Written by: Muhammad Zubair Sadiq Abadi
The majority of the Deobandi scholars believe that the title “Imām Aʿẓam” is exclusive to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah. However, Palani Haqqani Gujrati (Deobandi) has written:
“Our Messenger, Ḥaḍrat Muḥammad ﷺ, is the Seal of the Prophets and the Imām Aʿẓam. Whenever and wherever his Prophethood would have occurred, his obedience would have been obligatory. His command would always take precedence over the obedience of all other Prophets present at the time. This is why, on the night of Mi‘rāj, in Bayt al-Maqdis, he was appointed as the Imām for all the Prophets (عليهم السلام).”
(Sharīʿat yā Jahālat, p. 297)
Note: This book is a verified work of Muḥammad Zakariyya, the Tablīghī Deobandi scholar.
Not only Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, but other leading scholars have also been referred to as “Imām Aʿẓam”, including Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfi‘ī, and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمهم الله أجمعين).
❖ Who is Imām Aʿẓam (The Greatest Imām)?
The majority of the Deobandi scholars believe that the title “Imām Aʿẓam” is exclusive to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah. However, Palani Haqqani Gujrati (Deobandi) has written:
“Our Messenger, Ḥaḍrat Muḥammad ﷺ, is the Seal of the Prophets and the Imām Aʿẓam. Whenever and wherever his Prophethood would have occurred, his obedience would have been obligatory. His command would always take precedence over the obedience of all other Prophets present at the time. This is why, on the night of Mi‘rāj, in Bayt al-Maqdis, he was appointed as the Imām for all the Prophets (عليهم السلام).”
(Sharīʿat yā Jahālat, p. 297)
Note: This book is a verified work of Muḥammad Zakariyya, the Tablīghī Deobandi scholar.
❖ Other Scholars Also Referred to as Imām Aʿẓam
Not only Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, but other leading scholars have also been referred to as “Imām Aʿẓam”, including Imām Mālik, Imām al-Shāfi‘ī, and Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (رحمهم الله أجمعين).
- Qasṭallānī, a scholar revered by both Deobandi and Barelvi circles, referred to Imām Mālik as:
"al-Imām al-A‘ẓam"
(Irshād al-Sārī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5/370 ḥadīth 10, 10/3300 ḥadīth 6962; al-Ḥadīth Hazro, Issue 75, p. 41)
- Tāj al-Dīn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb ibn Taqī al-Dīn al-Subkī referred to Imām al-Shāfi‘ī as:
"al-Imām al-A‘ẓam"
(Ṭabaqāt al-Shāfi‘iyyah al-Kubrā 1/303, 1/225; al-Ḥadīth Hazro, Issue 75, p. 41)
- Qasṭallānī also referred to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal with the title:
"al-Imām al-A‘ẓam"
(Irshād al-Sārī 5/35, ḥadīth 5105)
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar likewise used the title "al-Imām al-A‘ẓam" for Imām al-Shāfi‘ī:
(Ṭabaqāt al-Mudallisīn with Fatḥ al-Mubīn, p. 13)
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar also used the title for the Khalīfah (Imām) of the Muslims:
(Fatḥ al-Bārī 3/112, ḥadīth 7138; al-Ḥadīth Hazro, Issue 75, p. 42)
