Fiqh-2

Ahkaam al-Fiqh Module 2

احكام الفقه

The Learning of Imam Abu Hanifa (rh)

Imam Abu Hanifa (rh) had many chains of learning in different cities and under many teachers (with some accounts reporting up to 4000 teachers in total). A few of these chains are illustrated below with some background of the constituents.

1

The above central chain is one of the most well-known of the chains of learning of Imam Abu Hanifah(rh). It comprises of:

a) Abdullah ibn Masood(RA) – He was a Mujtahid Mutlaq who was guaranteed Jannah in the lifetime of Rasoolillah(SAW). He was very close to the family of Rasoolillah(SAW) being mistaken as part of Ahl ul Bait by some bediouns.

Abu Musa Ashari says, ‘When we came from Yemen, we thought for some time that Abdullah was a member of the Blessed Household, because Abdullah and his mother were constantly coming and going in the Prophet presence.

He was regularly of the first in the row for salaah behind Rasoolillah(SAW) and was first to recite the Quran to the Quraysh publicly.

The Prophet had always desired to make Ibn Masood a leader of men, as it is clear

1 Based in Makkah and one of the most prominent teachers of Imam Shafie(rh)

Kanz ul Hudaa Page 1 of 5 4th Oct 2003

Chain of Kufa

Met in his lifetime(rh)

Rasoolillah(SAW)

Alqamah

Ibrahim Nakhai

Abu Hanifa

Abdullah ibn Masood(RA)

Abu Hurayra (RA)

‘Ain ibn Abdullah (rh)

Anas ibn Malik (RA)

Hammad

500 Sahaba

Hisham ibn Urwah

Imam MalikSufyan Thawri

Sufyan b. Uyaynah

KUFA

Sha’bi


from the following words of the Prophet , ‘If I was to make anyone a leader over someone without consulting anyone, I would make Ibn Masood a leader.’

Of his piety, it is narrated that under the Khilaafah of Uthman (RA) on his death-bed, Uthman came to visit him and said: "What is your ailment?" "My sins", he replied. "And what do you desire?", Uthman asked. "The mercy of my Lord", replied Ibn Masud. Uthman asked, "Shall I not give you your stipend which you have refused to take for years now?" Ibn Masud replied, "I have no need of it." "Let it be for your daughters after you", Uthman said. Abdullah Ibn Masud asked, "Do you fear poverty for my children? I have commanded them to read Surah al-Waqiah every night for I have heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever reads Al-Waqiah every night shall not be afflicted by poverty ever."

b) Alqama (rh) – Ibn Masood (RA) said of him ‘Whoever has met Alqamah has met ibn Masood’

Alqama was the founder of the School of Kufa in Islamic religious sciences. Alqama followed in the footsteps of Ibn Mas‘ud in praying and conduct, in practising Islam as a whole. ‘Amr ibn Shurahbil, who was among the great scholars who narrated Traditions from Alqama, frequently suggested to those near him: ‘Come and let us go to the one who resembles Ibn Mas‘ud the most in conduct and attitudes”

It is said that Basra was honored, during the time of the blessed generation succeeding the Companions, by, in particular, Hasan al-Basri, the Yemen by Tawus ibn Qaysan, Madina by Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, and Kufa by Alqama ibn Qays al-Nakha’i.

c) Ibrahim Nakhai (rh) – He was the main student of Alqama (rh) with an outstanding memory. He was also the main teacher of Hammad who was in turn the main teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah.

d) Hammad began teaching Imam Abu Hanifah at the age of 22 and on his passing away Imam Abu Hanifah took over his majlis (circle) at the age of 40. Despite his having been giving permission to teach in the lifetime of Hammad(rh) the Imam never did so out of respect for his teacher.

e) Sha’bi(rh) – Imam Shafie(rh) said of him that the science of hadith owes a debt to him, which is why he was known as the Pillar of Hadith.



Imam Ibn ul Abideen in his sharh (commentary) of Durr ul Muktar quotes from Ibn Hajar Makki (rh) "Al Khairat al Hisan" on the authority of Ibn Sulayman (rh) that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "The splendour of the world will be lifted in the year 150 AH"

Imam Quduri (rh) commented on this saying that this is none other than Abu Hanifah (rh). Ibn 'Abidin, in his commentary on Durr al-mukhtar, quoted the following hadith ash-Sharif from the book Al-khairat al-hisan by Ibn Hajar al-Makki: "The ornament of the world will be taken away in the year 150." He went on to say "The great fiqh scholar Shams al-aimma 'Abd al-Ghaffar al-Kardari (d. 562/1166 A.D.) said, "It is obvious that this hadith ash-Sharif refers to al-Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa, since he passed away in 150."

