The Biography of Imam Abu Hanifah: His Asceticism, Generosity, and Creed

“And among people and moving creatures and grazing livestock are various colors similarly. Only those fear Allāh,

from among His servants, who have knowledge. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Forgiving.” (Quran 35:28)

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah ﷻ be upon you.

“In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”

“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -” (Quran 1:1-2)

And peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,

and upon his family, companions, and those who follow him.

Welcome, my brothers and sisters, to the third session of the Biography of an Imam.

Our discussion is still about the first personality in this program,

and in these sessions, who is Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man ibn Thabit.

And I promised you that I would complete some of his biography,

and it is never possible to do full justice to this Imam (RH).

In the previous session, we journeyed with this Imam

and discovered something of his beginnings and his life,

how he sought knowledge, who his teachers were, and the scholars' praise of him.

Perhaps in this session, I will mention something of his asceticism and piety,

and some of the characteristics that distinguished him (RH).

Abu Hanifah was ascetic and pious,

He was chaste of speech, dignified, and modest.

Makki ibn Ibrahim, who is the Sheikh of al-Bukhari as I mentioned to you, says:

Makki ibn Ibrahim says: "I sat with the Kufans, and I did not see anyone more pious than Abu Hanifah."

Sawar ibn Hakam says: "I have not seen anyone more pious than Abu Hanifah. He was forbidden from issuing fatwas,"

and while he and his daughter were eating, his daughter used a toothpick. Listen to this story.

An amazing story, glory be to Allah ﷻ. This shows the piety of Abu Hanifah.

The governor forbade him from issuing fatwas due to a story that happened, which I will mention.

But look at the piety of Imam Abu Hanifah when he was forbidden from issuing fatwas.

He was in his house eating with his daughter, and his daughter used a toothpick. Using a toothpick means she inserted...

...something into her teeth, like a palm leaf stalk or a stick.

And some yellowish blood came out on her toothpick.

She said, "O father, do I have to perform wudu for this? Has my wudu been invalidated?"

He said, "I have been forbidden from giving fatwas, and I swore an oath to them. So ask your brother Hammadah."

He did not give a fatwa or answer. He said, "Ask Hammadah."

Allahu Akbar.

Muhammad ibn Shuja' narrates from companions that it was said to Abu Hanifah:

"Abu Ja'far, the Commander of the Faithful, has ordered ten thousand dirhams for you."

Abu Hanifah (RH) was not pleased.

When the day came on which he expected the money to be brought to him,

he prayed Fajr, then covered himself with his garment.

He covered himself with his garment and did not speak.

Then the messenger of Al-Hasan ibn Qahtabah—or Qahtabah,

the financial officer—came to him with the money.

He entered with it and spoke to him, but he received no reply.

Those present said, "He only speaks to us word by word."

So he said, "Put the money in this bag in the corner of the house."

He said: Then Abu Hanifah later left instructions regarding his household belongings, saying to his son:

"When I die and you bury me, take this bag of money and go with it to Al-Hasan ibn Qahtabah,

and tell him: 'This is your trust which you entrusted to Abu Hanifah.'"

His son said: "When we buried him,

I took it and went to Al-Hasan, asked permission to enter, and said: 'This is the trust you had with Abu Hanifah.'"

Al-Hasan said: "May Allah ﷻ have mercy on your father—he was scrupulous regarding his religion.

Allahu Akbar! He was indeed scrupulous regarding his religion.

Ali ibn Hafs al-Bazzar says: Hafs ibn Abd al-Rahman was Abu Hanifah's partner,

and Abu Hanifah was the one who would purchase the goods.

He sent him some goods with a caravan, and informed him that a certain garment had a defect,

among the garments—one of them had a defect—

"So when you sell it, point out this defect."

Hafs sold the goods and forgot to point out the defect to the buyer,

and he did not know who bought it among the people entering the market.

When Abu Hanifah (RH) learned of this, he donated the price of all the goods,

not just the price of the garment, but he donated the price of all the goods.

Abu Yusuf al-Qadi (RH) said: They used to say, "Abu Hanifah (RH)

was adorned by Allah with fiqh, knowledge, generosity, and Quranic character."

Ibn al-Mubarak (RH) said: I said to Sufyan ibn Sa'id al-Thawri (RH),

"How far Abu Hanifah (RH) is from backbiting!

I have never heard him backbite an enemy of his."

He said, "By Allah, he is too wise to let anything ruin his good deeds."

Abu Hanifah (RH) stayed away from worldly positions,

neither seeking them nor aspiring to them.

Indeed, Yazid ibn Hubayrah, the governor of Iraq—excuse me,

Yazid ibn Hubayrah was the governor of Iraq during the reign of Marwan ibn Muhammad.

He wanted Abu Hanifa (RH) to assume the judiciary, but he refused.

After that, the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur wanted him to take the judiciary, but he declined and said, "I am not fit for the judiciary."

So al-Mansur swore that he must do it, and Abu Hanifa (RH) swore, "By Allah, I will not."

So al-Mansur imprisoned him. Glory be to Allah, the Almighty! They wanted him to take the judiciary, but he refused.

Then the Caliph imprisoned him because he refused to assume the judiciary.

This is true piety, asceticism, and God-consciousness.

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RH) said, "Indeed, Abu Hanifa (RH)

held a position in knowledge, piety, asceticism, and preferring the Hereafter that no one can reach."

He was whipped so that he would take office for al-Mansur, but he did not. May Allah's mercy and pleasure be upon him.

And Sufyan ibn Sa'id al-Thawri (RH) says, "My eyes have never beheld the likes of Abu Hanifah."

Indeed, the scholars' praise of Abu Hanifah (RH) is undeniable,

and the commendations of him by the jurists of his era are countless,

as well as by those who came after him.

Among the great character traits for which this brilliant Imam, this giant, was famous, was generosity.

Abu Hanifah (RH) was generous, noble, and virtuous.

Qays ibn al-Rabi' said, "Abu Hanifah (RH) used to send goods to Baghdad,

and with them he would buy merchandise and bring it to Kufa.

He would accumulate the profits over the course of the year,

and with them he would buy the necessities of the elderly scholars of Hadith,

buying their food, clothing, and all of their needs.

Then he would give the remaining dinars of the profits to them, saying, 'Spend this on your needs,'

And do not praise anyone but Allah ﷻ, for I am not giving you anything of my own wealth,

but rather from Allah's favor upon me for your sake.

These are the profits of your goods. Indeed, by Allah,

it is what Allah has caused to flow to you through my hands.

For there is no power for anyone else in Allah's provision.

Whenever Abu Hanifah (RH) wore a new garment, he would clothe,

scholars and elders, may Allah have mercy on him.

Abu Hanifah (RH) was famous for being a good neighbor to his neighbors.

It was well known of him that he would be kind to his neighbors

and bear their harm,

to the point that they mentioned a famous story: he had a neighbor, a shoemaker,

meaning, one who works with shoes. This neighbor worked during the day,

And when night came, he would return home, having brought meat to cook or a fish to grill.

Then he would keep drinking wine until he became...

until the drink crept into his head, he would sing in a voice,

saying: "They have abandoned me, and what a man they abandoned, for a day of adversity and the defense of a frontier!"

And he was a neighbor of Abu Hanifah.

He would keep drinking wine and repeating this verse until sleep overcame him.

Abu Hanifah (RH) used to hear his noise and his annoying voice,

while Abu Hanifah would stand praying the entire night.

One night, Abu Hanifah missed the voice of this shoemaker neighbor, so he asked about him.

He was told, "The night patrol"—meaning the police—"took him a few nights ago, and he is imprisoned."

So Abu Hanifah prayed the Fajr prayer, and the next morning, he rode his mule and requested audience with the governor.

The governor said, "Let him in, and bring him in riding; do not let him dismount until he steps onto the carpet."

This clearly shows the governors' appreciation for Abu Hanifah and the high status he held.

So they did, and the Emir kept making room for him in his assembly

and said to him, "What is your need?" He replied, "I have a shoemaker neighbor whom the night patrol took a few nights ago.

Would the Emir order his release?" He said, "Yes,

and everyone who was arrested from that night until this day of ours."

Subhan Allah! The blessing of the intercession of Abu Hanifah (RH).

So he ordered the release of all of them.

Abu Hanifah (RH) rode, and the shoemaker walked behind him.

When Abu Hanifah (RH) dismounted, he went to him and said, "O young man, did we neglect you?"

He said, "No, rather you protected and cared for me. May Allah reward you with goodness

for respecting the neighborly bond and upholding the right."

And they mentioned that this shoemaker neighbor repented

and did not return to his old ways, and they even mentioned that he joined

the study circle of Abu Hanifah (RH).

Abu Hanifah (RH), my brothers and sisters,

Allah ﷻ bestowed upon him intelligence, for he was one of the most intelligent people in the world.

Allah ﷻ granted him a brilliant mind and a compelling argument.

Ali ibn Asim said, "If the intellect of Abu Hanifah (RH) was weighed against half the people of the earth, his would outweigh theirs."

Among the examples of his intelligence and acumen, which are very numerous,

is what Al-Hasan ibn Ziyad al-Lu'lu'i mentioned in the famous story that ended with the restriction on Abu Hanifah (RH).

I mentioned to you a short while ago that he was banned from issuing fatwas, and I promised to tell you the story.

Al-Lu'lu'i says, "We had a madwoman called Umm Imran.

A man passed by her and said something to her; he said words that provoked her.

So she said, 'O son of two fornicators!' This madwoman said to this man, 'O son of two fornicators!'

And Ibn Abi Layla, the judge, was standing there listening. He heard it.

This woman said to this man, "O son of two adulterers!"

He ordered her to be brought into the mosque, and she was brought in while he was there.

He lashed her twice: one punishment for the father of this man, and one for his mother.

When this reached Abu Hanifah (RH), he said, "The judge erred in six aspects."

First, an insane person is not subject to punishment.

Second, he carried out the punishment in the mosque, and punishments are not carried out in mosques.

Third, he lashed her while standing, whereas women are lashed sitting down.

Fourth, he applied two punishments to her, whereas if a person slanders a group, they only receive one.

Fifth, he lashed her while the parents were absent,

and this should only happen in their presence, because punishment is only for the one who demands it.

Sixth, he combined the two punishments in one session,

and whoever is due two punishments, one is not carried out until the other heals.

Then the second punishment is administered.

Of course, when this reached Judge Ibn Abi Layla, he became angry,

so he went to the Emir and complained, and the Emir banned Abu Hanifah

from issuing fatwas. This is the story of the ban on Abu Hanifah that I mentioned.

Ibn Abd al-Barr (RH), the famous Qurtubi Imam, author of Al-Tamhid and other books,

narrated from Ibn Shubrumah that he said, "I used to be very critical of Abu Hanifah,"

meaning I did not think much of him. Then the Hajj season came, and I was a pilgrim then,

and a group of people gathered around Abu Hanifah to ask him questions.

So I stood where he would not know who I was.

Then a man came to him and said, "O Abu Hanifah, I have come to you to ask you about a matter."

that has worried me, distressed me, and exhausted me."

He asked, "What is it?"

He said, "I have an only son,

if I marry him off, she is divorced; if I give him a concubine, she is freed.

Meaning: if I give him a slave-girl, she is freed. And I am helpless in this matter.

Is there any way out?"

He immediately said to him—without even stopping to think, as they say—

meaning, he did not sit and ponder:

"Buy the slave-girl that he likes for yourself,

then marry her to him.

If he divorces her, she returns to you as your slave,

and if he frees her, he frees what he does not own.

He said, "So I knew that the man was a faqih,

and from that day on, I spoke of him only with goodness.

Al-Zubayr ibn Ka'ib said: "Sharik said to me,

'We were at the funeral of a youth from Banu Hashim,

which was attended by the prominent people

and the nobles.

He said, 'I was next to...'

Ibn Shubrumah (RH). I was walking alongside him when the funeral procession stopped.

It stopped, and the people stopped. It was asked:

"Why is the funeral procession not moving?"

It was said, "His mother came out, devastated over him,"

the mother of the deceased boy, devastated, with her face uncovered,

wearing only a chemise.

So his father swore by divorce that she must go back.

The woman's husband swore by divorce that she must go back,

and she swore to donate all she owned if she went back before he was prayed over.

With the funeral procession that day was the Imam Ibn Shubrumah (RH) and his peers among the scholars.

They gathered and were asked about the issue, but they had no immediate answer.

He said, "So they went and called for Abu Hanifah (RH)."

"Where is Abu Hanifah ﷫? Come, Abu Hanifah ﷫!" He was among the crowd.

He came with his head covered,

while the wife, the husband, and the people stood waiting, and the funeral procession had not moved.

He asked the woman, "What did you swear?"

She said, "Such and such." He asked the husband, "What did you swear?" He said, "Such and such."

He said, "Put down the bier"—meaning the coffin. So it was put down.

He said to the man, "Step forward and pray over your son."

When he prayed, he said, "Go back, for you both have fulfilled your oaths. Carry your deceased."

The matter was resolved. The narrator said, "The people admired this [judgment]."

And Ibn Shubruma said, as narrated from him by Sharik:

"Women are unable to give birth to the likes of Al-Nu'man."

"Women are unable to give birth to the likes of Al-Nu'man."

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman said: There was a man in Kufa...

...who defamed Uthman ibn Affan (RA).

He defamed Uthman ibn Affan, saying, "He was a Jew."

So Abu Hanifa came to him and said to this man from Kufa:

"I have come to you as a suitor,"

He asked, "For whom?" He replied, "For your daughter."

"He is a noble man, wealthy, and a memorizer of the Book of Allah,

generous, prays the night in one rak'ah, and weeps much out of fear of Allah."

The man said, "I would accept even less than this, O Abu Hanifah, even less than this."

"Meaning, if you brought me someone who has less than what you mentioned,

I would accept him. I would accept even less than this, O Abu Hanifah."

He said, "Except that he has one trait."

He asked, "What is it?" He replied, "He is a Jew."

He said, "SubhanAllah! You order me to marry my daughter to a Jew?"

He asked, "You won't do it?" He replied, "No."

Abu Hanifah asked him, "You won't do it, meaning you refuse?" He said, "No."

He said, "Yet the Prophet ﷺ married his two daughters to a Jew?"

The man realized and knew that Abu Hanifah had only come to him for this reason.

He said, "I seek Allah's forgiveness. I repent to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime."

So he stopped criticizing 'Uthman (RA).

Regarding his intelligence, may Allah have mercy on him, Yahya ibn Ma'in said:

"The Kharijites entered"—of course, they had spread at that time—

he said, "The Kharijites entered the Mosque of Kufa

while Abu Hanifah and his companions were sitting."

Abu Hanifah said, "Do not leave," upon seeing the Kharijites enter.

of course, were people of killing and bloodshed, and they shed blood excessively.

When they entered, Abu Hanifah said to his companions, "Do not leave your place."

So they came and stood over them.

They asked them—the Kharijites said to Abu Hanifah and his students—"Who are you?"

Abu Hanifah replied, "We are seekers of protection."

The leader of the Kharijites said, "Leave them, convey them to their place of safety, and recite the Quran to them."

So they recited the Quran to them and led them to safety.

Abu Hanifah derived this from the word of Allah ﷻ:

“And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allāh [i.e., the Qur’ān]. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.” (Quran 9:6)

And the Kharijites are ignorant.

It is well known about the Kharijites that they are ignorant.

Indeed, I recall something remarkable that distinguished Imam Abu Hanifah, namely...

...his method and style of education and teaching.

Among the amazing things reported about Abu Hanifah (RH) is that he differed from

the prevailing method, which they call traditional, among the scholars of his time,

and he broke the monotony followed in teaching and rote learning.

For his teaching was, in reality, a discussion and consultation with his students.

Al-Muwaffaq al-Makki says: Abu Hanifa (RH) established his madhhab through consultation among them,

never imposing his own view upon them unilaterally, out of his own ijtihad in religion,

and out of his deep sincerity to Allah ﷻ, His Messenger ﷺ, and the believers.

He would present issue after issue, turning it over, listening to what they had to say, and stating his own view,

and sometimes he would debate them for a month or more, until the matter settled.

...on one of the views. Then, Judge Abu Yusuf would record it in the fundamentals.

until he recorded all the fundamentals.

And if a matter was difficult for him— Abu Hanifah said to his companions...

He would say, if a matter was difficult and closed to him, what would he say?

He would say, "This is only due to a sin I committed," and he would seek forgiveness.

and the matter would be clarified to him,

and he would say, "I hope that I have been forgiven." Allahu Akbar!

Abu Hanifah (RH), of course, his sources of knowledge and deduction

did not differ from the rest of the scholars of Islam and the Salaf.

Abu Hanifah (RH) used to venerate the status of Tawhid,

of course, warning against falling into Shirk and Bid'ah.

Among his famous sayings (RH):

"No one should supplicate to Allah except by Him,"

and the permitted and commanded supplication is what is derived

from the saying of Allah ﷻ:

“And to Allāh belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.” (Quran 7:180)

That is, Abu Hanifah does not permit anyone to supplicate to other than Allah ﷻ.

Legitimate supplication is not directed towards a shrine or anything else,

but rather, one supplicates to Allah ﷻ directly.

Among his great statements, he says:

"It is disliked to say: 'I ask You by the right of so-and-so, or by the right of Your Prophets and Messengers,

or by the right of the Sacred House and the Sacred Monument.'"

Rather, he (RH) holds the view that the supplicant

should ask Allah ﷻ directly.

Among his sayings (RH) regarding the names and attributes:

He says, "Allah ﷻ is not described with the attributes of His creation,

and His anger and His pleasure are two of His attributes, without asking how."

And this is the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah.

And He gets angry and is pleased—referring to Allah ﷻ,

he says, "He gets angry and is pleased," because Allah ﷻ mentioned

the attribute of anger and pleasure in the Quran.

Abu Hanifah (RH) says: 'And He becomes angry and is pleased,

and it is not said: His anger is His punishment— this is interpretation,

and His pleasure is His reward— this is interpretation.'

