A study on Abu Hanifa, on the face of allegations for his opposition to the Sunnah

Abstract

Abu Hanifa and his disciples are said to have opposed the Sunnah. Around the beginning of the fourth/tenth century, we find a group of the adherents of hadith, who seem to aim at degrading the idea that Abu Hanifa was competent in hadith, in their works. They use all the means of criticism against Abu Hanifah, their ascendants had originally developed to identify the forged and improperly ascribed hadith of the Prophet. On the one hand, a group of scholars have praised Abu Hanifa al-Numan b. Thabit (ca. 80/699-ca. 150/767) and spoken of his virtues and acknowledged his authority in fiqh and the interpretation of the prophetic hadith. For example, Yahya b. Main, of the great hadith critics, has praised him with clear statements expressing that Abu Hanifa was quite trustworthy scholar. On the other hand, a group of critics severely denounced Abu Hanifa, such as Ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235), Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241), Bukhari (d. 256), Muslim (d. 261), Ibn Qutayba (d. 276), Nasai (d. 303), Ukayli (d: 322), Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327) Ibn Hibban (d. 354), Ibn Adiyy (d. 365), Darekutni (d. 385), Bayhaqi (d. 458), Khatib Baghdadi (d. 463) etc. Dealing with the criticism made against Abu Hanifa in respect to hadith, Ibn Abdilbarr al-Namari (d. 463) examines the claims and aims of those who criticized the Imam in his book Fadaili's-Salasati'l-Aimmeti'l-Fuqaha. In his book al-Intiqa, he suggests that behind the criticisim against him lie the fact that other muhaddiths had felt rivalry with Abu Hanifa and his disciples; consequently many people, had doubts about Abu Hanifa, as those who criticized Abu Hanifa were certainly great authorities in their field. However, it is also noteworthy that almost all of these scholars were the adherents of Shafii madhhab. Indeed, throughout the Muslim history, there are few who was criticized to the extent that Abu Hanifa was discussed and criticized. This article, looks at the reasons of jarh made about Abu Hanifa, and analyses and disaffirms the statement of those who suggest that Abu Hanifa exercised a great deal of analogical reasoning and while acting on it, he abandoned hadith In doing so, it I particularly deals with why al-Bukhari criticized him and the role of madhab fanaticism played in the accusations against him. Finally, I will attempt to examine how the Imam Abu Hanifa followed the Sunna and employed the Sunna in his methodology.