The Virtues of Imam Abu Hanifa
& his Two Companions;
Abu Yusuf & Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani,
*[A5] Paperback - 114 pages, NEW,
Manaqib al-Imam Abi Hanifa wa
Sahibayhi Abi Yusuf wa Muhammad bin al-Hasan,
by Imam Hafiz al-Dhahabi, [d.748h],
with Notes & Commentary by Abu al-Wafa al-Afghani,
& Ustadh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari.
Description : First English translation!
Al-Imam al-A'zam Abu Hanifa, may Allah be pleased with him, was the founder of the Hanafi madhhab (School of Jurisprudence) that bears his name, which was given its fullest expression by his 'Two Companions,' Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. It is the largest of the four madhhabs and is most extensive in the East, but with a sizeable presence in Europe and the West with the presence of immigrant Turkish and Pakistani Muslim communities.
Imam Abu Hanifa's systematization of Islamic legal doctrine was to have an integral part in the development of many areas of the Shari'ah and would pave the way for the spread of Islam in many parts of the world resulting most notably in the Ottoman Empire and Mughal rule in the Indian sub-continent.
With the onslaught of colonialism over the last few centuries, and with Muslim rule in general decline; events were further exacerbated when the rebellious Wahhabi tribes of the Najd joined with the British agent T.E.Lawrence to disrupt Ottoman supplies to their army. This resulted in defeat for the Ottomans and for his part Ibn Saud was not only knighted but also made a king. The land known simply as Arabia during the Prophet's, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, life and for over thirteen centuries thereafter, became - courtesy of the British - 'Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.'
Criticism of the Hanafi school is nothing new but the hostility towards the School in recent times (particularly through the internet in English) has increased to such an extent that lies are now being peddled questioning the basis of the School whilst also making spurious baseless accusations against the founder. We hope the translation of this work by Imam al-Dhahabi who was not only an outstanding hadith scholar (and not a Hanafi - he was a follower of the Shafi'i School) but also a student of Ibn Taymiyya, who many of the critics of Imam Abu Hanifa hold in high regard.
Table of Contents :
---Publisher's Note,
---Editor's Introduction to the Arabic Original,
------On Imam al-Dhahabi.
---[I]. Imam Abu Hanifa,
------His Character and Scrupulousness,
------Abu Hanifa's Shaykh's and Companions,
------Abu Hanifa's Worship,
------Those who commended his Scholarship,
------His Statements Concerning Reasoned Opinion,
------More about his Scrupulousness,
------Concerning the Evidentiary Value of His Hadiths,
------Some Stories about Him,
------Abu Hanifa's Death,
------Some Hadiths he Narrated,
------Some Dreams Giving Glad Tidings of Abu Hanifa.
---[II]. Imam Abu Yusuf,
------The Praise Scholars gave Abu Yusuf,
------Some of His Qualities,
------Some Hadiths he Narrated.
---[III]. Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani,
------His Appointment as Judge of al-Raqqa.
*Includes extensive footnotes!
Imam Hafiz Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad al-Dhahabi, [d.748h. may Allah have mercy upon him, was born in Damascus in 673 AH. Over 1,200 scholars transmitted hadiths from him via direct transmission and ijaza. His authored works amount to almost one hundred books. He was a man of noted intelligence and a renowned hafiz. He continued to write until he lost his sight in the year 743 and died on the eve of Monday the 3rd of Dhul-Qa'da, 748 in Damascus.
Shaykh Abu al-Wafa al-Afghani [d.1395AH] was a prominent Hanafi Shaykh who had studied with some of the foremost scholars of his time. He set up the 'Ihya Al Ma'arif an-Numaniya' a research facility dedicvated to obtaining and making available rarer books especially those related to the Hanafi School of law. Amongst his notable students were Sayyid Muhammad ibn 'Alawi Al-Maliki, may Allah have mercy upon him, who would travel to India to meet him and Shaykh 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda.
First ever English translation | Excellent Quality [UK] Print!
More Hanafi Fiqh books.
NEW : Also available in Arabic.