In our daily life.....lets take an example of mineral deposits in the bath room....if we use water high on mineral for a day or two on a neat and clean milky-white bath tub...we will see some stains, and with little efforts those stains could be removed.....
Now if we dont worry about those stains on the bath tub, and keep using the same high mineral water...we will see increase in number of stains...the more we use mineral water, the more stains we will see....until there will reach a point where the stains will be all over the bath tub, especially the are where the mineral-water falls directly on the tub.
If you notice, those stains are very difficult to clean...and ordinary detergent, soap, or even the ordinary bathroom bowl cleaner with high acid intensity will not help...for example i have seen even the Clorox, the best available brand does not help at all......in fact...there are specialized aciduous checmicals that you will have to use which are very strong in acid, and you cannot contact the liquid directly.
Now if we ponder a little bit...this is a great example for humanity....it gives us a lesson that is so clear and without any abstracts...
Think about our hearts, and (to those who are scientific) brains, and more so our spirit. First of all I admit I am a sinner, and I seek "refuge" of Allah for all my mistakes that I do knowingly and unknowingly...yet if someone asks me...you could remove the mineral deposits using acids....how could one remove the stains on his heart....which are deposited on the heart due to bad deeds......
The process of stain-agglomoration on one's heart is explained very well in Quran. We keep doing bad things, commit sins in every day life, ignore the oneness of God, Lie, Steal, back bite, betray friends, donot stand up for the truth, and donot stand against the cruel to help the victim, and in many cases we support the cruel just because we want to save our ass.....we donot care what kind of earnings we are getting...in short our daily Life is full of sins....
In this dark life..if some one asks kay how do u wash ur stains of heart.....or brain.....because a point comes where brain or heart stops identifying the bad things.....
Well very simple recipe....First Make a niyaa..(intention),.....find ur self some time alone...when u are all by yourself....then follow these steps:
1) Make Istighfar --Tauba --- on all your sins...cry and admit urself as guilty of all those bad things that you have done.....this is the very first step...where a human being finds some time for himself...and appears in the court of his creator, and admits that he has made mistakes...this is the starting point...and this admittance is very necessary.
2) Make Intention and pray for it that you want to abstain from bad things, and you seek Allahs help in that.
3) Now the compund you would need to wash the stains on your heart is composed of two things.... In your daily life....develop a habit of saying Kalima Tayyaba, and Isteghfar in your spare time....Accoeding to manay Ahadiths...Kalima Tayyaba and Isteghfar are the two things that can wash the stains on the heart and they have a cleansing effect.
Kalima Tayyaba is: Ash Haduan Laa Ilaaha IllAllaho Wa Ash Hadu Anna Muhammad ARR Rasool Allah
Isteghfar: Just say Istaghfirullah
Key Observation: Just like many lazy people donot find it necessary to clean the mineral deposits from their bath tub because a point come where they dont see those stains...simlalrly all of us becomes so busy in life..that we dont find time for ourselves...It is very important to find urself some spare time where you are all by yourself in front of your Lord...and where you could pray, admit that you are guilty of the bad life you have been spending, and where foremost you could ask forgiveness, beg, cry for the guidance to the straight path from the Lord.
I think it is necessary or we all will stay astrayed......
I seek forgiveness of Allah......
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Interesting Quote of Imam Abu Hanifa
Imam Abu Hanfia once quoted: A person who thinks that he is a scholar and he does not need any teacher, should cry upon himself.
One Teacher of Imam Abu Hanif left the town, and asked him to answer any questions that people will have while he is absent. While doing so, Imam Abu Hanifa kept noting his answer that he would give to people in return to their queries about masaail.
By the timehis teacher came back, Imam Abu Hanifa had already answered 60 questions; and had noted their answers so he could compare them to the answers of his teacher. After consulting his teacher, he found that he was right only in 20 cases and the rest all of his answers / suggestions to the people were incorrect. Knowing this, Imam Abu Hanifa stayed under the supervision of his teacher for the rest 18 years of his life, in order to improve his knowledge.
One Teacher of Imam Abu Hanif left the town, and asked him to answer any questions that people will have while he is absent. While doing so, Imam Abu Hanifa kept noting his answer that he would give to people in return to their queries about masaail.
By the timehis teacher came back, Imam Abu Hanifa had already answered 60 questions; and had noted their answers so he could compare them to the answers of his teacher. After consulting his teacher, he found that he was right only in 20 cases and the rest all of his answers / suggestions to the people were incorrect. Knowing this, Imam Abu Hanifa stayed under the supervision of his teacher for the rest 18 years of his life, in order to improve his knowledge.
