Faith (Iman) There are different transmissions about what Abu Hanifa says about faith. The one we can be most sure about is: “Faith is affirmation and confirmation.” He said that Islam is submission and obedience to Allah’s command. Linguistically, there is a difference between faith and Islam, but there is no faith without Islam and no Islam without faith. They are like the outward is to the inward. The deen is the name given to faith, Islam and the laws of the Shari‘a. So we see that Abu Hanifa did not consider faith to be pure affirmation by the heart alone.
He thought that its reality was confirmation by the heart and affirmation by the tongue. He made his views on that clear in a debate between himself and Jahm ibn Safwan.Al-Makki states in The Virtues: The opinions of Abu Hanifa on thought, ethics and society Abu Hanifa’s intellect was remarkable for his profound thinking, analysis, and ferreting out the motives and reasons for all actions and matters which he examined. He went to markets, traded, dealt with people and studied life as he studied fiqh and hadith. He debated dogma and political methods. For that reason, he had exact views regarding thought, ethics and behaviour and on how a person should behave. Abu Hanifa thought that righteous actions must be based on sound knowledge. In his view, a good person is not just someone who does good, but someone who can differentiate between good and evil, and who aims for good, out of knowledge, and avoids evil, understanding its evil.
A just person is not someone who is just without understanding injustice; a just person must recognise injustice and its consequences and justice and its results, and act with justice because of the nobility and good consequences it entails. He took this position in The Scholar and Student: “Know that action follows knowledge as the limbs follow the eyes. A little action with knowledge is far more beneficial than a lot of action with ignorance. In the desert a little provision with guidance is more useful than a lot of provision without it. That is like what Allah Almighty says, ‘Say: “Are they the same – those who know and do not know?” It is only people of intelligence who pay heed. A student asked Abu Hanifa, “What is your opinion about a man described as just who does not recognise the injustice of those who oppose him and is not capable of doing so.” The answer was, “When the scholar is described as just but does not recognise the injustice of those opposed to him, he is ignorant of both injustice and justice. Know, my brother, that the most ignorant and base of all classes in my view are people like that. They are like four people who are given white garments and then are asked about their colour. One says it is red, one says it is yellow, one says it is black and the fourth says that it is white. He is asked, ‘What do you say about these three: are they right or wrong?’ He replies, ‘I know that the garment is white, but perhaps they are speaking the truth.’ That is how such people are. Two points are evident from this. One is that righteous actions must be based on proper thought and firm knowledge.The second is that knowledge must firm and absolute and unhesitating regarding matters of belief. Abu Hanifa’s views about people, society and the connection of the scholar to the society in which he lives are those of someone who knows the states of souls and studies them deeply, tasting both the sweet and bitter. It includes the advice which he gave to his student Yusuf ibn Khalid as-Samit:Knowthat if you harm to people, you will have enemies, even if they are your mothers and fathers, but if you do good to ten people who are not your relatives, they will become like mothers and fathers to you. If you enter Basra and oppose its people, elevate yourself over them, vaunt your knowledge among them, and hold yourself aloof from their company, you will shun them and they will shun you;youwill curse them and they will curse you; you will consider them misguided and they will think you misguided and an innovator. Ignominy will attach itself to you and us, and you will have to flee from them. This is not an option. It is not an intelligent person who is unsociable to the one who is unsociable until Allah shows him a way out. When you go to Basra, the people will receive you, visit you and acknowledge your due, so put each person in his proper position. Honour the people of honour, esteem the people of knowledge and respect the shaykhs. Be kind to the young and draw near to the common people. Be courteous to the impious but keep the company of the good. Do not disregard the authorities or demean anyone. Do not fall short in your chivalry and do not disclose your secrets to anyone or trust them until you have tested them. Do not socialise with the base or the weak. Do not accustom yourself to what you disapprove of outwardly. Beware of speaking freely with fools. You must have courtesy, patience, endurance, good character and forbearance. Renew your clothing regularly, have a good mount and use a lot of what is good. É Offer your food to people: a miser never prevails. You should have as your confidants those you know to be the best of people. When you discern corruption, you should immediately rectify it. When you discern righteousness, you should increase your attention to it. Show affection to people as much as possible and greet even blameworthy peopleÉ When you meet others in a gathering or join them in a mosque and questions are discussed in a way different to your position, do not rush to disagree. If you are asked, tell the people what you know and then say, “There is another position on it which is such-and-such, and the evidence is such-and-such.” If they listen to you, they will recognise your worth and the worth of what you have. If they ask, “Whose position is that?” reply, “One of the fuqaha”. Give everyone who frequents you some of the knowledge they are expecting. Be friendly with them and joke with them sometimes and chat with them. Love encourages people to persevere in knowledge. Feed them sometimes and fulfil their needs. Acknowledge their worth and overlook their faults. Be kind to them and tolerant of them. Do not show them annoyance or vexation. Be like one of them. É Do not burden people with what they cannot do. This was Abu Hanifa’s advice to one of his students who went to Basra to teach people there the fiqh of Kufa and the opinions of its shaykhs. It reveals three aspects of that venerable imam. • It shows his character and his clinging to virtue and good character so that it became like second nature to him. • It makes it clear that he was aware of the concerns of society and people’s character and how to deal with them in a manner designed to bring out the best in them. •
It also shows the manner in which he instructed his students and that he knew how to disseminate his knowledge and views and make them acceptable to the learner. Imam Shafi said: Avoiding disobedience to Allah and leaving what does not concern you will enlighten the heart. I advise you with retreat and little eating. Beware of mixing with fools and whoever does not do you justice. Abu Bakr (ra) said: The more knowledge you have, the greater will be your fear of Allah. Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile. Knowledge is the life of the mind.When a noble man learns knowledge he becomes humble,
[whereas]when an ignoble person gains knowledge,he[becomes]conceited.When Knowledge is limited – it leads to folly. [But] when knowledge exceeds a certain limit, it leads to exploitation. Umar(ra)said:“Preserve the sayingsofthosepeoplewhoareindifferenttotheworld.They say only that which God wishes them to say.” Uthman Ibn Affan (ra) said:“The thought of the spiritual world sheds light on the soul, but the thought of the terrestrial world casts darkness thereon.” Ali(ra) said:Knowledge leads to wisdom, accordingly the educated man is thewiseone;riches diminish by expenditure, while knowledge is increased bydissemination.A wise man needs each day an hour set apart in which to examine his conscience, and measure what he has gained or lost.
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