ABOUT 4 MADHHAB IMAM'S (Arabic: مذهب
Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zuṭā ibn Marzubān[3] (Arabic: نعمان بن ثابت بن زوطا بن مرزبان), known as Abū Ḥanīfah, (Arabic: أبو حنيفة) (699 — 765 CE / 80 — 148 AH) was the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
Abu Hanifa was also one of the Tabi‘un, the generation after the SahabaAnas ibn Malik, and transmitted hadiths from him and other Sahaba.[4] (companions), because he saw the Sahabi
Name, birth and ancestry
Abu Hanifa (699 — 767 CE / 80 — 148 AH) was born in
Kufa,
Iraq during the reign of the powerful
Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik (Abdul Malik bin Marwan). Acclaimed as
Al-Imam al-A'zam, or Al-A'dham (the Great
Imam), Nu’man bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Mah was better known by his
kunya Abu Hanifa. It was not a true
kunya, as he did not have a son called Hanifa, but an epithetical one meaning pure in
monotheistic belief. His father, Thabit bin Zuta, a trader from
Kabul, part of
Khorasan in
Persia (the capital of modern day
Afghanistan), was 40 years old at the time of Abu Hanifa's birth.
His ancestry is generally accepted as being of non-
Arab origin as suggested by the etymology of then names of his grandfather (Zuta) and great-grandfather (Mah). The historian,
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, records a statement from Abu Hanifa's grandson, Ismail bin Hammad, who gave Abu Hanifa's lineage as Thabit bin Numan bin Marzban and claiming to be of Persian origin. The discrepancy in the names, as given by Ismail of Abu Hanifa's grandfather and great-grandfather are thought to be due to Zuta's adoption of the
Arabic name (Numan) upon his acceptance of
Islam and that Mah and Marzban were titles or official designations in Persia. Further differences of opinion exist on his ancestry. Abu Muti, for example, describes Abu Hanifa as an Arab citing his ancestry as Numan bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Yahya bin Zaid bin Asad
[citation needed]. The widely accepted opinion, however, is that he was of Persian ancestry.
[5][6]
Status as a Tabi‘un
Abu Hanifa was born 67 years after the death of the
Islamic prophet,
Muhammad, but during the time of the Sahaba of Muhammad, some of whom lived on until Abu Hanifa's youth. Anas bin Malik, Muhammad's personal attendant, died in 93 AH and another companion, Abul Tufail Amir bin Wathilah, died in 100 AH, when Abu Hanifa was 20 years old. No evidence exists, however, to indicate Abu Hanifa had narrated any hadith from the companions although there is no doubt that he was a "tabi'i" (one who had met a companion of Muhammad) and had met Anas bin Malik.
It is perceived this is due to the strict age requirements for learning the discipline of hadith that existed at the time in Kufa where no one below the age of 20 was admitted to a hadith school. The scholars of the time felt anyone below this age would not have attained the maturity required to be able to understand the meaning of the narrations.
Early life and education
Abu Hanifa grew up in a period of oppression during the
caliphates of Abdul Malik bin Marwan and his son
Al-Walid I (Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik). The governorship of Iraq was under the control of
Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, a loyal follower of Abdul Malik. During his governorship leaders in religion and learning were especially targeted by Hajjaj as they were proving to be an obstacle to Abdul Malik's establishment of his rule across
Arabia and Iraq. Consequently, Abu Hanifa had no interest nor the opportunity to acquire any education in his early childhood. He was simply content with following in the footsteps of his ancestors as a businessman.
He set up a silk weaving business where he showed scrupulous honesty and fairness. Once his agent in another country, sold some silk cloth on his behalf but forgot to point out a slight defect to the purchasers. When Abu Hanifa learned this, he was greatly distressed as he had no means of refunding their money. He immediately ordered the entire proceeds of the sale of the consignment of silk to be distributed to the poor.
