Kabul, part of Khorasan (Afghanistan), was 40 years old at the time of Abu Hanifa's birth. His ancestry is generally accepted as being of non-Arab origin as suggested by the etymology of then names of his grandfather (Zuta) and great-grandfather (Mah). The historian, Al-Khatib alBaghdadi, records a statement from Abu Hanifa's grandson, Ismail bin Hammad, who gave Abu Hanifa's lineage as Thabit bin Numan bin Marzban and claiming to be of Persian origin. The discrepancy in the names, as given by Ismail of Abu Hanifa's grandfather and great-grandfather are thought to be due to Zuta's adoption of the Arabic name (Numan) upon his acceptance of Islam and that Mah and Marzban were titles or official designations in Persia. Further differences of opinion exist on his ancestry. Abu Muti, for example, describes Abu Hanifa as an Arab citing his ancestry as Numan bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Yahya bin Zaid bin Asad[citation needed]. The widely accepted opinion, however, is that he was of Persian ancestry.[5][6]

[edit] Status as a Tabiun

Abu Hanifa was born 67 years after the death of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, but during the time of the Sahaba of Muhammad, some of whom lived on until Abu Hanifa's youth. Anas bin Malik, Muhammad's personal attendant, died in 93 AH and another companion, Abul Tufail Amir bin Wathilah, died in 100 AH, when Abu Hanifa was 20 years old. No evidence exists, however, to indicate Abu Hanifa had narrated any hadith from the companions although there is no doubt that he was a "tabi'i" (one who had met a companion of Muhammad) and had met Anas bin Malik. The author of al-Khairat al-Hisan collected information from books of biographies and cited the names of the Sahaba whom it is reported that the Imam has transmitted ahadith from. He counted them as sixteen of the Sahaba. They are: Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Anis al-Juhani, Abdullah ibn al-Harith ibn Juz al-Zabidi, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, Waila ibn alAsqa`, Ma`qal ibn Yasar, Abu Tufail `Amir ibn Waila, `Aisha bint Hajrad, Sahl ibn Sa`d, alThaib ibn Khallad ibn Suwaid, al-Thaib ibn Yazid ibn Sa`id, Abdullah ibn Samra, Mahmud ibn

al-Rabi`, Abdullah ibn Ja`far, and Abu Umama. Hadeeth Reported by Abu Hanifa upon the authority of Anas ibn Malik "Seeking of knowledge is an obligation on each and every Muslim." [1]

It is perceived this is due to the strict age requirements for learning the discipline of hadith that existed at the time in Kufa where no one below the age of 20 was admitted to a hadith school. The scholars of the time felt anyone below this age would not have attained the maturity required to be able to understand the meaning of the narrations.

[edit] Early life and education

Abu Hanifa grew up in a period of oppression during the caliphates of Abdul Malik bin Marwan and his son Al-Walid I (Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik). The governorship of Iraq was under the control of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, a loyal follower of Abdul Malik. During his governorship leaders in religion and learning were especially targeted by Hajjaj as they were proving to be an obstacle to Abdul Malik's establishment of his rule across Arabia and Iraq. Consequently, Abu Hanifa had no interest nor the opportunity to acquire any education in his early childhood. He was simply content with following in the footsteps of his father as a silk merchant. He set up a silk weaving business where he showed scrupulous honesty and fairness. Once his agent in another country, sold some silk cloth on his behalf but forgot to point out a slight defect to the purchasers. When Abu Hanifa learned this, he was greatly distressed as he had no means of refunding their money. He immediately ordered the entire proceeds of the sale of the consignment of silk to be distributed to the poor. Following the deaths of Hajjaj in 95 AH and Walid in 96 AH, justice and good administration began to make a comeback with the caliphates of Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik and thereafter Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar encouraged education to such an extent that every home became a madrasa. Abu Hanifa also began to take an interest in education which was heightened further by the unexpected advice of as-Sha'bi (d. 722), one of Kufa's most well-known scholars. While running an errand for his mother, he happened to pass the home of as-Sha'bi. 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. His early education was achieved through mad ris and it is here that he learned the Qur'an and Hadith, doing exceptionally well in his studies. He spent a great deal of time in the tutelage of Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, a great jurist of Kufah. Abu Hanifa was one of the distinguished students of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (The Truthful was also Muhammad's great grandson), as has been confirmed by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Allamah Shiblinji in his Nur al Absar, Abdul Haleem Jindi and Mohaqiq Abu Zohra and various other Muhadatheen (hadith scholars) and Ulema have clarified that Imam Abu

Hanifa was a student of Imam Ja'far Sadiq. Imam Ja'far had opened a university that not only taught religion, but the sciences and math. The Islamic alchemist, Geber, studied at the Imams' university. Under these conditions Abu Hanifa studied and gained his knowledge. Abu Hanifas initial chain of knowledge was with Muhammad al-Baqir and he subsequently expanded this chain of knowledge with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.

