Hanafi Fiqh Exposed

Aboo Ḥanifa also known as 'Nuʿman ibn Thabit,' was the founder of the present day Hanafi sect of the 'Ahl us Sunnah.' The Hanafi school is the oldest and by far the largest from the four schools along with the Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali. It is also important to mention, Fiqh Hanafi was the official madhab of the Abbasid empire, who had been responsible for the massacre of the Imams of Ahlulbayt (a.s). Aboo Ḥanifa is regarded by some as 'Al-Imam Al-A'zam' (the Great Imam). Let us take a look at this great Imam and his contribution to the Islamic world in light of the opinion of the Salaf.


FATWA OF AHMAD IBN HANBAL

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Ishaq Al-Harbi said: "Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked about Imam Malik. The reply was 'His Hadeeth are correct but his opinions are weak.' Then he was asked about Awzai, he replied: ‘His hadeeth and opinion are both weak,’ then he was asked about Aboo Hanifa, he said, ‘His opinion and his hadeeth bear no value'. Then he was asked about Imam Shafi, the reply was, 'His Hadeeth and opinion is Saheeh.'" 

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 576.

Imam Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Tirmidhi said: ‘I heard Ahmad bin Hanbal saying: ‘Aboo Hanifa used to tell lies.’

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 579.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said: ‘According to me, the opinion of Aboo Hanifa is equal to the faeces of goats.’

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 569.

Hassan ibn Alee Al-Saqqaf:

“The Hanbalis believe that Aboo Hanifa was an Imam of error.”

Source: Al-Salafiya Al-Wahabia. Pg. # 73.

FATWA OF IMAM MALIK

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Mansoor bin Muzahim said: ‘I heard Malik bin Anas saying Aboo Hanifa mocked the religion and whoever mocks the religion is irreligious.’

Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Mutrif said: ‘I heard Imam Malik saying the error must be extinguished from religion and Aboo Hanifa was an error.’

Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 552.

Imam Malik bin Anas said: "The fitna of Aboo Hanifa is more harmful than the fitna of Iblees."

Imam Malik bin Anas said: "No one was born in Islam more harmful than Aboo Hanifa."

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 545.

Al-Waleed bin Muslim said: "Imam Malik bin Anas said to me, 'Do the people mention Aboo Hanifa in your country?' I replied: 'Yes.' He replied: 'Your country should not be stable.'"

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 551.

Ibn Abdul Barr:

Imam Malik said: "Had Aboo Hanifa rebelled against the nation through the sword it would have been less harmful."

Source: Jami'a Bayan Al-Elm. Vol. 3, Pg. # 334.

FATWA OF IMAM SHAFI

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Imam Shafi said: "I saw the books of Aboo Hanifa's companions and they comprised of 130 pages, I found in them 80 pages that contradicted the Qur'aan and Sunnah."

Footenote: Hadeeth Hasan (Reliable).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 7, Pg. # 566.

Imam Shafi said: "I don’t know anyone who wrote a book proving his errors except Aboo Hanifa."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 8, Pg. # 567 .

Al-Subki:

(Shafi said), "I saw the book of Aboo Hanifa and they claim that they say whatever is in Allah's (swt) book and His Prophet’s tradition, whilst they actually they go against them."

Source: Tabaqat Al-Shafyyia Al-Kubra. Vol. 2, Pg. # 122. 

FATWA OF SUFYAN AL-THAWRI

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Narrated Al-Fazari: "I heard Al-Awzai and Sufyan Al-Thawri saying: 'No one was born in Islam more evil.' and Shafi said: 'More mischief than Aboo Hanifa.'

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Sufyan said: "No one was born in Islam more harmful than Aboo Hanifa." 

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 549.

Sufyan Al-Thawri said: "No one was born in Islam more unfortunate on the Muslims other than him."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 548.

Sufyan said: "Aboo Hanifa repented from Kufr twice."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 524 - 525.

Abdullah bin Ahmad ibn Hanbal:

Sufyan Al-Thawri said: "Aboo Hanifa repented from his heretic opinions many times."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Kitab Al-Sunnah. Vol. 1, Pg. # 193 . 

FATWA OF IMAM AWZAI

Ahmad ibn Hanbal:

Awzai said: "No one was born into Islam more harmful than Aboo Hanifa."

Footnote: Hadeeth Hasan (Reliable).

Source:  Kitab al-`Ilal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal. Vol. 2, Pg. # 46.

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Sulayman bin Hassan Al-Halabi said: "I heard Awzai on several occasions saying that Aboo Hanifa destroyed the pillars of Islam one by one."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 547.

Abdullah bin Ahmad ibn Hanbal:

Salama bin Kulthum said: "When Aboo Hanifa died, Awzai said: 'Praise be to Allah for killing him, he used to destroy the pillars of Islam one by one.'"