Following the deaths of Hajjaj in 95 AH and Walid in 96 AH, justice and good administration began to make a comeback with the caliphates of
Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik and thereafter
Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar encouraged education to such an extent that every home became a
madrasa. Abu Hanifa also began to take an interest in education which was heightened further by the unexpected advice of as-Sha'bi (d. 722), one of Kufa's most well-known scholars.
While running an errand for his mother, he happened to pass the home of as-Sha'bi. Sha'bi, mistaking him for a student, asked him whose classes he attended. When Abu Hanifa responded that he did not attend any classes, Sha'bi said, "I see signs of intelligence in you. You should sit in the company of learned men." Taking Sha'bi's advice, Abu Hanifa embarked on a prolific quest for knowledge that would in due course have a profound impact on the
history of Islam. His early education was achieved through madāris and it is here that he learned the
Qur'an and Hadith, doing exceptionally well in his studies. He spent a great deal of time in the tutelage of Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, a great jurist of Kufah.
Abu Hanifa was one of the distinguished students of Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (The Truthful was also Muhammad's grandson), as has been confirmed by
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami in his
Al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, Allamah Shiblinji in his Nur al Absar, Abdul Haleem Jindi and Mohaqiq Abu Zohra and various other Muhadatheen (hadith scholars) and
Ulema have clarified that Imam Abu Hanifa was a student of Imam Ja'far Sadiq. Imam Ja'far had opened a university that not only taught religion, but the sciences and math. The Islamic
alchemist,
Geber, studied at the Imams' university. Under these conditions Abu Hanifa studied and gained his knowledge. Abu Hanifa’s initial chain of knowledge was with
Muhammad al-Baqir and he subsequently expanded this chain of knowledge with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.
Adulthood and death
In 763,
al-Mansur, the
Abbasid monarch offered Abu Hanifa the post of Chief Judge of the State, but he declined to accept the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student
Abu Yusuf was appointed
Qadi Al-Qadat (Chief Judge of the State) of al-Mansur regime instead of himself.
In his reply to al-Mansur, Abu Hanifa excused himself by saying that he did not regard himself fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post, lost his temper and accused Abu Hanifa of lying.
"If I am lying," Abu Hanifa said, "then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a Chief Qadi (Judge)?"
Incensed by this reply, the ruler had Abu Hanifa arrested, locked in prison and tortured. He was never fed nor cared for.
[7] Even there, the indomitable jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to come to him.
In 767, Abu Hanifa died in prison. It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for more than 50,000 people who had amassed before he was actually buried. Later, after many years, a
mosque, the
Abu Hanifa Mosque in the
Adhamiyah neighborhood of
Baghdad, was built in honor of him.
Some of Abu Hanifa's Literary Works
- Kitaab-ul-Aathar - compiled from a total of 70,000 ahadith
- Kitabul Assar
- Aalim wa'l-muta‘allim
- Fiqh al-Akbar
- Jaami’ul Masaneed
- Kitaabul Rad alal Qaadiriyah
See also
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mālik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn 'Āmr al-Asbahi (
Arabic مالك بن أنس) (c. 711 - 795) (93
AH - 179 AH ) is known as "Imam Malik," the "
Sheikh of Islam," the "Proof of the Community," and "Imam of the Abode of Emigration."
[3] He was one of the most highly respected scholars of
fiqh in
Sunni Islam.
Imam Shafi, who was one of Malik's student for nine years and a scholarly giant in his own right, stated, "when scholars are mentioned, Malik is like the star among them."
[4] The
Maliki Madhab, named after Malik, is one of the four schools of jurisprudence that remains popular among
Muslims to this day.
Biography
His full name was
Abu Abdullah Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik Ibn Abī 'Āmir Ibn 'Amr Ibnul-Hārith Ibn Ghaimān Ibn Khuthail Ibn 'Amr Ibnul-Haarith
.
