Students of Imam Ja’far[as]

Work file: students_of_imam_jafar-as.pdf

Project: Answering-Ansar.org Articles

Revisions:

No. Date Author Description Review Info

0.0.3 06.02.2002 Answering-Ansar.org Added one more
reference in Ch. 1.1
0.0.2 05.02.2002 Answering-Ansar.org Corrected some
grammar mistakes
0.0.1 23.01.2002 Answering-Ansar.org Created

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Contents

1. A REFUTATION OF ANSAR'S ALLEGATION THAT 'ABU HANIFA WAS NOT A

STUDENT OF IMAM JA'FAR AL-SADIQ (AS) 3

1.1 PROVING THE TEACHER - STUDENT RELATIONSHIP 3

1.2 ALLAMAH SHARAWI'S ADMISSION THAT IMAM ABU HANIFA WAS IMAM JA'FAR
(AS)'S STUDENT 5

2. THE BELIEFS OF IMAM ABU HANIFA 6

3. IMAM JA'FAR AL-SADIQ (AS) ALSO TAUGHT IMAM MALIK 7

4. CONDEMNATION OF 'ABU HANIFA 8

4.1 IMAM AHMAD BIN HANBAL CONDEMNED IMAM ABU HANIFA 8

4.2 IMAM MALIK CONDEMNED ABU HANIFA 9
4.3 IMAM IDREES SHAFI'I CONDEMNED IMAM ABU HANIFA 9

5. COPYRIGHT 10

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1. A refutation of Ansar's allegation that 'Abu Hanifa was

NOT a student of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)

1.1 Proving the Teacher - Student relationship

This article will seek to expose the false claim of Ansar that Abu Hanifa was NOT a student of
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as). Their leading champion Abu Sulaiman asserts:

Ansar.org states:
"The claim that Abu Hanifah was taught by Ja'far Al-Sadiq is a lie
that is known to anyone who read something about the life of
Abu Hanifah. What is known and famous is that Abu Hanifah was
taught by some of the grandest scholars at his time, most notably
Isma'il bin Hammad Abu Sulayman Al-Kufi who was one of the
most distinguished teachers of Abu Hanifah. In addition, Abu
Hanifah was taught by Ibraheem bin Muhammad Al-Muntashir,
Ibraheem bin Zayd Al-Nakh'ei, Ayyub Al-Sikhtiyani, Al-Harith Al-
Hamadani, Rabee'a Al-Madani, Salim bin Abdullah bin 'Umar bin
Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased at him, Sa'eed bin Masrooq the
son of Sufyan Al-Thawry, Sulayman Al-Hilaly, A'asim bin Kaleeb
and many others".

This is the perfect example of Abu Sulaiman's resentment towards Ahl'ul bayt (as). He is willing
to deny an established historical fact so as to lower the status of the Ahl'ul bayt (as) in the eyes
of actual Sunnis. Fortunately actual Sunnis have caught on to the efforts of such individuals and
we present the lengthy text from modern day Hanafi scholar Mufti Ghulam Rasul who has
refuted lies such as this in his excellent biography of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq "Subeh Sadiq". We
are quoting with a link of the full pages from pages 186 - 191:
mufti_ghulam_rasul.jpgMufti Ghulam Rasul's Subeh Sadiq

Imam Abu Hanifa is one of the distinguished students of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as),
as has been confirmed by Ibn Hajar al Makki in his Sawaiq al Muhriqa, Allamah
Shiblinji in his Nur al Absar, Abdul Haleem Jindi in his Mohqaq, Abu Zohra in his
various writings, and other Ulema. Imam Abu Hanifa had previously studied under
Imam Baqir (as) and then subsequently Abu Hanifa extended the link of knowledge
with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as). In this regard, Abdul Haleem Jindi writes that Abu
Hanifa stated that if he 'hadn't spent two years of his life with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq
(as), he would have been dead'. (Al-Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq, page 162). Sunni
research scholar Abu Zohra states that these words of Imam Abu Hanifa's are
widely known namely 'if these two years had not been available to me due to my
good fortune, Numan (Abu Hanifa) would have been dead. (Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq,
page 83). Imam Abu Hanifa had also remarked 'I have never seen a greater scholar
of fiqh than Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)'.

It is therefore proven that Imam Abu Hanifa was Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)'s
student for a complete two years, and that he remained with him in Madina during
that time. Notwithstanding that, whenever there happened to be any other meeting
between the two, Imam Abu Hanifa took full academic advantage of it, he had
immense respect for Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.

Sometimes when questioned on a matter by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), Imam Abu
Hanifa would intentionally remain silent on account of the immense reverence he
had for the Imam. This has been acknowledged by Abdul Haleem Jindi and Ibn
Ammar Hanbaliand. They both record an incident when Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)
asked Imam Abu Hanifa the penalty for a Hajji in a state of Ihram, if he (the hajji)
were to break the rubaya (front four teeth of a deer). Imam Abu Hanifa replied, "O

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son of the Prophet PBUH, I have no idea." Upon which Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)
replied, "A deer does not have any rubaya". (Shadharat al Dhahab, page 220 Jeem
Alif) , (Al-Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq, page 162)….

Question: Ibn Taymeeya wrote that Abu Hanifa was not a student of Imam Ja'far al-
Sadiq (as) but a contemporary hence not a student.

Answer: This is an incorrect assertion, Abu Hanifa was Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)'s
student, as has been vouched for by Hafidh Ibn Hajar Asqlani, Ibn Ammar Hanbali,
Ibn Hajar Makki, Allamah Shiblinji, research scholar Abu Zohra and many others.

Furthermore, Allamah Shibli Numani refuted Ibn Taymeeya's claim stating:

"Abu Hanifa sat for a long time at Imam Baqir's feet and acquired from him much
valuable knowledge of Fiqh and Hadith not available anywhere else. Shia's and
Sunni's are agreed that Abu Hanifa derived much of his learning from Baqir. He
learned a great deal from the imam's son, Ja'far al-Sadiq also, which fact is
generally mentioned in the history books. Ibn Taymeeya, however, denies this on
the ground that Abu Hanifa and Ja'far al-Sadiq were contemporaries and equals,
which ruled out the probability of the former being the latter's pupil. But I consider
this sheer imprudence and lack of comprehension on Ibn Taymeeya's part. For all
his greatness as an original thinker and master of fiqh, Abu Hanifa could not
compare in learning with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Ahl'ul bayt were the
fountainhead of Fiqh and Hadith and, in fact, all religious learning. "The master of
the house knows best what is in it", to quote a well-known Arabic saying". (Imam
Abu Hanifa, by Allamah Shibli Numani page 40).
Our note, this book has also been rendered in to English and we attch the English
translation of the text.
shibli_ref.gifAllamah Shibli Numani refuted Ibn Taymeeya's claim

From this it has been proven that Imam Abu Hanifa was Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)'s
student, and also that in the realm of knowledge and guidance, there is no one like
the People of the House PBUT, even if one is mujtahid or learned man….

Thus Ibn Taymeeya's assertion has been proven to be false and baseless. The fact is
that Imam Abu Hanifa was the student of Imam Ja'far as al-Sadiq. Abu Zohra writes
that Imam Abu Hanifa obtained the vast bulk of traditions from Imam Ja'far al-
Sadiq (as) and would consult with him regularly. He also attributed traditions to
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) that can be found in Imam Abu Yusuf's book Al Aa'saar
(183 A.H.), and in Imam Muhammad bin Hasan Shaybani's book Al Aa'saar (189
A.H.). In both these books, the traditions that Imam Abu Hanifa attributes to Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) are great in number.

Abu Zohra writes that 'the truth is that religious bigotry makes a man blind and
deaf. In the same way that the evil statements of slanderers were unsuccessful in
tarnishing the image of his ancestor Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), no one could hope
to reduce the immense stature of Imam Ja'far as al-Sadiq, whether they are liberal
or puritanical. This case is also similar to those who had sought to malign Jesus son
of Mary, when one group of people denied his Prophethood and another group was
bent upon elevating him. (Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, page 84).

We therefore conclude that those who have sought to belittle the image of Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), such as Ibn Taymeeya et al. have not obtained even the
slightest success. It has also been proven that Imam Abu Hanifa was a student of
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) and frequently obtained traditions from him. Allamah
Muhammad Khizri writes that Abu Hanifa and most of the Imams of Medina
obtained traditions from Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), but Imam Bukhari did not obtain

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a single tradition from him".

We also present with a link, the "Musnad Imam Azam" rendered in to Urdu by Maulana Sa'd
Hasan Sahib. The text is a collection of traditions that have been narrated and compiled by
Imam Abu Hanifa. On page 23 of the preface of the Musnad, Maulana Abdur Rashid Numani,
whilst giving an overview of the life of Imam Abu Hanifa states:

"Imam Abu Hanifa stayed for a long time in the pure (city of) Madina and
continuously attended the circles of Imam Baqir (r). In jurisprudence (fiqh) and
traditions (hadith) he learnt many things during his time with Imam Baqir (r) which
he didn't know before. Imam Baqir (r) passed away on 7 Dhu'l Hijja 114 AH.

After Imam Baqir's death, Imam Abu Hanifa had the greatest respect for his son
Imam Ja'far Sadiq (r). He would attend Imam Ja'far's classes quite often to acquire
knowledge. Imam Abu Hanifa used to hold the opinion about the Ahl al-Bayt that
hadith and fiqh, indeed all religious sciences, have surfaced from their Household".
musnad_imam_azam.gifMusnad Imam Azam

Pakistani Sunni Scholar Mohammad Hameedullah Khan in his book “The Schools of Islamic
Jurisprudence – A comparative study, states in his brief biography of Imam Abu Hanifa on page
61:

“He got an opportunity to meet Anas, a famous companion of Prophet Muhammed

(PBUH), at the age of 12 or 13 years and attended the lectures of Imam Jafar as
Sadiq. Regarding his place in history of Fiqh, Abu Hanifa said:

I have not seen a jurist of high rank like Imam Jafar as Sadiq [taken from Tabayeen
page 69 by Shah Moinuddin Ahmed Nadvi]”

1.2 Allamah Sharawi's admission that Imam Abu Hanifa was Imam
Ja'far (as)'s student

Imam of Ahl'ul Sunnah Allamah Shaykh Sharawi Azhari in his famous Egyptian Risala Al Ahraam
ul Sunnah page 103 periodical number 32932 wrote:

"The Imam of the Shi'a Imamiya, Hadhrath Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq was the teacher of
Imam 'