The Claim of the Author of Tuhfa Ahl-e-Hadith
Imam Sahib has performed fifty-five Hajj pilgrimages, has prayed behind the companions of the Prophet (Sahaba), and whatever actions he saw the companions doing, he considered those his final actions and preserved them. And whatever narrations the companions abandoned in Khair al-Qurun, Imam Sahib also abandoned. If those narrations were practicable, your friends would surely have acted upon them.
The Response:-
Firstly:-
We openly challenge all the deniers of Sunnah around the world to provide proof from any authentic narration for the claim made by Abu Bilal. Remember, despite the strenuous efforts of all the followers worldwide, no such narration can be established. God willing, first, the acknowledgment of Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa has already been cited, which negates his being a Tabi’i. We have also quoted the statement of Allama Fitni that the Imam was not a Tabi’i, although his followers claim otherwise, but their arguments are considered unreliable by researchers. However, the author of Tuhfa Ahl al-Hadith asserts his meeting with a group of Companions, which is not credible at all.
Secondly:-
Imam Abu Hanifa himself admits that he is the most knowledgeable in jurisprudence and all opinions.
(وقد روى ابویوسف والحسن بن زياد كلاهما عن أبي حنيفة انه قال علمنا هذا رأى وهو احسن ما قدرنا عليه )
That is, Qadi Abu Yusuf and Hasan bin Ziyad say that Imam Abu Hanifa said that all of our knowledge of jurisprudence and fatwas is entirely based on opinion and analogy. According to our opinion and analogy, we have spoken the truth as much as possible.
From this statement of Imam Abu Hanifa, it is proven that all the jurisprudential knowledge, theology, and other sciences that he compiled or expressed are merely opinion and analogy.
Hazrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi, while explaining the difference between Ahl al-Ra’y and Ahl al-Hadith, states:
(لم يكن عندهم من الاحاديث والآثار ما يقدرون به على استناد الفقه على الاصول التي اختار ها اهل الحديث ….. الخ)
That is, Ahl al-Ra’y did not have sufficient knowledge of the Prophetic traditions and the sayings of the Companions to deduce jurisprudential issues based on the principles adopted by Ahl al-Hadith, nor did they have the breadth of heart and courage to review the opinions of all scholars, nor the capacity to gather and discuss the sayings of the learned.
Then, shedding light on the methodology of Ahl al-Ra’y, he says:
(بل المراد من اهل الراى قوم توجهوا بعد المسائل المجمع عليها بين المسلمين أو بين جمهور هم الى التخريج على اصل رجل من المتقدمين وكان أكثر أمرهم حمل النظير على النظير والراى اصل من الاصول دون تتبع الاحاديث والاثار الخ )
That is, Ahl al-Ra’y refers to those who deduced and extracted issues according to the principles laid down by some predecessor; they did not search for or investigate hadiths and reports. Finally, commenting specifically on Imam Abu Hanifa’s methodology, he states:
(وكان ابو حنيفة الزمهم بمذهب ابراهيم واقرانه لا يجاوزه الاماشاء الله وكان عظيم الشان في تخريج على مذهبه دقيق النظر في وجوه التخريجات مقبلاً على الفروع اتم اقبال )
That is, Imam Abu Hanifa adhered to the madhhab of Ibrahim al-Nakha’i and his contemporaries, rarely deviating from it, and held a high status in the derivation of Imam Nakha’i’s madhhab, with full attention and dedication to its propagation. End.
From these statements of Hazrat Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on him), it is proven that Ahl al-Ra’y deduced issues based on the principles laid down by a person through analogy and opinion, and they had no connection whatsoever with the Prophetic traditions and the sayings of the Companions. Also, that Imam Abu Hanifa deduced issues according to the principles of Imam Ibrahim al-Nakha’i.
Commenting on Imam Sahib’s scholarly assembly, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
(ماكان على ظهر الارض مجلس احب الى من مجلس سفيان الثوري كنت اذا شئت ان تراه مصلیا رايته واذا شئت ان تراه في ذكر الله عزوجل رايته وكنت اذا شئت أن تراه في الغامض من الفقه رايته واما مجلس لا اعلم اني شهدته صلى فيه على النبي قط فمجلس ثم سكت ولم يذكر فقال يعني مجلس أبي حنفية)
That is, in my view, there is no assembly on the face of the earth more beloved than the assembly of Imam Sufyan al-Thawri. Whenever I wished to see him in prayer, I saw him; whenever I wished to see him engaged in the remembrance of Allah, I saw him; and whenever I wished to see him pondering over jurisprudential issues, I saw him. But whenever I went to the assembly of Imam Abu Hanifa, I never heard salutations and blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم there.
The chain of narration of this report is authentic, and the narrator is Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak, whom the Hanafi followers claim as their own.
The only reason that salutations were not recited in Imam Abu Hanifa’s assembly could be that the mention of the Prophet’s hadith never occurred there. If the Sunnah of Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم had been mentioned there, and discussions on abrogating and abrogated texts had taken place, then salutations upon the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم would certainly have been recited. It is impossible that a devout and ascetic like Imam Sahib would not recite salutations upon the mention of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. In short, Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) has very well described the state of Imam Sahib’s assembly, where most issues were resolved through opinion and analogy.
Thirdly:-
The author’s claim in Takhfah Ahl al-Hadith that Imam Sahib considered the actions of the Companions he observed in Khair al-Qurun as the last actions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and preserved them, is a baseless claim. And with this baseless claim, he wants to make Imam Abu Hanifa the heir and treasure of the entire Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ. The humble writer of these lines loudly claims that if you can prove even one hadith of Imam Sahib from any Companion with an authentic, uninterrupted chain of narration from the books of hadith, then the writer will give you ten rupees from his own pocket as a reward for your effort. ان شاء اللہ
You are free to seek help from Deoband or assistance from Bareilly or steal research from Qadian and call it al-Masaleh al-‘Aqliyyah (rational interests). But remember, even if you gather the entire progeny of Khunfiyyah with you, you will certainly face failure and disappointment. ان شاء اللہ