Malik was born the son of Anas ibn Malik (
not the Sahabi) and Aaliyah bint Shurayk al-Azdiyya in
Medina circa 711. His family was originally from the al-Asbahi tribe of
Yemen, but his great grandfather Abu 'Amir relocated the family to Medina after converting to
Islam in the second year after
hijra (623). According to
Al-Muwatta, he was tall, heavyset, imposing of stature, very fair, with white hair and beard but bald, with a huge beard and blue eyes.
[5]
Early life
Details of Malik's early teenage years remains mostly unknown, though there are accounts indicating that he pursued religious education at the age of 11.
[6] Before embarking in his religious studies, Malik helped his brother sell fabrics.
[6]
Teachers
Living in Medina gave Malik access to some of the most learned minds of early Islam. He
memorized the Quran in his youth, learning recitation from Imam
Abu Suhail an-Nafi' ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman, from whom he also received his
Sanad, or certification and permission to teach others. He studied under various famed scholars including
Hisham ibn Urwah,
Jafar al Sadiq, and
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri.
[1]
Compiling and narrating hadith
Malik practiced extreme care in regard to narrating Hadith, saying, "I do not accept knowledge from four types of people: (1) a person known to be foolish, even though others may narrate from him, (2) a person involved in committing heresy and calling others towards the innovation, (3) a person who lies in regular conversation, even though I do not accuse him as liar in regard to Hadith, (4) and a person who is pious worshipper or scholar, but does not properly and correctly memorize what he narrates."
Golden Chain of Narration
Imam Malik's chain of narrators was considered the most authentic and called
Silsilat ul-Zhahab or "The Golden Chain of Narrators" by notable hadith scholars including
Imam Bukhari.
[7] The 'Golden Chain' of narration (i.e., that considered by the scholars of Hadith to be the most authentic) consists of Malik, who narrated from
Nafi', who narrated from
ibn Umar, who narrated from
Muhammad.
Views
Reluctance in rendering religious verdicts
Malik took advantage of the fact that he was contemporary to many of the
Tabi‘in to formulate his famous school of thought which gave precedence to the acts of the people of
Medina over the
Hadith if they were in conflict. This was done due to the sizeable amount of scholars, and companions of
Muhammad residing in the city where Malik's reputation grew immensely. Malik nevertheless showed hesitancy in issuing religious verdicts explaining in one of his more famous statements that:
| “ | The shield of the scholar is, 'I do not know,' so if he neglects it, his statement is attacked.[8] | ” |
Textualist interpretation of hadith on God's attributes
Malik adhered to a textual interpretion of hadith in relation to God's attributes. Ad-Daraqutnee relates that Malik was asked about the attributes of
Allah, to which Malik answered, "Pass them on as they come."
[9] Furhermore,
Qadi Iyad relates that Malik was asked whether people would be looking toward
Allah given the narration, "And some faces shall be shining and radiant upon that day, looking at their Lord." Malik ensuingly answered, "Yes, with these two eyes of his," though his student replied, "there are a people who say he will not be looking at Allah, that 'looking' means a reward" to which Malik answered, "They lied, rather they will look at Allah." .
Opposition to bidah or innovation in beliefs
Malik was vehemently opposed to any forms of bidah and even directed others not to extend the Islamic greeting of
Salam to the people of
bidah, stating, "how evil are the People of Innovation, we do not give them salaam."
[10] Malik explained that "he who innovates an innovation in Islaam regarding it as something good, has claimed that Muhammad has betrayed his trust to deliver the message as Allah says, 'this day have I perfected for you your religion'. And whatsoever was not part of the religion then, is not part of the religion today."
[11]
Prohibiting Kalam
Malik sternly prohibited theological rhetoric and philosophical speech, frequently referred to as
kalam.
[12] Malik believed that
Kalam was rooted in heretical doctrines taken up and followed by controversial theologians such as
Jahm bin Safwan.
[13] When asked about an individual who delved into Kalam, Malik answered, "he innovated his innovation with kalaam, and if kalaam had been knowledge, the
Companions and the
tabi'in would have spoken about it, just as they spoke about the rules and regulations.