This is not to be said.

He (RH) says: 'And we describe Him as He described Himself,

One, the Eternal Refuge.'

“He neither begets nor is born,”

“Nor is there to Him any equivalent."” (Quran 112:3-4)

Ever-Living, All-Powerful, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Knowing.

The Hand of Allah is over their hands, not like the hands of His creation.

And His Face is not like the faces of His creation.

Therefore, when Abu Hanifah (RH) was asked about the Divine Descent,

when asked about the Hadith of Descent: 'Our Lord descends...', what did he say?

He said: "He descends without a 'how.'"

And he (RH) said: "And the Quran is uncreated."

This refutes what was attributed to him, that he said the Quran is created,

even if he had said it at the beginning of his career or studies.

This is a decisive text showing that he held the Quran to be the uncreated Word.

Among what he said: "The Quran is the Word of Allah, written in the Mus-hafs,

preserved in the hearts, recited by tongues, and revealed to the Prophet ﷺ."

As for the usul al-fiqh of Abu Hanifah and the principles he followed,

they do not, in fact, deviate from what is agreed upon among the four madhhabs:

the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, and sound qiyas.

Among the things he (RH) used to say: "I take from the Book of Allah if I find it,

and what I do not find in it, I take from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah

ﷺ and the authentic narrations from him

that have spread among trustworthy narrators.

If I do not find it in the Book of Allah nor the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,

I take the opinion of whichever of his Companions (RA) I wish, leaving whom I wish,

and I do not depart from their opinions to the opinions of others.

But when the matter reaches Ibrahim, al-Sha'bi, and Ibn al-Musayyib..."

naming several men: "I have the right to exercise ijtihad as they did."

He said: "I may exercise ijtihad as they did."

And he (RH) was extremely meticulous in narrating Hadith,

and he used to say: "If a Hadith is authentic, it is my madhhab."

And he said: "It is not permissible for anyone to adopt our opinion unless they know from where we derived it."

In another narration: "It is forbidden for one who does not know my evidence to issue a fatwa based on my words."

And he added in another narration: "For we are human; we may say something today and recant it tomorrow."

Allahu Akbar! These are the words of this brilliant scholar.

And he (RH) said: "If I say something that contradicts the Book of Allah ﷻ and the report of His Messenger ﷺ,

then discard my saying, discard my saying."

And the statements narrated from Abu Hanifah are indeed very numerous.

I conclude, my brothers and sisters, with the trial that Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man (RH) was subjected to,

which is a universal, predestined sunnah for the prophets and scholars,

and everyone who is on the path of the prophets (AS).

Of course, Ubaydullah ibn 'Amr al-Raqqi says:

He says: The Emir Ibn Hubayrah spoke to Abu Hanifah about assuming the judiciary.

He said to him, "I want you to assume the judiciary"—and I have already referred to this story during my talk—

He wanted him to assume the judiciary of Kufa, but he refused.

Abu Hanifah refused, so he whipped him one hundred and ten lashes while he persisted in his refusal.

When Ibn Hubayrah saw Abu Hanifah's insistence, he let him go.

Abu Hanifah (RH)—Allah's ﷻ decree of death came upon him.

and passing. "For every term is a decree."

“And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].” (Quran 7:34)

Hammad ibn Abi Hanifah says:

His son says, "When my father died, we asked al-Hasan ibn Umarah to wash his body, and he did so."

"When he finished washing him, he stood over him and said: May Allah ﷻ have mercy on you and forgive you."

"You did not break your fast for thirty years, and you did not rest your head on your right side at night,"

"...for forty years."

"You have exhausted those who come after you, and exposed the shortcomings of the scholars."

Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man (RH) passed away in the year 150 AH.

This is the same year in which...

...Imam al-Shafi'i (RH) was born.

As for Abu Hanifah's age, he was seventy years old,

because he was born in the year 80 AH and passed away in the year 150 AH.

The funeral prayer was offered for him in Baghdad six times due to the massive crowd, and his grave is there.

Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir ad-Dimashqi says: "He was prayed over in Baghdad...

...six times due to the large crowd,

and his grave is there, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him.

So peace be upon Abu Hanifah among the first, and peace be upon him among the last.

And I ask Allah the Almighty to gather us with him, with our Prophet ﷺ, in the Gardens of Pleasure.

And this, in fact, is not an exhaustive narration of the biography of Abu Hanifah,

but rather they are snippets, a brief tour, and just...

...mentioning some things by which we preserve the right of this Imam.

The next session, which is the fourth session, will also be about...

...a great personality among the figures who are stars in the sky of this world, so stay tuned.

And may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.