Imam Abu Hanifa Childhood
A Wise Young Muslim Boy
Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.
One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims to answer.
The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this moment?"
The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission to do so.
The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question, "What was there before Allâh?"
The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"
"Yes," said the man.
"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting
"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy.
"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.
"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"
Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh facing?"
"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which direction the flame is facing."
"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,
North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only," said the man in wonderment.
The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all times."
The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy said,
"Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."
This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"
The boy proudly answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh, He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."
The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh 'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'dham, the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam.
Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.
One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims to answer.
The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this moment?"
The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission to do so.
The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question, "What was there before Allâh?"
The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"
"Yes," said the man.
"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting
"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy.
"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.
"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"
Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh facing?"
"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which direction the flame is facing."
"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,
North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only," said the man in wonderment.
The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all times."
The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy said,
"Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."
This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"
The boy proudly answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh, He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."
The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh 'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'dham, the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam.
Imam Abu Hanifa --- One of those people who I wish to meet, and be among his students
The Life of Imam Abu Hanifah Nu'man ibn Thabit, 80-150 A.H.
by Maida Malik
Better known as `Imam-e-`Adham' (The Greatest Imam), or by his kunyah `Abu Hanifah', Nu'man ibn Thabit was born in the city of Kufa (modern day Iraq) in the year 80 A.H (689 A.D).? Born into a family of tradesmen, the Imam's family were of Persian origin as well as descending from the noble Prophet's (saw) Companion Salman al-Farsi (ra).? Imam Abu Hanifah's father, Thabit,? had met in Kufa Imam `Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) who made dua for him and his progeny, and some say that Abu Hanifah was a result of this dua.
? A hadith given by al-Bukhari and Muslim states that Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated Allah's Messenger (saw) as saying:"If the Religion were at the Pleiades, even then a person from Persia would have taken hold of it, or one amongst the Persian descent would surely have found it."? Abu Hurairah (ra) also narrates:"We were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (saw) when Surat al-Jum`a was revealed to him and when he recited amongst them, (those who were sitting there) said `Allah's Messenger?' but Allah's Apostle (saw) made no reply, until he was questioned once, twice or thrice, and there was amongst us Salman the Persian.? Allah's Apostle (saw) placed his hand on Salman and then said:"Even if faith were near the Pleiades, a man from amongst these would surely find it."
? Imam as-Suyuti a Shafi'i alim (rh) remarked:"It has been communicated unanimously that this hadith refers to Imam Abu Hanifah."
Kufa at the time of the Imam's birth was a great center of knowledge and learning, with many of the noble Prophet's (saw) Companions (ra) having taken residence there.? Due to the presence of these venerable people who had engendered so much interest in hadith and riwayat that practically every house in Kufa had become a center of these disciples and their disciplines.?
At first, Imam Abu Hanifah was not a student of knowledge.? However, by coincidence, while one day passing by the house of Sha'bi (an acclaimed "Great Scholar among the Successors (rh)"), Abu Hanifah was called in by the shaykh who mistook him for a student.? "Where are you going young man?" asked Sha'bi.? Abu Hanifah named the merchant he was going to see.? "I meant to ask," asked Sha'bi, "Whose classes you attend?"?? "Nobody's," replied the Imam regretfully.? "I see signs of intelligence in you," began Sha'bi,"you should sit in the company of learned men."?
It was after this encounter that the young Imam began his quest for knowledge.? Imam Abu Hanifah acquired knowledge from over four thousand people.? His teachers included many prestigious men of the time whose sanad went back to a number of Companions (ra).? He himself was blessed with the meeting of the Companions: Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Afwa and Sahl ibn Sa'ad (ra), thus gaining him the rank of being a Tabi'i (Successor to the Companions).
Amongst Imam Abu Hanifah's shayukh was Hammad ibn Sulayman, he joined his circle at the age of 22, having already become a well-known debater and studied with this shaykh until the latter's death, whereupon he took over his majlis (circle) at the age of forty.? Shu'ba, a leading muhaddith who knew-by-heart two thousand traditions was also a teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah.? Shu'ba was greatly attached to Imam Abu Hanifah saying: "Just as I know that the sun is bright, I know that learning and Abu Hanifah are doubles of each other."
The Imam's quest for knowledge inevitably took him to the Holy Sanctuaries, at a time when Makkah was a busy center for learning.? A number of acknowledged masters of hadith, who had had access to the Prophet's (saw) Companions (ra) had established their own schools there.? Of these was `Ata bin Rabah's (rh) school.? `Ata was a famous Tabi'i who had associated with most of the Companions (ra) and acquired from this association a status of authority.? He himself claimed to have met two hundred men who had associated with the Noble Prophet (saw).? The leading Companions (ra) all acknowledged his learning.? Abdullah ibn `Umar (ra), son of the Caliph `Umar (ra) often used to say:"Why do people come to me when `Ata ibn Abi Rabah is there for them to go to?"? Of the other Muhaddithin of Makkah whose classes the Imam attended was `Ikrimah.? He was the slave and pupil of Abdullah ibn `Abbas, who educated him with great care and attention, making him so proficient that he, during his own lifetime gave Imam Abu Hanifah the authority to exercise personal judgement and rulings.? "Imam Abu Hanifah was the first to analyze Islamic jurisprudence, divide it into subjects, distinguish its issues and determine the range and criteria for analytical reasoning (qiyas)."
Al-Hafiz al-Kabir Abu Bakr Ahmad al-Harizmi wrote in his book"Musnad":
`Saif al-Aimma' reports that when Imam Abu Hanifah derived a matter from the Qur'an and Hadith, he would not give the answer to the inquirer unless all of them [his students] confirmed it.? One thousand of Abu Hanifah's disciples attended all his classes when he taught in the Mosque of Kufa City.? Forty of them were mujtahids.? When he would find an answer for a matter, he would suggest to his students who would study it together, and when they reached an agreement of it being consistent with the Qur'an and Hadith, and with the words of the Sahabah (ra), he would be delighted and say, "Al-hamdu li'llah wallahu Akbar," and all those who were present would repeat his words.? Then he would tell them to write it down.
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 wrote to him [for narrations], and ordered him to narrate hadith.'
?Ibn Hajar said in Kharija ibn al-Salt's notice in"Tahdhib al-Tahdhib":
Ibn Abi Khaythama said:"If al-Shu'bi narrates from someone and names him, that man is trustworthy (thiqa) and his narration is used as proof (yuhtajju bi hadithihi)".
Many well-known shuyukh narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah, to name but a few: al-Thawri, ibn al-Mubarak, Hammad ibn Zayd and `Abd al-Razzaq (one of Imam al-Bukhari's shaykhs.)? Al-Mizzi in"Tahdhib al-Kamal" names about one hundred names of those who narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah.
Imam as-Shafi'i (rh) is recorded to have stated:"All men of fiqh are Abu Hanifah's children" and"I would not have acquired anything of knowledge had it not been for my teacher.? All men of knowledge are children of the ulema of Iraq, who were the disciples of the ulema of Kufa, and they were the disciples of Abu Hanifah."
The Hanafi madhhab, entitled after the Imam, spread far-and-wide during the time of the Ottoman Empire.? Today, more than half of the Muslims on the earth perform their `ibabadah according to the Hanafi madhhab.? The Hanafi school has decided court cases in the majority of Islamic lands for the greater part of Islamic history, including the `Abbasid and Ottoman periods.
Not only was Imam Abu Hanifah's extraordinary mind and knowledge something to be admired, but so too was his exemplary character and piety.? Al-Dhahabi writes:"Accounts of his piety and devotion have reached a degree of tawatur (i.e., an unbroken chain of uncontradicted narrations)."
He was given the title of"The `Peg'" by some, for his continuous standing in prayer, often reciting the entire Qur'an in his nightly rakahs.? He performed the Fajr prayer with the ablution made for the Isha prayers for forty years (due to him praying the whole night through).? It is reported that he had recited the whole Qur'an seven thousand times in the place where he died.
?
He earned his living through trade (sending goods to other places), and with the earnings he made, he met the needs of his students.? He gave much to charity and every Friday he would distribute twenty gold coins to the poor for his parents' souls.
In the year 146 A.H, Abu Hanifah was sent to prison by Mansur, the leader at the time, after the Imam's refusal to state that Mansur was the rightful khalifa, as well as refusing the position of presidency of the Supreme Court in recompense.? While in prison, Imam Abu Hanifah was thrashed with a stick.? Mansur repented and sent the Imam money, only to be refused again.? By now, Imam Abu Hanifah had become well-known and thousands flocked to meet and seek his opinion wherever he went.? His imprisonment far from reduced his popularity, and Mansur realized that he would have to treat the Imam carefully, thus he allowed him to teach while still in prison.? Mansur finally decided to do away with the great Imam and had him poisoned.? Abu Hanifah, feeling the effects of the poison, bent down in prayer and died in the month of Rajab.? News of the Imam's death reached far-and-wide, and thousands gathered at the prison.? The city Qadi washed his body, and kept repeating:"By God, you were the greatest faqih and the most pious man of our time ..."
