Virtues and Merits in Islam

Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri

The following is a commentary on the statements attributed to Abu Hanifa (150-180 AH) by Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in (158-233 AH), a prominent figure in the science of Jarh and Ta'dil (criticism and authentication of Hadith narrators).

1. Ahmad bin Salt Himani states that when Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in was asked about Abu Hanifa's reliability in Hadith, he replied:

"Yes, he is trustworthy. By Allah, he was more pious than to lie, and his status is higher than that."

[Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib: 13/449-450]

Commentary:

This statement is fabricated. It is the handiwork of Ahmad bin Salt, who is unanimously considered a liar and a fabricator of narrations.

  • Imam Darqutni said about him:
    • "He fabricates Hadith."
    • [Al-Du'afa wal-Matrukin: 59]
  • Imam Ibn Hibban shared the same opinion.
    • [Al-Majruhin: 1/153]
  • Imam Ibn Adi commented:
    • "I have not seen anyone among the liars with less shame than him."
    • [Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi: 1/199]
  • Imam Khatib Baghdadi wrote:
    • "He narrated many Hadiths, most of which are false and fabricated by him. He also fabricated statements and attributed them to Bishr bin Harith, Yahya ibn Ma'in, and Ali ibn al-Madini in the virtues of Abu Hanifa."
    • [Tarikh Baghdad: 5/33]
2. Ahmad bin Atiyah, i.e., Ahmad bin Salt, narrates that Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said:

"Abu Hanifa was trustworthy, truthful in Hadith and Fiqh, and trustworthy in the religion of Allah."

[Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib: 13/350]

Commentary:

The chain of this narration includes Ahmad bin Salt, a known liar and fabricator of narrations, as previously mentioned.

  • Imam Khatibwrote after mentioning this statement:
    • "Ahmad bin Salt is actually Ahmad bin Atiyah, and he was not trustworthy."
3. Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said:

"Abu Hanifa was trustworthy. He only narrated what he had memorized and did not narrate what he had not memorized."

[Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib: 13/319]

Commentary:

  1. The chain of this statement is "weak" due to the unknown status of Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Isam. Accepting unknown narrators' narrations is not considered sincere to the religion.
  2. The other narrator, Muhammad bin Sa'd al-Awfi, was considered weak in Hadith.
  • Imam Khatib said:
    • "He was weak in Hadith."
    • [Tarikh Baghdad: 5/322]
  • Imam Darqutni said:
    • "There is no harm in him."
    • [Questions of Al-Hakim to Darqutni: 178]
4. Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said:

"Abu Hanifa was not bad; he did not lie."

[Tarikh Baghdad: 13/319]

Commentary:

The chain of this narration is rejected and false. Ahmad bin Muhammad bin al-Qasim bin Mihraz's reliability is not established, and without such verification, his narrations cannot be accepted.

5. Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said:

"Abu Hanifa, in our view, was among the truthful and was not accused of lying."

[Questions of Ibn Mihraz: 240; Tarikh Baghdad: 13/319]

Commentary:

This narration is also rejected and false for the same reason as above: Ahmad bin Muhammad bin al-Qasim bin Mihraz's reliability is not established.

6. When asked if Abu Hanifa was a liar, Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in replied:

"Abu Hanifa was too noble to lie. He was truthful, but there was a problem with his Hadith, similar to some of the sheikhs' Hadith."

[Tarikh Baghdad: 13/319]

Commentary:

The chain of this narration is false. Ahmad bin Abdul Rahman bin al-Jarud al-Raqqi is a known liar.

  • Imam Khatib Baghdadi said:
    • "He is a liar."
    • [Tarikh Baghdad: 2/247, Biography of Muhammad bin Al-Husayn Al-Basatami]
  • **Ibn Tahir said:
    • "He fabricates Hadith and attributes them to known chains of transmission."
    • [Lisan al-Mizan: 1/213]
7. Jafar bin Muhammad Abu Uthman al-Tayalisi states that we heard Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in, and I asked him about Abu Yusuf and Abu Hanifa. He said:

"Abu Yusuf is more reliable in Hadith than him. I asked, 'Did Abu Hanifa lie?' He replied, 'He was too noble to lie.'"

