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Hadhrat Imam Abu Hanifah

Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih) is the name familiar to all Muslims of the

Sunni sect. His full name was Nauma'an bin Thaabit bin Zotae. He was an

inhabitant of "Kufa". By occupation he was a draper (cloth seller) and traded in

silken cloths. His grandfather Zota'e had migrated from Kabul. According toreports, Imam Abu Hanifah's (RA) father 'Sa'abith' during his young age presented

himself before Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallahu anhu) - the fourth and last Khalifah of

Islam at Kufa.

It is said that Hadhrat Ali (RA) gave his blessings to Hadhrat Sa'abith, and prayed

for his offspring that might be born.

In this background Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was born at Kufa in the year 80th

Hijri, i.e about 40 years after the death of the fourth Khalifah of Islam, and it was

the period when the power of Banu Omaiyyah who had usurped the Khilafat fromthe House of Hadhrat Ali (RA) was also fast diminishing and the Abbasids were

deeply involved to overthrow the government of the weakened Banu Omayyah.

Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) took his lessons in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqah) from a

renowned scholar of his time, Hammad bin Abee Suleiman and Aha'adith from

Ata'a bin Abee Robah, Abu Ishque Saleeyi, Mohammad bin Mankadar, Nafa'a

Hussham bin Arwa Samak bin Harb and some other noted Mohaddatheen. Later

some noted Muhaddutheen like Abdullah bin Mubarak, Wakee bin Jurrah, Yesied

bin Haroo, Qaadhi Aboo Yousuf and Mohammad bin Hassan Shaybanee, narrated

Ahaadith quoting the authority of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA).

Meanwhile, as stated above the "Khilafat" of the Omayyah which had now

disappeared and a new dynasty known as the "Abbasids" had gained power.

Khalifah Mansoor who was the second Khalifah of the "Abbasids" shifted his

capital from Damascus in Syria to Baghdad in Iraq. Mansoor was a man of

dubious character. He had suspicion in his to mind that the two great scholars and

experts in Islamic jurisprudence, viz. Hadhrat Ma'alik bin Anas (Rahmatullah

alaih), who is popularly known to us as Hadhrat Imam Maalik - the proponent of

the Maalik Madhab and compiler of the great book of Ahaadith which is called

"Muwatta" and the other man whom we know as Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) the

topmost Islamic jurist of his time, were engaged in conspiracy against him.Mansoor, therefore on pretenses to honour them and install them on high posts,

invited them to his new capital at Baghdad. On their refusal these two shining stars

of their time were arrested and were lashed upon, and later thrown into jails.

Mansoor, through the governor of Kufa, asked Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) to

become the chief Qaadhi of Kufa, but Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) declined to accept

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that post. As a result of this refusal he was caught by the administrative officials

and for ten consecutive days he was striped with ten lashes daily.

The Imam, however, remained firm to his conviction and as a result he was freed.

After wards the cunning Mansoor hit upon a new plan. He called Imam Abu

Hanifah (RA) on some other pretext to Baghdad and this time he wished to offerthe department of justice to him.

The Khalifa Mansoor vowed that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) would be compelled to

accept his offer, while the great Imam also vowed that come what may be he

would not accept Mansoor's offer at any cost. When Mansoor found that he had

become unable to budge the Imam slightly from his position, he threw him into

prison. In this very state of confinement the great Imam breathed his last in the

year 150 Hijri in Baghdad. He was buried in the precincts of the Mausoleum of

'Kheezra'. His tomb is still visited by a large number of people.

Hakim bin Hushsham said that once while he was in Syria, a group of learned

persons narrated to him that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) topped the list of those

persons in whom trust and confidence could be reposed. They cited his

determination when the ruler wanted to entrust the responsibility of his treasury to

him, but the Imam declined to accept it, and he preferred to bear the wrath of the

ruler that to ear the wrath of Allah. In another case at a gathering of scholars

which was held at the house of great 'Muhaddith' Abdullah bin Mubarak, someone

mentioned Imam Abu Hanifah's (RA) name whereupon Abdullah bin Mubarak

said, "You are talking about a man on whose feel the wealth of the whole country

was brought at but he left everything which related to the world."

According to narration Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was a person of medium height,

but his face was very beautiful, his conversation with others was very polite and

contained a high degree of humility. Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) always took care of

his friends and companions. According to a narration of Hadhrat Imam Sha'af'ee

(RA) one day someone asked Hadhrat Imam Ma'alik the reputed compiler of

Ahaadith in his book Muwatta whether he had ever met Imam Abu Hanifah (RA).

He replied 'Yes and what I fathomed about him is that if he says that this pillar is

made of gold, then you must rest assured that he can prove it with his strong

arguments. He has that power of justification." One another occasion Imam

Sha'af'ee, speaking about Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) said that if anybody wished toget perfection in the knowledge of 'Fiqh' he could not attain it without the

guidance of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA).

It has been stated by the renowned philosopher, jurist and theologian Hadhrat

Imam Abu Haamid Ghazzali (RA) that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) used to spend

half portion of his night time in prayers offering Tahajjud; one day while he was

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going somewhere a person beckoning towards him said to one of his companions

"This is the man who keeps on praying and awaking the whole night." After

hearing what the passerby had described about him, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA)

from that very day kept himself engaged in prayers to Allah for the whole night.

He said "I feel very much ashamed before Allah that they attribute such things to

me which I do not do or do not have as regards to my prayers."

One scholar of his time 'Nakhaee' said that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was person

who did not talk much and it appeared that he was always thinking about

something, a man of pensive mood, and this was a sure sign of his involvement in

matters of thinking about 'Deen'. He further added that a person who was blessed

with two things viz. silence and disenchantment from the worldly affairs he was

capable of acquiring knowledge at its apex.

To sum up, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was a top class scholar, practices, abstained

from sinful deeds, Allah fearing and Imam of Shari'ah of his time.