As is illustrated by the above chains Imam Abu Hanifahs quest for knowledge took him to Makkah at a time when it was a busy centre for learning. Here, he studied from the likes of ‘Ata bin Rabah (a famous Tabie who in his own lifetime had assocaited with more than 200 Sahaba). Indeed, it was Abdullah ibn Umar(RA) who often used to day “Why do people come to me when ‘Ata ibn Abi Rabahis there for them to go to?”. Of the other muhaditheen of Makkah whose classes the Imam attended was ‘Ikrimah (the slave and pupil of Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas).


Met Met

Rasoolillah(SAW)

Alqamah

Ibrahim Nakhai

Abu Hanifa

Abdullah ibn Masood(RA)

Hammad

Imam Awzai (Egypt)

Imam Malik (Madina)

Qatadah

Anas ibn Malik (RA)

Ali (RA)

Al-Hassan

Al-Husayn

Ali Zayn al Abideen

Imam Baqir

Imam Jafar al Sadiq

Chain of Basr

a


Indeed the trustworthiness of Imam Abu Hanifah was attested by many just based upon his permissions to teach. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr relates in al-Intiqa, ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Dawraqi said: “Ibn Ma’inn was asked about Abu Hanifah as I was listening, so he said ‘He is trustworthy (thiqatun), I never heard that anyone had weakened him’. No less than Shu’ba (amir al mu’mineen fil hadith) wrote to him for narrations and ordered him to narrate hadith. Ibn Hajar said in in Kharija ibn al Salts’ notice in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, ibn Abi Khaythama said:”If al-Shubi narrates from someone and names him, that man is thiqa and his narration is used as proof (يهتج بحديثه).

Many well known shuyukh narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah, such as al Thawri, ibn al Mubarak, Hammad ibn Zayd and ‘Abd al-Razzaq (one of the teachers of Imam Bukhari).

What are the criterion of a mujtahid Imam

This is the pinnacle of learning and shares categories and levels, including Mujtahid fee Madhab, Mujtahid Murajjih and Mujtahid Mutlaq (complete). There are a vast number of criterion which must be fulfilled to reach the level of Mujtahid requiring knowledge in fields such as:

- Usool al hadith - Usool al Fiqh- Asbaab al-Nuzul - Ilm ul Hadith2

- Lugha & Nahw / Sarf - Tafseer - Ijma al-Sahabah - Amal of the Sahaba

These sciences were studied to high levels of perfection before the acts of deriving ahkaam from the Sacred Texts could begin.

Some of the Sahabah were Mujtahid Imams whom other Sahabah would refer to for understandings of ahkaam al Shariah such as Ali(RA), Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Masood etc.

Types of mujtahid

1. The mujtahids of Islam, who constructed the methods and principles of deriving tenets from the four sources of the religion (Adilla-i arba'a), and derived tenets in accordance with the principles they established. The mams of the four madhahib were of this category.

2. The mujtahids in a Madhhab, who, following the principles formulated by the imam of the Madhhab, derived rules from the four sources. Examples of such were Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani

3. The mujtahids of matters (masala), who for the matters that were not dealt with by the founder of the Madhhab, derived rules using the methods and principles of the Madhhab. Yet in doing this, they had to follow the imam. Scholars of this type included Imam at-Tahawi (238-321 A.H.), Hassaf Ahmad ibn 'Umar (d. 261), 'Abdullah ibn Husain al-Karkhi (340), Shams al-aimma al-Halwani (456), Shams al-aimma as-Sarahsi (483) (RAA).

2 Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal(rh) was of the opinion that this had a lower limit of 700,000 ahadith by memory



4. Ashab at-takhrij, who are not able to employ ijtihad. They were scholars who explained in brief, unclear rules derived by mujtahids. Husam ad-din ar-Razi 'Ali ibn Ahmad (d. 593 A.H., in Damascus) was one of them. He (rh) wrote a commentary to Al-Quduri.

5. Arbab at-Tarjih, who preferred one of the several riwayas (narrations or opinions of the mujtahids as narrated) coming from mujtahids. They were Abu l'Hasan al-Quduri (362-428 A.H.) and Burhan ad-din 'Ali al-Marghinani, the author of Al-hidaya, who was martyred by the soldiers of Genghis in the Bukhara Massacre of 593 A.H. [1198 A.D.].

6. Those who wrote various riwayas about a matter in an order with respect to their reliability were called muqallids. They did not include any refused riwaya in their books. Abu 'l-Barakat 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad an-Nasafi (d. 710 A.H.), the author of Kanz ad-daqaiq; 'Abdullah ibn Mahmud al-Musuli (d. 683), the author of Mukhtar; Burhan ash-Sharia Mahmud ibn Sadr ash-Sharia 'Ubaid-Allah (d. 673), the author of Al-wiqaya; and Ibn as-Sa'ati Ahmad ibn 'Ali al-Baghdadi (d. 694), the author of Majma' al-bahrain, are of these (RAA).


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