By the time the bathing was finished, so many people had assembled that the funeral prayer was performed attended by fifty thousand people.
The Great Imam died in Baghdad in 150 A.H at the age of seventy.? May Allah (swt) be pleased with him.? Ameen.
by Maida Malik
Better known as `Imam-e-`Adham' (The Greatest Imam), or by his kunyah `Abu Hanifah', Nu'man ibn Thabit was born in the city of Kufa (modern day Iraq) in the year 80 A.H (689 A.D).? Born into a family of tradesmen, the Imam's family were of Persian origin as well as descending from the noble Prophet's (saw) Companion Salman al-Farsi (ra).? Imam Abu Hanifah's father, Thabit,? had met in Kufa Imam `Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) who made dua for him and his progeny, and some say that Abu Hanifah was a result of this dua.
? A hadith given by al-Bukhari and Muslim states that Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated Allah's Messenger (saw) as saying:"If the Religion were at the Pleiades, even then a person from Persia would have taken hold of it, or one amongst the Persian descent would surely have found it."? Abu Hurairah (ra) also narrates:"We were sitting in the company of Allah's Apostle (saw) when Surat al-Jum`a was revealed to him and when he recited amongst them, (those who were sitting there) said `Allah's Messenger?' but Allah's Apostle (saw) made no reply, until he was questioned once, twice or thrice, and there was amongst us Salman the Persian.? Allah's Apostle (saw) placed his hand on Salman and then said:"Even if faith were near the Pleiades, a man from amongst these would surely find it."
? Imam as-Suyuti a Shafi'i alim (rh) remarked:"It has been communicated unanimously that this hadith refers to Imam Abu Hanifah."
Kufa at the time of the Imam's birth was a great center of knowledge and learning, with many of the noble Prophet's (saw) Companions (ra) having taken residence there.? Due to the presence of these venerable people who had engendered so much interest in hadith and riwayat that practically every house in Kufa had become a center of these disciples and their disciplines.?
At first, Imam Abu Hanifah was not a student of knowledge.? However, by coincidence, while one day passing by the house of Sha'bi (an acclaimed "Great Scholar among the Successors (rh)"), Abu Hanifah was called in by the shaykh who mistook him for a student.? "Where are you going young man?" asked Sha'bi.? Abu Hanifah named the merchant he was going to see.? "I meant to ask," asked Sha'bi, "Whose classes you attend?"?? "Nobody's," replied the Imam regretfully.? "I see signs of intelligence in you," began Sha'bi,"you should sit in the company of learned men."?
It was after this encounter that the young Imam began his quest for knowledge.? Imam Abu Hanifah acquired knowledge from over four thousand people.? His teachers included many prestigious men of the time whose sanad went back to a number of Companions (ra).? He himself was blessed with the meeting of the Companions: Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Afwa and Sahl ibn Sa'ad (ra), thus gaining him the rank of being a Tabi'i (Successor to the Companions).
Amongst Imam Abu Hanifah's shayukh was Hammad ibn Sulayman, he joined his circle at the age of 22, having already become a well-known debater and studied with this shaykh until the latter's death, whereupon he took over his majlis (circle) at the age of forty.? Shu'ba, a leading muhaddith who knew-by-heart two thousand traditions was also a teacher of Imam Abu Hanifah.? Shu'ba was greatly attached to Imam Abu Hanifah saying: "Just as I know that the sun is bright, I know that learning and Abu Hanifah are doubles of each other."
The Imam's quest for knowledge inevitably took him to the Holy Sanctuaries, at a time when Makkah was a busy center for learning.? A number of acknowledged masters of hadith, who had had access to the Prophet's (saw) Companions (ra) had established their own schools there.? Of these was `Ata bin Rabah's (rh) school.? `Ata was a famous Tabi'i who had associated with most of the Companions (ra) and acquired from this association a status of authority.? He himself claimed to have met two hundred men who had associated with the Noble Prophet (saw).? The leading Companions (ra) all acknowledged his learning.? Abdullah ibn `Umar (ra), son of the Caliph `Umar (ra) often used to say:"Why do people come to me when `Ata ibn Abi Rabah is there for them to go to?"? Of the other Muhaddithin of Makkah whose classes the Imam attended was `Ikrimah.? He was the slave and pupil of Abdullah ibn `Abbas, who educated him with great care and attention, making him so proficient that he, during his own lifetime gave Imam Abu Hanifah the authority to exercise personal judgement and rulings.? "Imam Abu Hanifah was the first to analyze Islamic jurisprudence, divide it into subjects, distinguish its issues and determine the range and criteria for analytical reasoning (qiyas)."
