Man and woman 

Madhhabs are four religious and legal schools. Main sources of law. Hanafi madhhab: difference from other schools

The discussion about the Hanafi madhhab, raised by the First Deputy Mufti of Tatarstan Rustam Batrov, caused lively responses in the Muslim community. He had both opponents and supporters. The Chairman of the Association expresses his point of view on this problem public associations“Meeting” Mukhamed Salyakhetdinov.

Why did the First Deputy Mufti of Tatarstan raise this topic so suddenly?

It wasn't sudden. Zammuftia touched upon a burning topic and continued a discussion specific to Russia about traditional Islam.

The main problem of this discussion is that, as far as I know, Batrov does not speak enough Arabic to delve into scientific and theological Islamic literature and conduct a discussion with internationally recognized world-class theologians.

In Rustam Hazrat's discussions about the great Imam Abu Hanifa and his students, the limited information on this topic is clearly visible. Apparently he used mainly scanty materials from Russian translations.

Information about Abu Hanifa and other Muslim scientists in Russian is extremely limited, which does not make it possible to show a more objective picture about this greatest theologian and his students. There are world centers for the study of the Hanafi madhhab. One of them is the Syrian Al-Fatah Institute, which was recently transformed into the Levant University. Its rector Hisamuddin al-Farfur recently visited Russia. There is a similar center in Baghdad. Even in Iranian Qom, the Hanafi school is carefully studied. In these scientific centers A huge number of studies on this topic have been accumulated - thousands of volumes of monographs and books, including from “medieval” sources, to use Batrova’s terminology. Although any professional historian will object to this that the concept of “the Middle Ages” is inherent only in European historiography. In other civilizations such a definition does not exist. What a Middle Ages it could be for Chinese civilization with its deep history. Or for the Islamic one, which appeared after the destruction of the Western Roman Empire, with which the account of the era formally begins European Middle Ages. This is another good reason to raise the level of today's discourse.

Returning to the scientific and educational base, it must be said that we simply do not have it. As a result, the author allowed himself to divide one of the main theological schools of classical Islam into the “madhab of Abu Hanifa” and the “Hanafi madhab”.

If we talk about traditional Islamic theology in Russia, we must keep in mind that pre-revolutionary Russian theologians - Marjani, Barudi, Kursavi and many others - were fluent in Arabic and wrote in it scientific works and held theological discussions with their foreign colleagues.

Today, not a single Russian Islamic theologian writes works in Arabic, and many do not even read it. At least, I don’t know of a single Muslim figure in Russia who could conduct a complex theological discussion in Arabic with his colleagues from abroad, especially in Tatarstan. There is a prospect for those who received knowledge abroad, but many of them Arabic and theological knowledge requires greater perfection so that it will allow them to conduct a full-fledged discourse in the future.

But Arabic is the language of the Koran, Sunnah and fundamental Muslim science. The amount of information that has been translated into Russian is a drop in the ocean and is simply not capable of giving an idea of ​​such a complex topic.

Statements that local theologians will be able to figure everything out on their own without foreign help do not stand up to any criticism and only demonstrate the inferiority of their thinking. There can be no narrowly national science; science is an international phenomenon. Any scientific community, universities in developed countries are interested in inviting world-class specialists to speak in order to enrich themselves with their knowledge. Foreign faculty not only teach, but also often lead research programs.

Be that as it may, I pay tribute to Rustam Batrov for his persistence in studying the pressing problems of the Russian ummah. He is educated, writes well, and speaks intelligently. But, from my point of view, it works in a narrow range and is limited mainly by scanty Russian-language sources. In addition, he has no experience in conducting theological discussions with leading foreign scholars. And this led the author to a distorted idea of ​​Abu Hanifa and his students.

I would like to wish Rustam Batrov to improve his Arabic language and undergo a long internship in some international Islamic educational institution surrounded by renowned Muslim scholars. This will certainly open the gates of vast Islamic theology to its full extent, opening the way to the knowledge of our contemporaries and glorious ancestors, without which it is impossible to become a world-class theologian.

Nu'man ibn Sabit Abu Hanifa (699–767; 80–150 AH) is an outstanding faqih and muhaddith, the founder of one of the four Sunni madhhabs. Some consider him to be the first generation after the Prophet (at-tabi'un). Others believe that he belongs to the second generation (atba'u al-tabi'in). Among his teachers were the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Having rejected the offer of Caliph Mansur to take the post of chief judge of Baghdad, he was imprisoned, where he died. The first systematizer of fiqh. Author of the treatises “Al-fiqh al-akbar”, “Musnad abi hanifa”, etc.