[14].
The Companions of Muhammad
Malik stressed that those who harbor rancour in their hearts toward the
Companions of Prophet Muhammad or find fault with them shall have no right to share
war booty with the Muslims.
[15] Malik's views pertaining to the
Rightly Guided Caliphs sets forth the
Sunni position that
Abu Bakr properly succeeded Muhammad in leadership. In a famous narration, one of Malik's students, Ashaab Ibn Abdul-Azeez said:
| “ | We were with Malik when a man from amongst the Alawiyyeen stood against him, and they used to come to his gatherings. So he called out to him, `O Abaa 'Abdullaah!' (meaning Malik) So Malik looked to him, and there was not just anyone whom he would have answered, from many of those whom he looked to with his head. So at Taalibee (the Alawee) said to him, `I wish to make you a proof in regards to what is between myself and Allah. When I stand before Him and He asks me, I will say: Malik said it to me.' So he said to him, `Speak.' So he said, `Who is the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah?' He said, ‘Abu Bakr.' The Alawee said,`Then who?' Malik said, `Then 'Umar.' The 'Alawee said, `Then who?' Malik said, `The Caliph who was killed in oppression, 'Uthmaan.' The 'Alawee said, `By Allah, I will never sit with you, ever.' Malik said to him, `The choice is yours."[16] | ” |
.....................
Controversy
Despite his reluctance to render religious verdicts, Malik was outspoken. He issued
fatwas against being forced to pledge allegiance to the
Caliph Al-Mansur, and was punished via flogging for his stance. Al-Mansur apologized to Malik, and offered him money and residence in
Baghdad, but Malik refused to leave the city of Prophet
Muhammad. Later,
Harun al-Rashid asked Malik to visit him while Harun was performing the
hajj. The Imam refused, and instead he invited the new caliph to his class.
Death
Imam Malik died at the age of 89 in
Medina in 795 and is buried in the famous
Jannat ul-Baqi cemetery across from the
Masjid al Nabawi. Malik's last words was related by one Ismaa'eel Ibn Abee Uways who said, "Maalik became sick, so I asked some of our people about what he said at the time of his death. They said, `He recited the
shahadah (testification of faith), then he recited:
| “ | Their affair is for Allah, before and after.[17] | ” |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Al-Shafi'i, Arabic
jurist (150 AH/767 AD - 204 AH/820 AD). He was active in juridical matters and his teaching eventually led to the
Shafi'i school of
fiqh (or
Madh'hab) named after him. Hence he is often called Imam al-Shafi'i.
His full name was
Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shafiʿī (
ابو عبد الله محمد بن إدريس الشافعي).
Introduction
The biography of al-Shafi'i is difficult to trace. The oldest surviving biography goes back to Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi (died 327H/939) and is no more than a collection of anecdotes, some of them fantastic. The first real biography is by
Ahmad Bayhaqi (died 458H/1066) and is filled with pious legends. The following is what seems to be a sensible reading.
Family
Al-Shafi'i belonged to the
Qurayshi clan
Banu Muttalib which was the sister clan of the
Banu Hashim to which
Muhammad and the
Abbasid caliphs belonged. Hence he had connections in the highest social circles, but he grew up in poverty.
767 – 786: Al-Mansur to Al-Hadi's era
Early life, Imam Malik
He was born in
Gaza and moved to
Mecca when he was about ten. He is reported to have studied with the "School of Mecca" (which might not even have existed, although some scholars are reported to have been active there). Then he moved to
Madinah to teach others of the message of Islam and be taught by
Malik ibn Anas.
786 – 809: Harun al-Rashid's era
After that he lived in Mecca,
Baghdad and finally
Egypt.
Among his teachers were
Malik ibn Anas and
Muhammad ibn al Hasan al Shaybani, whom he studied under in
Madinah and
Baghdad.
At the time of
Harun ar-Rashid, he had an appointment in
Yemen, as a judge in
Najran.