[Tarikh Baghdad: 13/; Its chain is authentic]

Commentary:

This authentic statement does not establish Abu Hanifa's reliability according to Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in. Instead, it signifies Abu Yusuf's relative reliability. To understand this, one must also consider Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in's other authentic statements about Abu Hanifa, which indicate his weakness.

For example, Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said about a narrator, Asad bin Amr Abu al-Munthir al-Bajali: "Asad bin Amr is more reliable than Noah bin Daraj."

[Al-Jarh wa Ta'dil: 2/337; Its chain is authentic]

Despite this, Noah bin Daraj is known to be a liar and rejected:

  • Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in said:
    • "Noah bin Daraj is not trustworthy; he was a liar and weak."
    • [Al-Jarh wa Ta'dil: 8/484; Its chain is authentic]
Therefore, saying Asad bin Amr is more reliable than Noah bin Daraj does not establish his reliability but rather indicates that Asad bin Amr's weakness is less than Noah bin Daraj's.

8. Hafiz Mizzi (742-654 AH) wrote:

  • Salih bin Muhammad al-Asadi (Jazrah) (293-205 AH) said:
    • "I heard Yahya ibn Ma'in saying: Abu Hanifa was reliable in Hadith."
    • [Tahdhib al-Kamal by Mizzi: 9/105]
Commentary:

This statement is rejected due to the lack of a chain of transmission.

Statements of Criticism and Weakening​

Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in's criticism of Abu Hanifa is established:

  1. "His Hadith is not to be written."
    • [Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi: 7/6; In another copy: 7/2473; Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib: 13/450; Al-Muntazim by Ibn al-Jawzi: 8/134; Its chain is authentic]
  • Ali bin Ahmad bin Suleiman al-Masri, known as Allan (310-227 AH), was trustworthy:
    • Imam Ibn Yunus said:
      • "He was trustworthy, narrated many Hadith, and was one of the notable just people."
      • [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by Dhahabi: 14/496]
    • Hafiz Dhahabi said:
      • "He was an Imam, a Hadith scholar, and just."
      • [Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by Dhahabi: 14/496]
  • The other narrator, Ahmad bin Sa'd bin al-Hakam, Ibn Abi Maryam (d. 253 AH), was also reliable:
    • Imam Nasa'i said:
      • "There is no harm in him."
      • [Tahdhib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar: 1/29]
    • Hafiz Ibn Hajar said:
      • "He is truthful."
      • [Taqrib al-Tahdhib by Ibn Hajar: 36]
    • Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Nasa'i, and Imam Baqi bin Makhlad narrated from him, and none criticized him, hence he is clearly trustworthy and truthful.
  1. Imam al-Aqeeli said:
  • "Muhammad bin Uthman bin Abi Shaybah said: I heard Yahya ibn Ma'in being asked about Abu Hanifa, and he said: He is considered weak in Hadith."
    • [Al-Du'afa al-Kabir by Al-Aqeeli: 4/285; Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib: 13/450; Its chain is authentic]
Muhammad bin Uthman bin Abi Shaybah is considered "Hasan al-Hadith" by the majority, and the criticisms against him are rejected. For details, see the article "A Just Mufassir" by my esteemed teacher, the Hadith scholar of our time, Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai.

It is important to note that our stance is that the books of early reliable Hadith scholars and their assessments hold significant weight. Every narrator must be evaluated according to these assessments, and only those considered trustworthy by the majority will have their narrations accepted.

Additionally, the unsourced statements in the books of Hafiz Mizzi (654-742 AH), Hafiz Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), and Hafiz Ibn Hajar (773-852 AH) will not be considered valid unless their chains are verified from original and reliable books. These books mention various statements for convenience regarding the narrators.

In conclusion, Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in's authentication of Abu Hanifa is not established, while two criticisms with authentic chains are established.

Alhamdulillah for that!
 
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