Abu Hanifa played a role in the development of Muslim theology and law that is difficult to overestimate. He entered the history of Islam with the title al-imam al-azam (the greatest imam). Abu Hanifa was born during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan in the family of a wealthy silk merchant who came from among the Iranian mawali - people who received the patronage of one or another Arab tribe. Abu Hanifa belonged to the tribe of Teimullah ibn Sa'lab ibn Bakr ibn Wail.

According to his contemporaries, at the age of 16, Abu Hanifa and his father made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), during which he was able to see the last surviving Ashabs - the companions of the Prophet, in particular, Abdullah ibn Haris. From them, the future theologian could hear stories about how the Prophet acted or said in a given situation. He also met the great companion Anas ibn Malik, who early age for ten years he was next to the Prophet, helping him in everyday affairs.

In his youth, Abu Hanifa received an excellent general and theological education in his homeland in Kufa. Among his teachers were authoritative scientists of that time - 'Ata ibn Rabah, Hisham ibn 'Urwa, Nafi'. At the age of 22, he became a student of the outstanding Iraqi theologian Hammad ibn Suleiman al-Ash'ari. Abu Hanifa spent eighteen years in his circle, until the death of his mentor. And then for ten years he himself headed this circle, being considered the most authoritative fuqih of Kufa and Basra. Such famous scholars as Abu Yusuf al-Qadi, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Zufar ibn al-Khuzail, Nuh al-Jami'a and others studied with him and received knowledge of Islamic law.

Many report that Abu Hanifa was God-fearing, generous, silent, constantly deep in thought, avoiding empty, useless communication. Muhammad ibn Jabir said: “Abu Hanifa was a man of few words, rarely laughing, reflecting, gloomy, like one who has recently suffered a misfortune (trouble).” Also, Ibrahim ibn Said al-Jawhariy reports that Abu Hanifa obliged himself to give one dinar as alms when swearing to the Almighty during a conversation. For good deeds, he allocated an amount equal to family expenses.

The great imam spent his nights in prayer and du‘a. Abu Yusuf reports that Abu Hanifa read the Qur'an in full every night in one rak'at, and sometimes performed night and morning prayers with one ablution.

Yahya al-Hamaniy narrates the following from the words of his father: “I accompanied Abu Hanifa for 6 months and never saw him perform the morning prayer, except with the night ablution.”

Abu Hanifa's wife said: “I don't remember a night he spent sleeping. Abu Hanifa slept between the midday Zuhr and afternoon 'Asr prayers in summer and during the first part of the night in winter."

Reading the entire Qur'an in one rak'ah

Musa'ar recalled: “One day I entered the mosque and saw a man performing namaz. I enjoyed his reading. I stood until he read the seventh part of the Koran, and thought that he would now make a bow, but this did not happen. Then he reached a third, and again I expected the completion bow from the waist. Then he read half of it. Then the prayer was read in the same order until the entire Qur'an was read in one rak'at. I looked at him and recognized this man as Abu Hanifa.”

Kharijah ibn Musa reported that the Qur'an was fully read in one rakyaat by four people: 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, Tamim al-Dariy, Sa'id ibn Jubeir and Abu Hanifa. Asad ibn ‘Amr reported: “Abu Hanifa performed morning prayer with night ablution for 40 years. At night, in one rakyaat, he read the entire Koran. And his crying was heard so clearly that the neighbors felt compassion for him in their souls.”

This man has absorbed the morality that Islam calls us to. The following cases are an example of this.

One day a certain man said to the imam: “Fear God!” The Imam shuddered, turned pale and, lowering his head, replied: “May Allah Almighty reward you! How badly people need someone to tell them this.”

Also, when one person scolded the Imam strongly, he said the following words: “May the Lord forgive you! He knows in me the opposite of what you said.”

Abu Hanifa was one of the most authoritative theologians of his time. Shaddad ibn Hakim said: “I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable than Abu Hanifa in his time.” The great Imam al-Shafi'i said the following words: “People draw knowledge of Islamic law from Abu Hanifa” or “people in Islamic law are like children when compared with Abu Hanifa.”

Abu Yusuf reports that Abu Hanifa saw himself in a dream digging up the grave of God's final messenger and collecting his bones. The dream frightened him very much, and he asked Ibn Sirin, who was one of his friends, to interpret what he saw. Ibn Sirin said: “You are the one who will collect the Sunnah of the Prophet and resurrect it.”

Abu Hanifa strictly adhered to the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet in his teaching and, in the absence of a solution to a particular issue in these main sources, resorted to the statements of the companions. But if there was no clear answer among them, then Abu Hanifa followed “ijtihadur-ra’y,” that is, he gave a conclusion through the development of an opinion stemming from the Quran and Sunnah. This statement is based on the following statement of Imam Abu Hanifa, heard by Abu ‘Ismat: “What is transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is undoubtedly accepted (used). We apply what is transmitted from his companions and do not go beyond what they said. As for what is beyond this, they are men and we are men,” that is, God gave everyone the right to think, analyze and express their opinion. Ibn Hazm said: “All the followers of Abu Hanifa came to a consensus that in his madhhab, a hadith (da'if) that is weak in its authenticity is higher (most important) than comparative analogy (qiyas) and an opinion based on religious provisions (ra'y)." Yes, Abu Hanifa in his works primarily relied on the Holy Quran and hadith, the statements of his companions, and then on qiyas and opinion. But there was no coercion in the Sharia rules, based on the last two criteria. As proof of this, there is the following saying of the Imam, transmitted by Ismail ibn Hammad: “What we were able to extract is only an opinion. We do not force anyone to adhere to it and do not talk about the need for everyone to accept it. Whoever has better, let him bring it.” Also Abu Hanifa said: “We know that this is an opinion. And it is the best we could achieve. And if someone comes with the best, we will accept from him.”

Abu Hanifa paid great attention hadiths and scholars who studied them. Abu Yusuf reports the following words of the imam: “A man is allowed to transmit only that hadith that he has memorized from the moment he heard it.” Qais ibn Rabi' said: “Abu Hanifa sent goods to Baghdad. There, things were purchased for him and brought to Kufa. From year to year he collected profits, with which he bought clothes, food and everything necessary for the scholars who studied the Sunnah. As he conveyed this to them, he said: “Give thanks only to the Lord. I did not give you any of my property, but I gave only what the Almighty gave me through you.”

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of my followers are those from among whom I was chosen, then those who follow them [at-tabi'un], and then the following [atba' at-tabi'in]. After these [three generations] there will appear those who love fullness (obesity) [sedentary, inert; they eat a lot and randomly] and testify before they are asked about it [they say a lot of empty, useless things, chatter, slander].” Hadith from Abu Hurayrah; St. X. Muslima. See, for example: an-Naysaburi M. Sahih Muslim [Code of Hadiths of Imam Muslim]. Riyadh: al-Afkar ad-Dawliyya, 1998. P. 1024, Hadith No. 213–(2534); as-Suyuty J. Al-jami‘ as-sagyr [Small collection]. Beirut: al-Kutub al-‘ilmiya, 1990. P. 247, hadith No. 4053, “sahih”.

“For empty oaths [when there is no serious intention to swear], the Almighty will not punish you [there is no sin, no punishment, no atonement in this], but you will be responsible for when there was an intention in the heart [when the oath to the Almighty is serious and felt]” ( see Holy Quran, 2:225).

“Be obligatory in the contracts that you conclude with each other [also in fulfilling promises], and do not break the oaths that you make consciously and confidently, because you [swearing to God to confirm your truthfulness and commitment] place the Almighty in the position of guarantor (guarantor) [raising your earthly relationships to a qualitatively different level]. Verily, Allah (God, Lord) knows everything that you do [which you should remember when you make a promise or take responsibility]” (Holy Quran, 16:91).

The word “imam” is translated as “the leader of prayer, a religiously literate and respected person.” But earlier this word was used to refer specifically to major religious scientists and theologians. That is, "Imam" with capital letters. They were mentors of people, the soul of society, had deep knowledge of Divine instructions, wisdom and were bearers of high morality. When the word “imam” is used in combination with the names of the great theologians of the past, such as Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, then it is the latter that is meant.

Imam, great scientist, faqih of the ummah, mujtahid Abu Hanifa Numan bin Thabit was born in the year 80 Hijri in the Iraqi city of Kufa, during the time of the younger generation of the Companions. Abu Hanifa is the founder of one of the four most widespread Sunni madhhabs and one of the first whose madhhab began to be written down and disseminated.

From childhood, Abu Hanifa began to study fiqh, collect the traditions of the Salaf (these are the first three generations of Muslims: the Companions, the Tabiyins and the next generation after the Tabiyits. - Author's note), traveling to different places for study purposes. As he says Imam al-Dhahabi, “regarding the science of fiqh, scrupulousness and accuracy in deducing decisions and studying it hidden meanings and secrets, he had no equal, and all people still refer to him.”

His student Zufar reports that he heard Abu Hanifa say: “I studied the science of belief until I comprehended it and became one of those at whom the finger was pointed in this science. We usually sat close to the circle Hammad bin Abu Suleiman, and one day a woman came and asked me a question: “A man has a slave with whom he wants to divorce according to the sunnah. How to do this? I replied that I didn’t know, pointed her to Hammad and then asked her to tell me about his answer. Hammad answered her that the man would divorce her during the period of her purification and without approaching her and would leave her for the duration of the Iddah, two cycles, after which she could marry someone else. The woman returned and told me the answer, after which I said that there was no need for me to study “kalam”, took my shoes and sat in the circle of Hammad. I remembered all his questions and what he answered, and when he repeated what he said the next day, I could retell everything from memory, while others were mistaken. (Then Hammad already said: “No one will sit opposite me in my circle except Abu Hanifa.”) And I studied with him, accompanied him for 10 years. After several years of study, it seemed to me that I could teach others myself and that I no longer needed to learn from him, but I did not dare to tell him about it. And then one day Hammad received news that his relative from another city had died. He went there, leaving me in his place to teach lessons and make fatwas (based on the Koran and hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)). Many questions came to me, to which I answered and wrote down my answers. After Hammad returned, I showed him my answers, of which there were 60. In forty of them he agreed with my decision, and in 20 he did not. Then I said to myself that I would not stop learning from him until he died.”

It is known that Abu Hanifa met in Kufa with Anas bin Malik, and during the Hajj, when he was 16 years old, he met with Abdullah bin Harisbin Juz Zabidi, which confirms its belonging to the Tabiin family. Among the sheikhs of Abu Hanifa, the number of whom is more than 90 from among the Tabiyins, from whom he transmitted and from whom he received knowledge, there are such as Ata bin Abi Rabah, Shabi, Adi binThabit, Amru bin Dinar, Nafi Mawla Ibn Umar, HamMad bin Abi Suleiman, Abu Jafar Baqir, MuhamMad bin Munqadir, Hisham bin Urwa, as well as many other scientists of that time. Some biographers say that the number of his sheikhs reached four thousand. His meeting with his companions is also evidenced by a legend from Abu Bakr bin Hallal what Abu Hanifa found Abdullah bin Abu Awfa And Abu Tufayla Amira bin Wasla, and they are both companions.

They say about him that he had a handsome face, pleasant appearance, and average height. He had a soft, pleasant voice and could speak eloquently. He always put on clean, neat clothes and anointed himself with incense. When he came out to the people, they could tell by smell that it was Abu Hanifa before they saw him. He was distinguished by meekness, patience, kindness, and piety. One of his students said that he heard Abdullah bin Mubarak spoke Sufyan Savri: “Oh Abdullah, how far Hanifa is from blasphemy! I have never heard him speak badly even about his enemy!” To which Sufyan said: “Abu Hanifa is truly not so stupid as to exchange his good deeds for sins.”

Madhab

Abu Hanifa was the leader of the “school of opinion” (madrasatu rai). In his madhhab, the imam relied on analogy, istihsan (preference for a more appropriate and useful solution), on customs (urf) and was most inclined to ijtihad. He adopted this methodology from his teacher Hammad (died in 120 AH), who studied with IbrahimNakhai(died 95 Hijri), who studied with Alqama bin Qais(died 62 Hijri), student Ibn Masood(died in 32 Hijra) - a companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). His scientific methodology is clear from his words, which lead Ibn Abdul Barr And Khatib Baghdadi: “I take (my judgment) from the book of Allah when I find a solution in it, and then from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If I don’t find the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Qur’an or Sunnah, then I turn to the words of the Companions. I take from some of them (what I consider relevant or close to the truth) and leave the words of others. And I do not prefer the words of others to their words (that is, I put the words of the Companions above the words of later generations of Muslims). And when it comes to words Ibrahim, Shabi, Ibn Sirin,Ataa, Said bin Musayiba, then I am diligent in making decisions (ijtihad) just like they did.” From Abu Yusuf It is reported that he heard Abu Hanifa say: “If a hadith comes to me from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), transmitted from reliable people, then I take it, and if these are the words of the companions, then we will not come out of what they said, and when it comes to the words of the Tabieen, I can compete with them.”

These words make it clear that his methodology was based on the Book of Allah first, and then on the Sunnah of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the words of the Companions and ijtihad. And as for those issues that are not explained in the Quran and Sunnah, in them he was guided by analogy, istikhsan and urf. The Imam was known for his strict conditions for accepting hadith and careful selection of traditions, which did not at all mean his weakness in this science. Therefore, the words of some that he paid little attention to hadith and made decisions mainly through comparison have no basis. Abu Hanifa is also known for the fact that he did not stop at solving problems that arose and gave answers to speculative questions, making decisions on them in case they arose. Subsequently, thanks to the efforts of the students, the provisions of the madhhab were systematized and recorded, works were compiled that could solve almost any problem that arose at that time, especially in the section of trade relations.

Abu Hanifa's madhab spread in Kufa, Baghdad, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, India, China, Bukhara, Samarkand, Afghanistan, Turkistan, and on the territory of Russia - in the Volga region, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and some republics of the Caucasus.

Proceedings

It is reported that Abu Hanifa wrote down a lot of questions on fiqh, but not all of his writings have reached us. Historians write that he wrote many books, including “Science and its Study”, “Answer to the Qadarites”, “Important Fiqh” (“Fiqh Akbar”) and others. It is also known that 215 hadiths were transmitted from him individually, not counting those that he transmitted together with other scholars. Abu Hanifa's works also include Musnad, where the author cites 118 hadiths from the prayer section. And the scientist Abul Muayyad Muhammad bin Mahmoud Khowarezmi collected all the hadiths transmitted from Abu Hanifa in one collection, reaching 800 pages, which was published in Egypt in 1326 Hijri. Most scholars believe that the works of Abu Hanifa are recorded in books written by his students such as Abu Yusuf and Muhammad Shaibani.

Students

A lot of people transmitted hadiths from him, for example Ibrahim bin Tahman, scientist of Khorasan, Assadbin Amru al Bajili, Ismail bin Yahya Sayrafi,Hassan al Qazzaz, Hafs bin Abdurahman al-Qadi, his son Hammad, Daoud Ttai, Zufar bin Huzail, Saad binSilt, Suleiman bin Amru al-Nahai, Abdullah binal-Mubarak, Muhammad bin Hasan Shaybani, Yahyabin Ayub Misri, Qadi Abu Yusuf and dozens of other students and contemporaries. The number of Abu Hanifa's students - imams who recorded his works in the madhhab - reaches 40 people. And his most famous students were Abu Yusuf Yaqub bin Ibrahim Ansari (112-183 AH), Muhammad bin Hasan Shaybani (died 189 AH) and Zufar bin Huzail.

Cases from life

Abu Hanifa lived his life in search of knowledge and at the same time believed that the sweetest food is food earned with his own hands. IN free time he was engaged in trade - he owned a shop selling fabric. Among the population, the imam was known for his honesty, nobility, and reliability. His direct participation in the trade business left an imprint on the norms of fiqh related to the trade sphere and relationships.

Abu Hanifa is known for fasting often, reading the Koran a lot, and spending a lot of time praising Allah. One day, when he was walking down the street with friends, he heard someone say after him: “This is Abu Hanifa, who does not sleep at night (meaning, worships all night).” Hearing this, Abu Hanifa said: “By Allah, I do not want people to say about me what I do not do.” And after that he began to spend his nights in worship and prayer, until death befell him.

During the time of Abu Hanifa, rulers tried to bring scientists closer to themselves, encouraging them with material rewards and appointing them to various public services. Abu Hanifa was often summoned to the caliph and demanded that he accept the post of judge, but the imam refused, and for this reason he was often punished and imprisonment. There are many known cases of its failure, in particular it is said that Caliph Mansur demanded that he become a judge, and he said that he was not suitable for this job. Mansur said: “You are lying,” and Abu Hanifa replied: “How can you appoint a judge who is lying?”