Sunnis portray that his devotion to justice, even when it meant criticizing the governor, caused him some problems, and he was taken before the Caliph, falsely accused of aiding the
Alawis in a revolt. At this time,
al Shaybani was the chief justice, and his defense of ash-Shafi'i, coupled with ash-Shafi'i’s own eloquent defense, convinced Harun ar-Rashid to dismiss the charge, and to direct al Shaybani to take ash-Shafi'i to
Baghdad.He was also a staunch critic of
Al-Waqidi's writings on Sirah.
In Baghdad, he developed his first
madhab, influenced by the teachings of both
Imam Abu Hanifa and
Imam Malik. Thus, his work there is known as “al Madhab al Qadim lil Imam as Shafi’i,” or the Old School of ash-Shafi'i.
809 – 813: Al-Amin's era
813 – 820: Al-Ma'mun's era
Fiqh research
It appears that all of his surviving writings were done in retirement in Egypt during the last five years of his life.
Al-Shafi'i was controversial in his own time but, as history has shown, he won his point. Starting from the
Maliki position of reliance (largely) upon tradition in legal matters he came into contact with and opposed the
Hanafi position of reliance (largely) upon common sense. He reached the conclusion that tradition was indeed the proper basis for legal decisions, but only if that tradition was based upon the prophet and no one else.
The Hanafis, of course, were not willing to exchange all their common sense for hadiths and the Maliki's were not willing to give up traditions just because they had no prophetic hadiths supporting them. As time went by, however, both the Hanafis and Malikis have grown to conform to Shafi'i's idea that only prophetic hadiths matter. The fourth school of fiqh came later.
Shafi'i probably did not expect what happened next. There was an explosion of prophetic
hadiths and an
entire science had to be invented to handle them.
Death
He died at the age of 54 on the 30th of
Rajab in the Hijri year 204 (or, 820 AD). He was buried in
al-Fustat,
Egypt.
Views
It is stated in
Rawdah al-Manazir fi al-Awai'l wa al-'Awakhir that
[3]:
This view of Imam Shafi'i has also been attributed to him by his student
Abu al-Fida [4]
Legacy
Saladin built a
madrassa on the site of his death.
Saladin's brother Afdal built a
mausoleum for him in 1211 after the defeat of the
Fatamids. It remains a site where people petition for justice.
[citation needed]
Shafi'i developed the science of
fiqh unifying 'revealed sources' - the
Quran and
hadith - with human reasoning to provide a basis in law. With this systematization of shari'a he provided a legacy of unity for all Muslims and forestalled the development of independent, regionally based legal systems. The four Sunni legals schools or
madhhabs- keep their traditions within the framework that Shafi'i established.
Shafi'i gives his name to one of these legal schools Shafi'i fiqh - the
Shafi'i school - which is followed in many different places in the
Islamic world:
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Egypt,
Somalia,
Yemen and southern parts of
India.
Today, many English speaking Muslims are introduced to the
madhab of Imam Shafi’i through the translated works
Umdat as Salik (
Reliance of the Traveller) and
al Maqasid, both done by
Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller.
Among the followers of Imam Shafi’i’s school were:
Works
He authored more than 100 books.
- Al-Risala — The best known book by al-Shafi'i in which he examined usul al-fiqh (sources of jurisprudence): the Qur'an, the Sunnah, qiyas (analogy), and ijma' (scholarly consensus). There is a good modern translation.
- Kitab al-Umm - his main surviving text on Shafi'i fiqh
- Musnad Ash-Shafi'i (on hadith) - it is available with arrangement, Arabic 'Tartib', by Ahmad ibn Abd-Ar-Rahman al-Banna
Sunni view
Many stories are told about the childhood and life of ash-Shafi'i, and it is difficult to separate
truth from
myth:
Tradition says that he memorized the
Qur’an at the age of seven; by ten, he had memorized the
Muwatta of
Imam Malik; he was a
mufti (given authorization to issue
fatwa) at the age of fifteen. He recited the Qur’an every day in prayer, and twice a day in
Ramadan. Some
apocryphal accounts claim he was very handsome, that his beard did not exceed the length of his fist, and that it was very black. He wore a ring that was inscribed with the words, “Allah suffices Muhammad ibn Idris as a reliance.” He was also known to be very generous.
He was also an accomplished archer, a poet, and some accounts call him the most eloquent of his time. Some accounts claim that there were a group of Bedouin who would come and sit to listen to him, not for the sake of learning, but just to listen to his eloquent use of the language. Even in latter eras, his speeches and works were used by Arabic grammarians. He was given the title of Nasir al Sunnah, the Defender of the
Sunnah.
He loved
Muhammad very deeply. Al Muzani said of him, “He said in the Old School: ‘Supplication ends with the invocation of blessings on the Prophet, and its end is but by means of it.’” Al-Karabisi said: “I heard al-Shafi’i say that he disliked for someone to say ‘the Messenger’ (al-Rasul), but that he should say ‘Allah’s Messenger’ (Rasul Allah) out of veneration for him.” He divided his night into three parts: one for writing, one for praying, and one for sleeping.
Apocryphal accounts claim that Imam Ahmad said of ash-Shafi'i, “I never saw anyone adhere more to hadith than al-Shafi’i. No one preceded him in writing down the hadith in a book.” Imam Ahmad is also claimed to have said, “Not one of the scholars of hadith touched an inkwell nor a pen except he owed a huge debt to al-Shafi’i.”
Imam al Shaybani said, “If the scholars of hadith speak, it is in the language of al Shafi’i.”
Shah Waliullah, a 18th century
Sunni Islamic scholar stated
[5]:
According to many accounts he was said to have a photographic memory. One anecdote states that he would always cover one side of a book while reading because a casual glance at the other page would commit it to memory.
See also
References
- ^ Ira Lapidus, A History of Islamic Societies. pg. 86. Cambridge University Press 2002.
- ^ The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal, by Yasin Dutton, pg. 16
- ^ Rawdah-al-Manazir fi al-Awai'l wa al 'Awakhir Volume 11 page 133
- ^ Tarikh Abul Fida Volume 1 under the chapter addressing the events of 45 Hijri [1]
- ^ Izalat al-Khafa p. 77 part 7
Ruthven Malise,
Islam in the World. 3rd edition Granta Books London 2006 ch. 4
Also: "al-Shafi'i's Risala: Treatise on the Foundation of Islamic Jurisprudence" Majid Khadduri. Original 1961, reprinted 1997.
ISBN 0-946621-15-2.
al-Shafi'i,Muhammad b. Idris,"The Book of the Amalgamation of Knowledge" translated by Aisha Y. Musa in Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on The Authority Of Prophetic Traditions in Islam, New York: Palgrave, 2008
================================================================
Ahmed ibn Hanbal (
Arabic:
'أحمد بن حنبل ' Ahmad bin Hanbal) (780 - 855 CE,
164 -
241 AH) was an important
Muslim scholar and
theologian born in
Khorassan to a family of Arab origin
[4] He is considered the founder of the
Hanbali school of
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). His full name was Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani. Shayban or Banu Shaybah is Ibn Hanbal's tribe. It is an Arabic tribe located in Arabia and it still exists in Arabia (
Saudi Arabia) (أحمد بن محمد بن حنبل أبو عبدالله الشيباني).
Biography
Ahmad ibn Hanbal was born at
Merv, in
Khorassan in 780 , the city in which his parents were living. Ibn Hanbal's family was of Arabic origin and they spoke Arabic. they belonged to the Arabic tribe Banu Shaibah ( Arabic بنو شيبه) which still exists in Arabia (Saudi Arabia) ,
[5] Ibn Hanbal died at Baghdad in 855.
