Written by: Fazilat al-Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri Hafizahullah
The Jurisprudential Status of Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, According to the Muhaddithin
Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, is counted among the Ahl al-Ra'y (people of opinion); he is not counted among the Muhaddithin (scholars of hadith). Therefore, his jurisprudence cannot be called authentic Islamic jurisprudence. Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, was among the Ahl al-Ra'y, whom the noble Imams, may Allah have mercy on them, have criticized.
❁ Imam Sufyan ibn Sa'id al-Thawri, Qadi Sharik ibn Abdullah, and Imam Hasan ibn Salih ibn Hayyi, may Allah have mercy on them, state:
[أدركنا أبا حنيفة، وما يعرف بشيء من الفقه ما نعرفه إلا بالخصومات]
We saw Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him; he was not well-versed in (Islamic) jurisprudence. We saw him engaging in disputes (in religion).
Reference: Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib: 559/15, and its chain of narration is authentic
What these Imams meant was that in the speech of Imam Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, opinion predominated, on the basis of which he differed with other Muhaddithin in religion. Compared to the knowledge of the Muhaddithin, this is not knowledge; it is merely conjecture, which is severely condemned by the Muhaddithin.