He was known among the people for his honesty in trading matters, which brought him good income. Each time at the end of a year, he calculated the profit for the year, left a certain amount for food and distributed the rest to the scholars of Hadith and the Koran, as well as to those who demanded knowledge. Distributing money to them, he said: “This is the profit from your product (the study of sciences), which Allah has predetermined for you through me. I am not giving you anything from my property. This is all the mercy of Allah shown to you through me. After all, no one can challenge Allah in His gifts.”

There is a known incident from his life when the imam met a group of atheists and atheists who denied the existence of the Creator. Abu Hanifa asked them: “What can you say about a ship loaded with things and goods, which sails among high waves and hurricanes along one course, without straying from it until it reaches its goal and delivers all the cargo intact? And besides, this ship is not controlled by anyone, but sails on its own. Does reason allow this? They replied: “No! This is not accepted by reason and is not allowed even in thoughts.” Then Abu Hanifa said: “Holy Allah, you do not allow the existence of a ship sailing on a course without a captain to steer it, and you claim that the entire universe, including the seas, skies, stars, birds and animals, exists without a Creator who created them in harmony and perfection?! Perish you and your lies."

Ibrahima bin Saeed Jawhari by Musanna bin Rajaa said that Abu Hanifa obliged himself to pay one dinar every time he swore to tell the truth.

From Yazida bin Kamita it is reported how one person said to Abu Hanifa: “Fear Allah,” to which Abu Hanifa changed his face, lowered his head and said: “May Allah thank you.”

Praise from scientists

Ali bin Asim said: “If you weigh the knowledge of Abu Hanifa and the knowledge of his contemporaries, then his knowledge would outweigh.”

Ibn Mubarak said: “Abu Hanifa is the most knowledgeable of people.”

Imam Shafi'i said: “All people in fiqh are forced to turn (iyalun - are children, offspring) to Abu Hanifa.”

Harby said: “Only an envious person or an ignoramus will speak badly of Abu Hanifa.”

Yahya bin Said Kattan said: “We’re not lying, but we didn’t hear anything better opinions Abu Hanifa, therefore they accepted most of his words."

Muhammad bin Saad al Ufi said: “Abu Hanifa was a “sika” (this term means that he was a reliable person from whom evidence and knowledge is accepted, for example in hadith), reliable, trusted, he conveyed from the hadith only what he knew by heart.”

From Salih bin Muhammad conveyed: “I heard how Yahya bin Main said that Abu Hanifa was reliable in the hadith."

Transmitted from Ahmad bin Sabah that he heard Imam al-Shafi'i ask Malik: had he seen Abu Hanifa? Malik said: “Yes, I saw a man who, if he wants to prove to you that this pillar is made of gold, will bring evidence and prove it.”

From Ibn Mubarak it is reported: “I have not seen a person more respected in my circle, more respectable and meek than Abu Hanifa.”

Muawiyah bin Darir said: “Loving Abu Hanifa is from the sunnah.”

Yusuf bin Amr Darawardi reported that he saw Malik and Abu Hanifa sitting in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after night prayer, studying and discussing scientific issues. And when they did not agree, one of them did not argue with the other, they did not blame each other for a mistake and were not callous. When the time has come morning prayer, they stood together for prayer. It is said that after one of these meetings, Malik came to Layth bin Saad and found Malik wiping his sweat, although it was a cold winter day. When Laith bin Saad asked about the reason for the sweat, Malik said: “I sweated while I was sitting with Abu Hanifa. He is truly a faqih, O Egyptian (meaning Lays bin Saad).”

Transmitted from Muhammad bin Musanna what he heard Ibn Uyayna said: “There are four scholars: Ibn Abbas in his time, Shabi in his time, Abu Hanifa in his time and Savri in his time.”

Conclusion

In this short article, of course, it is impossible to convey all the merits of Abu Hanifa, give the opinions of all scholars about him, or analyze his madhhab properly. But there is no doubt that he was an outstanding person, recognized by all as a mujtahid, and the fact that his madhhab has survived to this day and been accepted by the entire ummah is evidence of his high position among scholars and imams. May the Creator reward him for his work and contribution to Muslim science! May Allah have mercy on him!

