[Dr. ‘Inayatullah Iblagh al-Afghanistani, Doctorate thesis: al-Imam ul A’zam Abu Hanifah al-Mutakallim (The Greatest Imam: Abu Hanifah, The Theologian),2^nd edition, with supervision of Dr. Muhammad Ali Mahjub, Minister of Awqaf and President of the Supreme Council for Religious Affairs, Cairo, 1987.]
 
 

Some counted his teachers as four thousand within the ranks of the Tabi’in. Among them al-Laith Ibn Sa’d and Malik Ibn Anas, the Imam of Dar-ul-Hijra as mentioned by Daraqutni [al-Khairat al-Hisan, 23].

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:

1. Anas Ibn Malik
2. Abdullah Ibn Anis al-Juhani
3. Abdullah Ibn al-Harith Ibn Juz’ al-Zabidi
4. Jabir Ibn Abdullah
5. Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa
6. Wa’ila Ibn al-Asqa’
7. Mi’qal Ibn Yasar
8. Abu Tufail ‘Amir Ibn Wa’ila
9. Aisha Bint Hajrad
10. Sahl Ibn Sa’d
11. Al-Tha’ib Ibn Khallad Ibn Suwaid
12. Al-Tha’ib Ibn Yazid Ibn Sa’id
13. Abdullah Ibn Samra
14. Mahmud Ibn al-Rabi’
15. Abdullah Ibn Ja’far
16. Abu Umama

First Hadith:

"Seeking of knowledge is an obligation on each and every Muslim." Reported by Abu Hanifah upon the authority of Anas Ibn Malik. Many books of biography mention two chains of transmition for this Hadith.

Arabic transliteration: (Talab-ul ‘ilmi faridhatun ‘ala kulli muslim)

Second Hadith:

Abu Hanifah reported upon the authority of Jabir Ibn Abdullah, said, "A man from the Ansar came to the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I never was gifted with a son and a son was never born to me," so he said, "And where are you from the abundance of zikr and istighfar? Allah provides, by them, the children" He said, "So, the man used to increase his charity and asking for forgiveness." Then Jabir said nine sons were born for him.

Some argued, though, that Jabir died in the year 79 H while Abu Hanifah died, most probably, in the year 80 H, so how can this report be true?

Arabic transliteration: (Ja’a rajalun mina al-anSar ila al-nabiyyi -Salla allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam- fa qala lahu, "ya rasulallahi ma ruziqtu waladan qaTT wa la wulida li," faqala, "wa aina anta min kathratil istighfari wal sadaqa, yarzuqullahu biha al-walad." Qal, "fa kana ar-Rajul yukthiru min al-sadaqa wa al-istighfar." Wa qala jabirun -radiya allahu ‘anhu- fa wulida lahu tes’atun mina al-thukur).

Third Hadith:

The Greatest Imam said, "I heard Abdullah Ibn Juz’ al-Zabidi, the companion of the Prophet (saw), saying, "Whoever learned the knowledge of religion, Allah will protect him from worries and will provide him with sustenance from wherever he does not expect."

Arabic transliteration: (Man tafaqqaha fid-din kafahu allahu hammahu wa razaqahu min Haythu la yaHtasib).

Fourth Hadith:

Reported from Abu Hanifah, said, "I heard Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa saing, "I heard the Prophet (saw) saying, "Whoever built a mosque (how small it might be) Allah will build to him a house in Paradise."

Arabic transliteration: (Man bana lillahi baitan wa low ka mifHaSi qata, bana allahu lahu baitan fil janna).

Fifth Hadith:

Reported from Abu Hanifah, said, "I was born in the year eighty, and Abdullah Ibn Anis came to Kufa in the year ninety four, and I heard from him while I was fourteen years old. I heard him saying, "Your loving the thing causes blindness and deafness."

Arabic transliteration: (Wulidtu sanata thamanin wa qadima Abdullah Ibnu Anis al-Kufa sanata arba’en wa tes’een, wa same’tu minhu wa ana ibnu arba’a ‘ashrata sana. Sami’tuhu yaqool, "Hubbuka al-shai’a yu’mi wa yoSemm").

Sixth Hadith:

Reported by Abu Hanifah, said I heard Wa’ila Ibn al-Asqa’ saying, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) saying, "Do not display your rejoicing at your brother (‘s misfortune), so that Allah might remedy him and inflict it upon you."

