| Full Name |
Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Nuʿmān ibn Marzubān |
| Kunya |
Abū Ḥanīfa |
| Birth |
699 CE / 80 AH — Kufa, Iraq |
| Death |
767 CE / 150 AH (Shaʿbān) — Baghdad, Iraq |
| Title |
Imām al-Aʿẓam (The Greatest Imam), Jurist, Scholar |
| Position |
Founder of the Ḥanafī School of Islamic Jurisprudence |
| Notable Works |
Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, Al-ʿĀlim wa’l-Mutaʿallim, Al-Musnad (authenticity debated) |
| Regions of Influence |
Turkey, Indian Subcontinent (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh), Balkans, Central Asia, Middle East, Muslim minorities worldwide |
Life, Legacy, and the Hanafi School
Early Life and Education
Born in 699 CE (80 AH) in Kufa, Iraq, to a Persian-origin family. His father Thābit was a respected silk merchant. Abū Ḥanīfa initially worked in trade but was drawn to Islamic scholarship through his intellect and devotion.
Education and Teachers
He studied with leading scholars including:
Claims that he studied directly from Companions like Anas ibn Mālik and ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Awfā are unlikely due to chronological differences; he studied their narrations through later teachers.
Expertise and Works
Abū Ḥanīfa’s method combined the Qur’an and Sunnah with analogical reasoning (qiyās) and juristic preference (istiḥsān), emphasizing rulings aligned with primary sources.
Attributed works include:
He maintained that any opinion conflicting with Qur’an and Sunnah should be rejected.
Famous For
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Founding the Ḥanafī madhhab, the largest Sunni school
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Balancing textual fidelity with principled reasoning
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Independence from rulers despite persecution
Character and Political Stance
He refused official judicial posts (including Chief Judge under al-Manṣūr) to avoid political compromise, enduring imprisonment and flogging. Known for humility, generosity, and earning through honest trade.
Famous Quote
“Knowledge without action is like a tree without fruit.”
(Ibn Abī al-Wafā in Al-Manāqib al-Muwaffaqiyyah)
Legacy
The Ḥanafī school spread widely through Abbasid and Ottoman realms into South Asia, the Balkans, and beyond. His students Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad al-Shaybānī systematized and expanded his teachings for lasting influence.
Interesting Facts
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Known as Imām al-Aʿẓam (“The Greatest Imam”) for his scholarship
-
Refused to transmit any hadith if authenticity was doubtful
-
Faced flogging for issuing fatwas against unjust rulers
-
Praised by Imam al-Shāfiʿī for his influence in fiqh
References
- Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ
- Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb
- Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād
- Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Al-Intiqāʾ fī Faḍāʾil al-Thalāthah al-Aʾimmah al-Fuqahāʾ
- Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah
