Advice of Scholars - IMÂM-I A’ZAM ABÛ HANÎFA (PART 1)

Shamsaddîn Sâmî Bey writes as follows in his Qâmûs-ul a’lâm:

“The name of Imâm-i a’zam Abû Hanîfa is Nu’mân. His father’s name was Thâbit. He is the first of the four great imâms of the Ahl as-sunnat. He is a great pillar of the brilliant Sharî’at of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’. He is a descendant of one of the notables of Persia. His grandfather had accepted Islam. He was born in the city of Kûfa in 80 A. H. He was born early enough to live during the times of Anas bin Mâlik, Abdullah bin Abî Awfâ, Sahl bin Sa’d-i Sâ’idî and Abut-tufail Âmir bin Wâsila, who were Sahâbîs.

He learned the knowledge of fiqh from Hammâd bin Abî Suleymân. He kept company with many great persons of the Tâbi’în, especially with Imâm-i Ja’far Sâdiq. He memorized many hadîths. If he had not become a Madhhab leader, he was brought up so as to become a great judge, a man of ideas. He had a superior intellect and a wisdom which bewildered everybody. In the knowledge of fiqh he reached a grade that did not have an equal or a likeness.

Yazîd bin Amr, who was the Governor of Iraq during the time of Merwân, offered him the judgeship to a law-court of Kûfa. But because he had much zuhd, taqwâ and wara’ as well as knowledge and wisdom, he did not accept it. He was afraid of failing to observe the people’s rights because of human weaknesses. Though he was whipped a hundred and ten times on the head with Yazîd’s command, he persisted in refusing. He was invited to Baghdad by the second Abbâsî Khalifa Abû Ja’far Mansûr. He was offered a judgeship, but he refused it again.