Arabic transliteration: (La tuZhiranna shamatataka li akhika fa yu’afiahu allahu wa yabtalika).

Seventh Hadith:

Reported from Abu Hanifah, said, "Wa’ila Ibn al-Asqa’ told me, from the Messenger of Allah, said, "Leave what causes you doubt to what does not cause you doubt."

Arabic transliteration: (Da’ ma yoribuka ila ma la uribuk).

[al-Manaqib, al-Muwaffaq al-Makki, V1, 27; al-Manaqin, al-Kurdari, V1, 5]

And of what is agreed upon among many of the writers that the Imam saw Anas ibn Malik. [Even] al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, despite his advocacy of a negative image for the Imam, does support the fact of his seeing of Anas ibn Malik with his saying, "Abu Hanifah saw Anas ibn Malik and heard from ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah" [Tarikh Baghdad, Vol13, 324].

Ibn Abdul-Barr mentions in his Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm [V1, 35], after he mentioned, alongside its sanad, a piece of news which Imam Abu Hanifah heard from Abdullah ibn al-Harith ibn al-Juz’, the Sahabi, "Ibn Sa’d, author of al-Waqidi, mentioned that Abu Hanifah saw Anas ibn Malik and Abdullah ibn al-Harith ibn al-Juz’." Counting on this, Ibn al-Juz’ is considered to have died late, and in priority, that Abu Hanifah saw Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa since he was Kufi with regards to his residence and place of death.

Furthermore, Abu Na’im al-Asfahani mentioned among the Sahaba, whom Abu Hanifah saw, Anas, Abdullah ibn al-Harith, and Ibn Abi Awfa. The same is reported by Sibt ibn al-Jawzi upon the authority of Thakir ibn Kamel from Abu Ali al-Haddad from his book al-Intisaru wal Tarjih. This, considering the birth date of Abu Hanifah in the year 80 H, but if his birth date was in the year 61 H, or in the year 70 H, as in the reports of Ibn Zawad and Ibn Hayyan, the circle of his seeing of the Sahaba would be wider. Abu al-Qasem ibn Abi al-‘Awam expanded on clarifying who was comtemporary of him relying on the first report in his book Fazailu Abi Hanifah wa Ashabih (The Virtues of Abu Hanifah and His Followers).

Among what was altered by the means of tampering in copying what was mentioned that Daraqutni was asked about Abu Hanifah’s hearing from Anas, is it considered correct? He said "la wa la ru’aytuh" (No, niether his seening). But the original statement is "la illa ru’yatuh" (No, except his seeing). As an evidence on this is what Suyuti mentioned in the beginning of his book Tabiyydhul Sahifa with his saying "Hamza al-Sahmi said, "I heard Daraqutni saying Abu Hanifah did not meet any of the Sahaba except that he saw Anas with his eyes but did not hear from him."" And from the ones who confessed of his seeing Anas are: Ibn Sa’d, ad-Daraqutni, Abu Na’im al-Asfahani, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, al-Khateeb [al-Baghdadi], Ibn al-Jawzi, as-Sam’ani, Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi, Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, Fazlullah al-Turishty, Nawawi, Yafi’i, Zahabi, Zainuddin al-Iraqi, al-Walyy al Iraqi, Ibn al Wazir, al-Badr al-‘Ayni, Ibn Hajar [al-‘Asqalani], Shihabuddin al-Qastalani, Suyuti, and Ibn Hajar al-Makki, among others. [Ta’nibul Khateeb fi ma Saqahu fi al Imam Abi Hanifah min al Akathib, Kawthari, 15].
 
 

References that the Author Relied On:

1. al-Haytami, al-Khairat al-Hisan. For al-Allama, Mufti al-Hijaz Ibn Hajar (d.943 H).
2. Manaqib al-Imam Abi Hanifah. For Ibu al-Mu’ayyid al-Muwaffaq al-Makki (d.568 H).
3. Manaqib Abi Hanifah. For Ibn al-Bazzaz al-Kurdari, author of Fatawi al-Bazzaziyya (d. 827).
4. Ad-Durr al-Munazzam fi Manaqib al-Imam al-A’zam: a manuscript kept in the library of al-Azhar ash-Sharif (#238). For Noah Afandi (d. 1070, Cairo).
5. Al-‘Uqood al-Jiman fi Manaqib Abi Hanifah an-Nu’man: also a manuscript in al-Azhar. For as-Salih ad-Dimashqi.