Al-Hafiz al-Kabir Abu Bakr Ahmad al-Harizmi wrote in his book"Musnad":
`Saif al-Aimma' reports that when Imam Abu Hanifah derived a matter from the Qur'an and Hadith, he would not give the answer to the inquirer unless all of them [his students] confirmed it.? One thousand of Abu Hanifah's disciples attended all his classes when he taught in the Mosque of Kufa City.? Forty of them were mujtahids.? When he would find an answer for a matter, he would suggest to his students who would study it together, and when they reached an agreement of it being consistent with the Qur'an and Hadith, and with the words of the Sahabah (ra), he would be delighted and say, "Al-hamdu li'llah wallahu Akbar," and all those who were present would repeat his words.? Then he would tell them to write it down.
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 wrote to him [for narrations], and ordered him to narrate hadith.'
?Ibn Hajar said in Kharija ibn al-Salt's notice in"Tahdhib al-Tahdhib":
Ibn Abi Khaythama said:"If al-Shu'bi narrates from someone and names him, that man is trustworthy (thiqa) and his narration is used as proof (yuhtajju bi hadithihi)".
Many well-known shuyukh narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah, to name but a few: al-Thawri, ibn al-Mubarak, Hammad ibn Zayd and `Abd al-Razzaq (one of Imam al-Bukhari's shaykhs.)? Al-Mizzi in"Tahdhib al-Kamal" names about one hundred names of those who narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah.
Imam as-Shafi'i (rh) is recorded to have stated:"All men of fiqh are Abu Hanifah's children" and"I would not have acquired anything of knowledge had it not been for my teacher.? All men of knowledge are children of the ulema of Iraq, who were the disciples of the ulema of Kufa, and they were the disciples of Abu Hanifah."
The Hanafi madhhab, entitled after the Imam, spread far-and-wide during the time of the Ottoman Empire.? Today, more than half of the Muslims on the earth perform their `ibabadah according to the Hanafi madhhab.? The Hanafi school has decided court cases in the majority of Islamic lands for the greater part of Islamic history, including the `Abbasid and Ottoman periods.
Not only was Imam Abu Hanifah's extraordinary mind and knowledge something to be admired, but so too was his exemplary character and piety.? Al-Dhahabi writes:"Accounts of his piety and devotion have reached a degree of tawatur (i.e., an unbroken chain of uncontradicted narrations)."
He was given the title of"The `Peg'" by some, for his continuous standing in prayer, often reciting the entire Qur'an in his nightly rakahs.? He performed the Fajr prayer with the ablution made for the Isha prayers for forty years (due to him praying the whole night through).? It is reported that he had recited the whole Qur'an seven thousand times in the place where he died.
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He earned his living through trade (sending goods to other places), and with the earnings he made, he met the needs of his students.? He gave much to charity and every Friday he would distribute twenty gold coins to the poor for his parents' souls.
In the year 146 A.H, Abu Hanifah was sent to prison by Mansur, the leader at the time, after the Imam's refusal to state that Mansur was the rightful khalifa, as well as refusing the position of presidency of the Supreme Court in recompense.? While in prison, Imam Abu Hanifah was thrashed with a stick.? Mansur repented and sent the Imam money, only to be refused again.? By now, Imam Abu Hanifah had become well-known and thousands flocked to meet and seek his opinion wherever he went.? His imprisonment far from reduced his popularity, and Mansur realized that he would have to treat the Imam carefully, thus he allowed him to teach while still in prison.? Mansur finally decided to do away with the great Imam and had him poisoned.? Abu Hanifah, feeling the effects of the poison, bent down in prayer and died in the month of Rajab.? News of the Imam's death reached far-and-wide, and thousands gathered at the prison.? The city Qadi washed his body, and kept repeating:"By God, you were the greatest faqih and the most pious man of our time ..."
By the time the bathing was finished, so many people had assembled that the funeral prayer was performed attended by fifty thousand people.
The Great Imam died in Baghdad in 150 A.H at the age of seventy.? May Allah (swt) be pleased with him.? Ameen.
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