Islamic Online University

Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies

A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa.

Full Name: Twahir Hussein Kassim
Student No: ST10007598
Lecturer: Sheikh Ismail Kamdar
Date: 29
th
December 2011
Word Count: 1211 words


2011 FIQH 101 ASSIGNMENT
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

1

Tabl e of Cont ent s
I nt r o du c t i o n ............................................................................................................ 2
Abu Ha n i f a T he P e r s o n ................................................................................... 2
His Appearance ............................................................................................................ 3
His Youth hood ............................................................................................................. 3
His Turning Point into being a Faqih ............................................................................. 4
Abu Ha n i f a s T e a c he r s ........................................................................................ 4
His Tutelage Tree ......................................................................................................... 5
His Relations with Hammad ......................................................................................... 5
Abu Ha n i f a s S t u de nt s ........................................................................................ 5
Teaching Methods ....................................................................................................... 6
Sources Of Law ............................................................................................................ 6
T he I ma m i n s o c i e t y ............................................................................................ 7
T r i a l s a nd De a t h .................................................................................................... 7
First Trial During the Ummayad Dynasty ................................................................... 7
Second Trial During the Abbasid Dynasty .................................................................. 8
His Death ..................................................................................................................... 8
Bi b l i og r a phy ............................................................................................................ 9
Books ........................................................................................................................... 9
Audio Lectures ............................................................................................................. 9
Websites ...................................................................................................................... 9
Gl os s a r y ................................................................................................................... 10



A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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I nt r oduc t i on
Abu Hanifa is the founder of the most populous Sunni School of Islamic Thought
popularly known as Hanafi Madhhab. The Madh-hab has followers in: -
Asia India and Pakistan
Middle East Iraq and Syria
Eurasia Turkey
The Americas Surinam, Trinidad and Guyana
Africa Parts of Egypt and South Africa
Other Parts of the world with immigrant Indians and Pakistanis.
Abu Hani f a The Per s on
He was son of a Persian silk merchant born in the City of Kufah, Iraq in 80AH
1
. His full
name is An-Numaan Ibn Thabit Ibn Zuta Ibn Marzuban
2
. He was better known by his
kunya
3
Abu Hanifa
4
, this is mostly attributed to his pure monotheist belief. He is also
acclaimed as Imam Al-Adham
5
. Scholars unanimously agree that he was from amongst
the Tabiun
6
, differing on the number of Sahaba that he met.

1
http://www.haqislam.org/imam-abu-hanifah/
2
http://www.inter-islam.org/Biographies/4imam.htm
3
An honorific title given in place of or alongside the given name
4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab%C5%AB_%E1%B8%A4an%C4%ABfa
5
ibid
6
http://www.inter-islam.org/Biographies/4imam.htm
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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Abu Hanifa leaved most of his life in Kufah. With the exception of a short spell of time,
during the Ummayyad Khilafa, that he lived in exile in Makkah running away from State
persecution
7
.
His Appearance
He had a pleasant personality. Abu Hanifa dressed elegantly and applied a lot of
perfume; one would know if Abu Hanifa was or had passed through a place due to the
perfume. He attributed his elegance to being thankful of Allahs provisions to him. This
he pointed was evident in Sura Ad-Duha aya 11 that one should be thankful of Allahs
bounties:
. .. , >
11. but the bounty of the Lord - rehearse and proclaim!
His Youth hood
During his youth, the Imam studied philosophy and dialetics
8
. He was a good debater
and travelled severally to Basra for debates
9
. This is what is seen as the biggest influence
on his being from amongst the Ahlul Rai.

7
CD # 2 of Hesham Al-Awadis seminar on The Four Great Imams
8
The Evolution of Fiqh Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips; Page 89
9
CD # 2 of Hesham Al-Awadis seminar on The Four Great Imams
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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His Turning Point into being a Faqih
Abu Hanifa took up his dads profession as a silk merchant. One day as he was going to
the market, he met Imam Shaabi. The Imam stopped him and they had a dialogue
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: -
Imam Shaabi: Abu Hanifa, where do you frequently go?
Abu Hanifa: I mostly come to the market
Imam Shaabi: No I didnt mean that, I meant to which scholar do you frequent?
Abu Hanifa: I dont frequent to any scholar
Imam Shaabi: Dont be neglectful young man, I see in you scholarly attributes that can
only be nurtured by being amongst scholars. Choose from a scholar and study from him.
Abu Hanifa said henceforth he found a partner to run his business and he joined the
circles of learning.
Abu Hani f a s Teacher s
The Imam studied under many scholars of his time in Kufah, however he spent most of
his time under the tutelage of Hammad Ibn Abi Sulayman who was a great Scholar Faqih
in Kufah.


10
ibid
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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His Tutelage Tree
Below is the tutelage tree
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of the Imam rooting to The Prophet : -

His Relations with Hammad
Abu Hanifa respected and loved his teacher Hammad that he stayed under his tutelage
for almost 2 decades till his teacher passed away. Atiqa, the sister of Hammad said that
Abu Hanifa would do their shopping, sweep their house, run errands
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for his sheikh and
act as a secretary for him to whoever came to seek a ruling from the Sheikh.
Abu Hani f a s St udent s
The Imam had many students, amongst the prominent ones
13
were: -
Imam Abu Yusuf
Imam Muhammad Ash-Shaybani
Zafar Al-Hudhayl

11
ibid
12
ibid
13
The Evolution of Fiqh Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips; Page 92
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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A story is told of Abu Yusuf missing classes
14
due to tending to work to earn a living for
his family. The Imam henceforth paid him to attend classes, this served as the main
reason for Abu Yusuf to have been able to study without interruptions under the Imam.
Teaching Methods
Due to the influence of his early learning in philosophy and dialetics, the Imam favoured
the discussion method of teaching. He would present a legal problem
15
to his students
and they debated on it until they reached a unified decision then it would be recorded.
Sources Of Law
16

Below are the sources of the law in Hanafi Madh-hab in order of importance: -
Quraan
Sunnah
Ijma Of The Sahabah
Individual Sahabas Rai
Qiyas
Istihsan
Urf

14
CD # 2 of Hesham Al-Awadis seminar on The Four Great Imams
15
The Evolution of Fiqh Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips; Page 90
16
ibid
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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The I mam i n s oc i et y
The Imam being a merchant had a lot of interactions with society. He set himself rules to
ensure that he always dealt fairly with society. Amongst the rules he set for himself
were: -
1. Never to exploit people in order to earn huge profits
2. He would make no profit when dealing with the poor, elderly or the un-
employed.
3. He buys at a fair price to enable seller to make a profit
4. He would not mislead his customers
5. He would declare damage in goods he sold
6. He would not haggle with prices
This endeared the Imam with the populace around him due to his fair dealings,
generosity and truthfulness.
Tr i al s and Deat h
First Trial During the Ummayad Dynasty
17

During the reign of Ibn Hubair, The Imam was requested to become Qadhi which he
rejected for fear of being forced to make decisions to please the state. The Khalifa had

17
http://www.inter-islam.org/Biographies/4imam.htm
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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him whipped for eleven days, ten lashes every day. For fear of his life, the Imam fled
into exile
18
in Makkah where he remained until the collapse of the Ummayad Dynasty.
Second Trial During the Abbasid Dynasty
During the reign of Abu Jaafar Al-Mansoor, The Imam was again requested to become
Qadhi which he again rejected. The Imam reasoned with the Khalifa that he wasnt
suitable for the position. The Khalifa became angry and accused the Imam of lying. Upon
being accused of lying, the Imam argued that being a liar definitely disqualified
19
him
from being a Qadhi. This angered Al-Mansoor who had him imprisoned with restricted
rations.
His Death
For fear of The Imams popularity with the Ummah, he was poisoned while in jail. It is
reported that he died in the state of sujood. May Allah rest his soul amongst the
righteous.


18
CD # 1 of Hesham Al-Awadis seminar on The Four Great Imams
19
http://www.haqislam.org/imam-abu-hanifah/
A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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Bi bl i ogr aphy
Books
The Evolution of Fiqh Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Audio Lectures
Hesham Al-Awadis seminar on The Four Great Imams
Websites
1. http://www.haqislam.org/imam-abu-hanifah/
2. http://www.inter-islam.org/Biographies/4imam.htm
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab%C5%AB_%E1%B8%A4an%C4%ABfa


A Brief Biography Of Abu Hanifa

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Gl os s ar y
Kunya - An honorific title given in place of or alongside the given name
Imam Al-Adham Great Imam
Tabiun (pl) Tabi(sin) One who met at least one Sahaba.
Sahaba Companion of the Prophet
Ahlul Rai Logical thinkers, also known as what iffers.
Qadhi Islamic Judge
Sujood Prostration
Ijma - Collective agreement on a legal matter
Rai - Opinion
Qiyas Analogical reasoning
Istihsan Preference of a proof over another due to suitability in situation
Urf Local customs