Many of the madhhabs in fiqh and itikad are associated with the names of those people who are considered their founders, and under such names they have become popular. Iraqi fiqh, which appeared in the first two centuries Hijri in the Iraqi region with a center in Kufa and in the following centuries became developed and widespread, was called the Hanafi madhhab by the name of Imam Agzam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be merciful to him), who contributed the most significant contribution to the methodology and all sections of fiqh and to its systematization. The fuqahas belonging to this madhhab and all people acting in accordance with its instructions are called Hanafis.

Founder: Nugman ibn Sabit Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be merciful to him). His ancestors moved to Kufa from Khorasan. He himself was born in 80 AH in Kufa. Most scientists agree with this date.

He received good education, studied with many famous scientists. At the age of sixteen he went on Hajj. Having immersed himself in the scientific environment around the Kaaba, he developed a love for science, and when he returned to Kufa, he became an active participant in scientific discussions. Although at first he was attracted to disputes on issues of kalam, he eventually devoted himself entirely to fiqh. For 18 years, until the age of forty, he continued to receive lessons from his teacher Hammad ibn Abi Suleiman. Abu Hanifa's views on fiqh through his teacher, and later Ibrahim Nahai, Alqama and Awsad, go back to Abdullah ibn Masud.

In this regard, Abu Hanifa said the following: “One day I appeared before the Commander of the Faithful, Abu Jafar. He said to me: “Hey, Abu Hanifa, from whom did you acquire learning?” I answered him: “Through Hammad I received knowledge from Ibrahim, who is also from Umar ibn Khattab, Ali ibn Abu Talib and Abdullah ibn Masud.” Hearing this answer, Abu Jafar said: “Enough, enough.”

Among those from whom he transmitted hadith and from whom he studied were such imams as Zayd ibn Ali Zaynalabidin and Jafar Sadiq.

After Hammad's death, Abu Hanifa organized his separate center teaching and over the thirty years of his teaching he educated many outstanding students. In his classes, instead of the old method, when the teacher gave the shakirds ready-made answers to all questions, he preferred the method of jointly searching for solutions to problems using collective reflection on all possible options decisions. The result of this exceptional method was the madhhab of Abu Hanifa, which has a number of features:

1) This is the madhhab of the entire jamaat, since its establishment is the result of the common efforts of a large group of elite scholars-ulamas.

2) Abu Hanifa taught his companions to draw conclusions based on religious arguments, and then, based on them, establish the rules of Sharia. In this case, all possible cases and all probabilities must be taken into account, and the solution reached must be the most appropriate.

3) During classes, his students were not in the role of passive listeners, but on the contrary, they took an active part in the formation of a common position and became the creators of the madhhab.

4) Issues were resolved through long disputes. In this regard, Ibn Abi al-Awwam said the following: “Abu Hanifa had forty outstanding students who, together with him, compiled books on fiqh.”

5) Successive scholars-ulamas of this madhhab constantly worked to establish solutions for new phenomena arising over time..

Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be merciful to him) died in 150 AH, which is generally agreed upon by most scholars. The only disagreement is about what month he died. There are suggestions that he died in the month of Shawwal, Rajab or Shagban. He was poisoned in Baghdad while imprisoned in a zindan.

This is what one of his contemporaries, Fudayl ibn Iyaz, known for his piety and fear of God, said about Abu Hanifa: “Abu Hanifa was a faqih and a righteous man. Day and night he studied science. He was a famous scholar in the field of fiqh and at the same time the owner of great wealth. Abu Hanifa became famous for his constant readiness help the people around him. With those who turned to him for help, he shared his knowledge and his wealth. He spent all his nights in worship. He spoke little and spent more time in silence. Knew how to stand up for the truth in the best possible way. He stayed away from the generosity of the authorities and never accepted gifts from rulers.”

And here is what Jafar ibn Rabi said about him: “I stayed next to Abu Hanifa for five years. I have never met anyone who was silent so often and for a long time. But when he was asked about anything from fiqh, he suddenly opened up, and his speech flowed like a stormy river, and his high voice resounded throughout the entire area.”

Once Imam Malik was asked about Uthman al-Batti, he replied: “A man of average level.” We received the same answer when asked about Ibn Shubrum. Then they asked a question about Abu Hanifa. Imam Malik replied: “If he starts to prove to you by qiyas that these wooden pillars are made of pure gold, he will definitely be able to convince you of this. He is a person with such abilities." Imam Shafi'i also left this about Abu Hanifa famous saying: “In relation to fiqh, people are in a position as if they were the children of Abu Hanifa.”

