Abu Ḥanifa al-Numan b. Thabit b. Zuṭa b. Marzuban ( 699 – 767 CE), known as Abu Ḥanifa for short, or reverently as Imam Abu Ḥanifa by Sunni Muslims was an 8th-century Sunni Muslim theologian and jurist of Persian origin who became the eponymous founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence, which has remained the most widely practiced law school in the Sunni tradition. He is often alluded to by the reverential epithets al-Imam al-a ẓam ( The Great Imam ) and Siraj al-aʾimma ( The Lamp of the Imams ) in Sunni Islam.
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Poltical thought of Abu Hanafia
Abu Hanifa’s opinions on questions of politics and dogma which exercised the minds of many of the scholars of his time, and secondly, his fiqh. This first chapter will deal with his opinion regarding the khalifat and who was entitled to have it, and his view about the preconditions for being the khalif and the basis of allegiance. We will also look at his views onthe articles of faith, the nature of sin and those who commit it, and man’s actions and their relationship to the decree. We will also discuss the issue of “qadar” (decree) which was famous in his time shall also be considered.
His opinions on social , ethical matters and poltical views
Abu Hanifa’s view on politics has not been precisely explained and analysed in the sources examined. We must, therefore, investigate scattered reports amongst the sources in order to be able to formulate from them a clear picture of his political thought. Historical sources make two things evident about his life. One is that he was biased in favour of the descendants of ‘Ali and Fatima and was almost martyred for his support of them. The second is that, in spite of this, he did not participate in any of the ‘Alawite rebellions, either in the Umayyad or Abbasid periods. He confined himself to verbal support in his lessons and giving encouragement if he was asked for a fatwa on the matter, as he did in the case of al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba. He did not exceed the role of a mufti who is asked for fatwa and answers in accordance with his conscience without paying any attention to the authorities. Thus it is certain that Abu Hanifa had Shi‘ite leanings but they did not go beyond that.
Abu Hanifa did not have the kind of Shi‘ite perspective which blinds a person to perceiving the virtues and ranks of the Companions as a whole. He ranked Abu Bakr and ‘Umar before ‘Ali, and he mentioned his own esteem and veneration for the taqwa and generosity of Abu Bakr so that he tried to emulate him in his generosity and trading practice. He had a silk shop in Kufa as Abu Bakr had a silk shop in Makka. He placed ‘Umar after Abu Bakr but he did not put ‘Uthman before ‘Ali. Ibn ‘Abdu’l-Barr says in al-Intiqa’: “Abu Hanifa gave preference to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and left ‘Ali and ‘Uthman.” His son Hammad said, “We love ‘Ali more than ‘Uthman.” But in spite of his preference for ‘Ali, he did not curse ‘Uthman. He prayed for mercy on him when he was mentioned and may have been the only person in Kufa to do so.
He was not known to curse or accuse anyone, as he mentioned when he met ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah in Makka. ‘ Ata’ asked him, “Who are you?” “One of the people of Kufa,” he replied. “From the people of a city who have divided their deen into parties?” “Yes,” he replied. Ata’ inquired, “From which are you?” He replied, “From those who do not curse the Salaf nor hold Qadarite views and do not consider a person an unbeliever on account of a wrong action.”
Reviewing Abu Hanifa’s statements on this subject, we find an illustration which indicates that he thought that a general acclaim of the khalif should precede his taking power. Ar-Rabi‘ ibn Yunus, the wazir of al- Mansur, met with Malik, Ibn Dhu’ayb and Abu Hanifa and asked them about his being khalif. Malik said something mild and Ibn Dhu’ayb said something harsh. Abu Hanifa said, “The one who seeks guidance in his deen is slow to anger. If you are true to yourself, you will know that you have not gathered us out of desire for the pleasure of Allah. You want the populace to know that we affirm you out of fear of you. You assumed the khalifate without two of the people eligible to give fatwa agreeing on you. The khalifate is by the agreement of the Muslims and consultation with them.”
His opinions on issues of kalam
As we have already mentioned, Abu Hanifa studied the positions of the sects of his time and debated with them. He used to undertake journeys for the sake of this debate. His scholarly life began with the study of these sects before he moved on to fiqh and became the undisputed imam of the people of opinion. He continued to argue with the various sects when that was necessary. That is why some opinions are reported from him which were dealt with by the mutakallimun of his time. There are, for instance, his opinions about the reality of belief, about the status of someone who commits a sin, about the decree (qadar), and about the relationship between man’s free will and the will of Allah.
These opinions have reached us by two means: through scattered transmissions, both strong and weak, which must be scrutinised and through certain books which are ascribed to him. Abu Hanifa is listed in the Index of Ibn an-Nadim as having written four books: al-Fiqh al-Akbar, the Scholar and the Student, the Letter to ‘Uthman ibn Muslim al-Batti (which is about belief and its connection to action) and the Refutation of the Qadariyya. All of them are on the science of kalam and dogma. Al-Fiqh al-Akbar is a small treatise of which there are a number of versions. One is that of Hammad ibn Abi Hanifa. Another is the variant of Muti‘ al-Balkhi known as al-Fiqh al-Awsat, with a commentary by Abu’l-Layth as-Samarqandi and ‘Ata’ ibn ‘Ali al-Jurzjani. There are others, including that ascribed to alMaturidi, which is used for and against the argument of the Ash‘arites. This indicates without a doubt that it is later than al-Ash‘ari although they were contemporaries.
Scholars do not agree about the ascription of this work to Abu Hanifa. When he discusses al- Fiqh al-Akbar, al-Bazzazi says in The Virtues, “If you were to say that Abu Hanifa did not write any book, I would say, ‘That is what the Mu‘tazilites say. They claim that he wrote nothing on the science of kalam. By that they desired to deny that al-Fiqh al-Akbar and the Scholar and the Student were by him because he clearly stated in them most of the principles of the people of the Sunna and Community. They want to advance their claim that he was one of the Mu‘tazilites and that the book was by another Abu Hanifa. This is a clear error: both books were written by Abu Hanifa.
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