Footenote: Hadeeth Hasan (Reliable).

Source: Kitab Al-Sunnah. Vol. 1, Pg. # 207.

FATWA OF IMAM SUFYAN BIN UYAINA

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Sufyan bin Uyaina said: "Aboo Hanifa repented from Atheism on three occasions."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 526.

FATWA OF IMAM ABDULLAH BIN MUBARAK

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Aboo Ishaq Al-Taleqani said: "I heard Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak saying: 'Anyone that owns the book of Aboo Hanifa and uses it and spreads the opinions with it, will cause his Hajj to become void and his wife shall no longer remain lawful for him.' Then the slave of ibn Al-Mubarak said: 'I think the one who wrote the book is Satan.' Ibn Al-Mubarak replied: 'The one who wrote the book is worse than Satan.'

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 556.

FATWA OF ABDUL RAHMAN IBN MAHDI


Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Abdul Rahman bin Mahdi said: "There was a wall between Aboo Hanifa and the truth."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 561.

FATWA IMAM HAMAAD BIN SALAMA AL-BASRI & SHU'ABA BIN AL-HAJAJ

Abdullah bin Ahmad ibn Hanbal:

Mansoor bin Salama Al-Khuzai said: "I heard Hamaad bin Salama cursing Aboo Hanifa." Aboo Salama said: "Shu'aba used to curse Aboo Hanifa."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Kitab Al-Sunnah. Vol. 1, Pg. # 211.

FATWA IBN HIBBAN

Ibn Hibban:

It is not permissible to adhere to him, because he was propagating to Erja and according to our scholars it is impermissible to adhere to one that propagates innovations (Bid'ah, I don’t know any disagreement among the Muslim scholars and the pious religious (people) in all the countries about dispraising him (Aboo Hanifa), every one dispraised him one by one.

Source: Kitab Al-Majruhin. Vol. 3, Pg. # 64.

FATWA OF IMAM AYUB

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Salaam bin Abi Mutee said: "Ayub was sitting in the mosque, then Aboo Hanifa saw him and came towards him. When Ayoob saw him coming towards him, he said to his companions: 'Come on, let’s move before he spreads lice among us.'"

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 547.

FATWA OF IMAM ABOO MUHAMMAD

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Aboo Muhammad said: "He remained on falsehood and adhered to it, he would not return to the truth even if it was clear to him."

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 551.

FATWA OF SCHOLARS OF SHAAM

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Al-Qasim bin Abdulmalik said: "I heard Aboo Museher saying: 'The scholars would curse someone on this pulpit.' Then he pointed by his hand to the pulpit of Damascus. Al-Farhyani said: 'It was Aboo Hanifa.'"

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 15, Pg. # 570.

FATWA OF AL-ASWAD BIN SAALIM 

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi:

Aba Ubaid said: "I was sitting with Al-Aswad bin Saalim in Rasafa's mosque, they then began discussing an issue. I therefore said: 'Aboo Hanifa's opinion is so & so.' Al-Aswad said to me: 'You mention Aboo Hanifa in the mosque!' Then he (Al-Aswad) never talked to me again until he died." 

Footnote: Hadeeth Saheeh (Authentic).

Source: Tarikh Baghdad. Vol. 13, Pg. # 564.

FATWA OF GHAZZLI

Al-Ghazzali:

"Aboo Hanifa was not a Mujtahid because he acquired no knowledge in (Arabic) grammar; this is proven by the fact that he read the words Babu Qays. Aboo Hanifa had no knowledge of Hadeeth, he would ignore Saheeh Hadeeth and would embrace weak ones, he had no capacity to interpret the Sharia, on the contrary he would contradict their rules."

Source: Al-Mankhul. Pg. # 471. 

"I don’t care if I was incompatible with Aboo Hanifa, as a I am 90% sure that his doctrine was wrong."

Source: Al-Mankhul. Pg. # 439. 

Shafi said: "Whoever practiced Istehsan made a new law. Well first of all it is recomended to explain the reality of Istehsan. Some of Aboo Hanifa's companions said: 'Istehsan is a method which lacks proof. Verily it is kufr whoever believed in it or permitted its practise.'"

Source: Al-Mankhul. Pg. # 374 - 375. 

"Aboo Hanifa had turned jurisprudence on its head and unsettled its method and changed its system."

Source: Al-Mankhul. Pg. # 500. 

"It must be known for every religious person that God would never send a Prophet for such Salaat (Refering to Salaat of Aboo Hanifa) and Muhammad wasn’t sent to propagate the people for this (Salaat)."

Source: Al-Mankhul. Pg. # 501.