[1]
Youth and Education
He started his career by learning jurisprudence (
fiqh) under the celebrated
Hanafi judge
Abu Yusuf, the renowned student and companion of
Abu Hanifah. He then discontinued his studies with Abu Yusuf in the pursuit of
hadith, travelling around the
Caliphate, at the age of 15. It's said that as a student he highly impressed his teachers.
Ibn al-Jawzi states that Ibn Hanbal had 414 hadith masters whom he narrated from.
Imam al-Shafi’i was one of Ibn Hanbal's teachers with whom he had a mutual respect.
Ibn Hanbal did not content himself with seeking knowledge, he also acted, by making
jihad, performing the guard duty at Islamic frontiers (
ribat) and making
Hajj five times in his life, twice on foot.
Expertise in Various Sciences
Legal writings, produced October 879.
Ibn Hanbal spent 40 years of his life in the pursuit of knowledge, and only thereafter did he assume the position of a
mufti. By this time, he had mastered six or seven Islamic disciplines, according to al-Shafi'i. He became a leading authority in hadith and left a colossal hadith encyclopaedia,
al-Musnad, as a living proof of his proficiency and devotion to this science. He is also remembered as a leading and the most balanced critic of hadith his time. Ibn Hanbal became a principal specialist in jurisprudence, since he had the advantage of benefiting from some of the famous early jurists and their heritage, such as Abu Hanifah,
Malik ibn Anas, al-Shafi'i, and many others. His learning, piety and unswerving faithfulness to traditions gathered a host of disciples and admirers around him. He further improvised and developed upon previous schools, becoming the founder of a new independent school of jurisprudence, known as the
Hanbali school. Some scholars, such as Qutaiba b. Sa’id, noted that if Ibn Hanbal had witnessed the age of
Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik,
al-Awza’i and Laith b. Sa’d, he would have surpassed them all. Despite being bilingual, he became an expert in the Arabic language, poetry, and grammar.
The Mihna
The Caliph
Al-Ma'mun subjected scholars to severe persecution at the behest of the
Mu'tazili theologians, most notably Bishr al-Marrisi and Ahmad b. Abi Du’ad, mainly to establish the notion that God created the Quran as a physical entity (rather than saying that Quran is God's speech in an indescribable way, as held by the orthodox view).
Almost all of the scholars in Baghdad acknowledged the creation-of-Quran doctrine, with the notable exceptions of Ibn Hanbal and Muhammad ibn Nuh. This greatly pained and angered Ibn Hanbal, so that he boycotted some of the great traditionists for their acknowledgement and often refused to narrate hadith from them. Amongst those boycotted were a close companion and a colleague of Ibn Hanbal, Yahya b. Ma’in, about whom it is said that Ibn Hanbal refused to speak to him until he died.
Finally, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Muhammad ibn Nuh were also put to the test on the order of al-Ma’mun, but they refused to acknowledge the literal creation of the Quran as created like other of Allah's creatures. Consequently, they were dispatched in irons to be dealt with by al-Ma’mun himself. On the way, Imam Ahmad supplicated to Allah to prevent him from meeting al-Ma’mun. His prayer was answered in the sudden death of al-Ma’mun, due to which they were both sent back. Muhammad b. Nuh died on their return journey, and there was none to prepare his funeral, pray over, and bury him except Imam Ahmad.
The policy endorsing the created-Quran premise was continued by
al-Mu'tasim (who is reported to have had Ibn Hanbal flogged) and by
al-Wathiq (who banished Ibn Hanbal from Baghdad).
This was ended, however, by
al-Mutawakkil who, unlike his predecessors, had the utmost respect and admiration for the Sunni school. Promptly after assuming the position as Caliph, he sent orders throughout the Caliphate to put an immediate end to all discussions regarding the Quran, released all the prisoners of faith, dismissed the Mu’tazili judges, and more significantly deported the chief investigator of the inquisition, Ahmad b. Abi Du’ad along with his family. He further ordered that the Mu’tazili judges responsible for the inquisition be cursed from by the pulpits, by name. Al-Mutawakkil is said to have treated Ibn Hanbal in a special way.