[edit] Adulthood and death

Abu Hanifa Mosque In 763, al-Mansur, the Abbasid monarch offered Abu Hanifa the post of Chief Judge of the State, but he declined to accept the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student Abu Yusuf was appointed Qadi Al-Qadat (Chief Judge of the State) of al-Mansur regime instead of himself. In his reply to al-Mansur, Abu Hanifa recused himself by saying that he did not regard himself fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post, lost his temper and accused Abu Hanifa of lying. "If I am lying," Abu Hanifa said, "then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a Chief Qadi (Judge)?" Incensed by this reply, the ruler had Abu Hanifa arrested, locked in prison and tortured. He was never fed nor cared for.[7] Even there, the indomitable jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to come to him. In 767, Abu Hanifa died in prison. It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for more than 50,000 people who had amassed before he was actually buried. Later, after many years, a mosque, the Abu Hanifa Mosque in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad, was built in honor of him.

[edit] Some of Abu Hanifa's Literary Works

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Kitaab-ul-Aathaar narrated by Imaam Muhammad_al-Shaybani - compiled from a total of 70,000 ahadith Kitabul Aathaar narrated by Imaam Abu Yusuf Aalim wa'l-mutaallim Fiqh al-Akbar

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Musnad Imaam ul A'zam Kitaabul Rad alal Qaadiriyah

[edit] See also

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Fatw Triple talaq Salah Sunni-Shia relations

[edit] References
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ab an fa

Nu'mani, Shibli (1998). Imam Abu Hanifah Life and Works. Translated by M. Hadi Hussain. Islamic Book Service, New Delhi. ISBN 81-85738-59-9.

1. ^ Imaam Abu Hanifa

2. ^ The Conclusive Argument from God:Shah Wali Allah of Delhi's Hujjat Allah Albaligha, pg 425 AN FA, Encyclopedia Iranica 3. ^ AB

4. ^ Imam-ul-Azam Abu Hanifa, The Theologian

5. ^ S. H. Nasr(1975), "The religious sciences", in R.N.Frye, the Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4, Cambridge University Press. pg 474: "Abu Hanfia, who is often called the "grand imam"(al-Imam al-'Azam) was Persian 6. ^ Cyril Glasse, "The New Encyclopedia of Islam", Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. pg 19: "Abu Hanifah, a Persian, was one of the great jurists of Islam and one of the historic Sunni Mujtahids" 7. ^ Ya'qubi, vol.lll, p.86; Muruj al-dhahab, vol.lll, p.268-270.

[edit] External links

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Biographical summary of Abu Hanifa

Abu Hanifa on Muslim heritage

Imam Abu Hanifa

By Shiekh G. F. Haddad
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Tajik presidents articles about Imam Azam attract interest in Muslim countries

2009 announced Year of Imam Azam in Tajikistan

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Islamic Philosophy and Islamic Theology

Fields: Schools of Theology: Aqidah 'Aql Cosmology Eschatology Ethics Kalam Legal Philosophy Logic Metaphysics Natural Philosophy Peace Philosophy of Education Philosophy of Science Psychology Sociology (Medieval Sociology) Sufism Ash'ari Athari Maturidi Mu'tazili Murji'ah Imami Ismaili

Early Islamic Philosophy Farabism Avicennism Averroism Illuminationist Schools of Philosophy Transcendent Theosophy Traditionalist School Sufi Philosophy Philosophy: (Metaphysics Cosmology) Contemporary Islamic Philosophy Ja'far al-Sadiq Abu Hanifa an-Numan Shafi`i Malik Ibn Anas Ahmad ibn Hanbal Abu Yusuf Wasil ibn Ata Amr ibn Ubayd Abd al-Jabbar Ibn Aqil al-Ash'ari al-Maturidi Al-Ghazali Al-Shahrastani Fakhruddin Razi Al-Jahiz Theologians: Al-Jubba'i al-Mas' d Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid Shaykh Tusi Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din alShirazi Ibn al-Haytham Ab Rayh n al-B r n Ibn al-Nafis Ibn Khaldun Abul Ala Maududi Muhammad Hamidullah Muhammad Taqi Usmani Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri Fazlur Rahman Malik Morteza Motahhari Al-Kindi Al-Farabi Al-Razi Al Amiri Ibn Miskawayh Ibn Sina Ikhwan alSafa Abu Sulayman al-Sijistani Ayn-al-Quzat Hamadani Ibn Masarrah Ibn Hazm Ibn Tufail Ibn Rushd Ibn Sabin Suhrawardi Ibn Arabi al-Abhar Philosophers: Nasir al-Din Tusi Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi Mulla Sadra Sabzevari Mir Damad Mir Fendereski Allameh Tabatabaei Muhammad Iqbal Gohar Shahi Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr Ren Gunon Frithjof Schuon Hossein Nasr Naquib al-Attas

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