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman az-Dhahabi "Menakibul Imam Abu Hanifa."

Ibn Abidin.

Since the very beginning of Islam, the discussion of problems that were not reflected in sacred sources has aroused great interest on the part of believers. The need to consider such issues has increased as the most different areas public life they demanded a settlement in conditions when the population of the new territories was just getting acquainted with a new religion.

Islam postulates the principle that all socially important and personal issues find solutions in the main sources of religion - Holy Quran and the Noble Sunnah. In this regard, Muslim jurists were faced with the need to extract the necessary answers to problematic situations from these sources. This contributed to the development of methods for determining legal norms relating to various aspects of human life. Subsequently, theological and legal schools received the name madhhabs (“path” - translated from Arabic).

In modern Sunni Islam, there are four such schools, although initially there were more of them: Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali madhhabs. They appeared and developed not in mutual isolation from each other, but in close intertwining. This was due to the very nature of the relationship between the founders of the madhhabs - in fact, they, one way or another, were each other’s teachers or students. Thus, the student of Abu Hanifa al-Shaybani was the teacher of Malik, who, in turn, taught al-Shafi'i. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal took lessons from the latter.

Biography of a Hanafi faqih

The founder of the most widespread madhhab in the world is Abu Hanifa an-Nugman ibn Sabit al-Kufi, who received the honorary nickname “Imam Agzam,” translated as “the greatest of imams.” He was born in 80 AH (699 Miladi) in Kufa, located in modern Iraq. He received his general and theological education in his hometown. At the same time, he spent his entire subsequent life constantly working on his intellectual baggage. At the age of 16, together with his father, Abu Hanifa made a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he met with the companions of the Final Messenger of the Almighty (s.g.w.) Abdullah ibn Haris and Anas ibn Malik. Communication with these people elevated him to the rank of tabiin - a representative of the generation following the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his contemporaries.

The greatest of the imams achieved success not only in the sciences, but also in the field of trade, which helped him support himself independently and not depend on anyone. At the same time, Abu Hanifa’s life consisted of a whirlpool of events in which politics also played a large role. He did not want to act as a judge by order of the caliph and refused this position, which angered the ruler al-Mansur, who ordered the theologian to be imprisoned. There Abu Hanifa died in 150 Hijra (767 Miladi).

Features of the Hanafi madhhab

His most famous works are “Al-Fiqh al-Akbar”, “Musnad of Abu Hanifa” (collection of hadiths), “Kitab al-alim wal-mutaalim”.

The sources on the basis of which Imam Agzam derived his theological judgments can be reduced to six types.

1) Holy Quran;

2) The Noble Sunnah of the Mercy of the Worlds of Muhammad (s.g.v.);

3) ijma - a unified position of Muslim scholars on any issue that does not contradict general provisions Qur'an and Sunnah;

4) kiyas – the practice of making decisions based on existing analogues;

5) istihsan - correction by a mujtahid (high-ranking faqih, i.e. theologian) of a decision derived through qiyas, if it creates great inconveniences in new conditions;

6) urf - traditions and customs that do not contradict Holy Book Muslims and Sunnah.

The disciples of its founder, Abu Yusuf, Muhammad al-Shaybani and Zufar ibn al-Khuzail, also played a role in the development of the madhhab. This also testifies to the talent of Imam Agzam as an outstanding teacher.

The religious and legal school founded by Abu Hanifa, influenced by his students, has now grown to become the largest in the world. Adherents of this madhhab live in Russia, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Indonesia and Balkan Peninsula. Faithful living in the republics of the former Soviet Union, in addition to Chechens, Ingush and Avars, are also based on the provisions of this school. It is characterized by a special emphasis on logic and judgment based on reason.

Researchers consider the teaching of Abu Hanifa to be perhaps the most tolerant within the framework of Islamic legal thought. The following point is indicative in this regard. Thus, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered a person who does not perform prayer to be an unbeliever. Imam al-Shafi'i did not accuse him of kufr, but spoke of the need to force a person under threat of death. Only Abu Hanifa said that such a person should under no circumstances be killed. He needs to be gently instructed, and not threatened with death and used violence.