Illness, Death and Funeral
After Ibn Hanbal turned 77, he was struck with severe illness and fever, and became very weak, yet never complained about his infirmity and pain. After hearing of his illness, masses flocked to his door. The ruling family also showed the desire to pay him a visit, and to this end sought his permission. However, due to his desire to remain independent of any influence from the authority, Ahmad denied them access.
He died in Baghdad in
Rabi' al-Awwal, 241 AH (Friday,
July 31, 855 CE). The news of his death quickly spread far and wide in the city and the people flooded the streets to attend his funeral. One of the rulers, upon hearing the news, sent burial shrouds along with perfumes to be used for the funeral. However, respecting Ibn Hanbal’s wishes, his sons refused the offering and instead used a burial shroud prepared by his female servant. Moreover, his sons took care not to use water from their homes to wash the body, as Ibn Hanbal had refused to utilise any of their resources because they had accepted the offerings of the ruler.
After preparing his funeral, his sons prayed over him, along with around 200 members of the ruling family, while the streets were teeming with both men and women, awaiting the funeral procession. The funeral was then brought out and the multitudes continued to pray over him outdoors, before and after his burial at his grave. According to the
Tarjamatul Imam, over 800,000 men and 60,000 women attended his funeral.
Books in Ibn al-Nadim's Fihrist
- Kitab al-`Ilal wa Ma‘rifat al-Rijal "Hidden Flaws in Hadith" Riyad: Al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah
- Kitab al-Manasik "Ritual in Hajj"
- Kitab al-Zuhd "Piety" ed. Muhammad Zaghlul, Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-'Arabi, 1994
- Kitab al-Iman "Faith"
- Kitab al-Masa'il "Problems in Fiqh"
- Kitab al-Ashribah "Drink"
- Kitab al-Fada'il Sahaba "Virtues of the Companions"
- Kitab Tha'ah al-Rasul
- Kitab Mansukh "Abrogation"
- Kitab al-Fara'id "Obligatory Duties"
- Kitab al-Radd `ala al-Zanadiqa wa'l-Jahmiyya (Cairo: 1973)
- Tafsir
- Musnad [extant]
Doctrine
For information on his
madhhab see:
Anecdotes
- In a well-known narration[6] his uncle sent Ibn Hanbal with several documents containing information about some people to the Caliph. He took the papers and when his uncle eventually met him, he discovered that he had not delivered them but rather threw them into the sea because, out of the fear of God, he didn't want to be an informant. To this, his uncle replied: "This little boy fears Allah so much! What then of us?"
- Al-Mutawakkil is said to have wished to take care of all Ibn Hanbal's affairs. Ibn Hanbal, however, turned down the offers due to his general dislike of being close to rulers. Al-Mutwakkil, knowing that Ibn Hanbal would refuse his offerings, instead presented some gifts to his son Salih. When it came to his knowledge, Ibn Hanbal showed strong disapproval and refused to consume anything from his son’s wealth.
Quotes
- It is said that, when told that it was religiously permissible to say what pleases his persecuters without believing in it at the time of mihna, he said "If I remained silent and you remained silent, then who will teach the ignorant?".
- “The graves of sinners from People of Sunnah is a garden, while the graves of the pious ascetics from the People of Innovation is a barren pit. The sinners among Ahlus Sunnah are the Friends of Allaah, while the pious among Ahlul-Bidah are the Enemies of Allaah.”[7]
Further reading
Biography
- Ibn al-Jawzi, Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad
- Nadwi, S. A. H. A., Saviors of Islamic Spirit (Vol. 1), translated by Mohiuddin Ahmad, Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow, 1971.
- Melchert, Christopher, Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Makers of the Muslim World), Oneworld, 2006.
![[1]](http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/muawiya/al_bashar.jpg){kind=link}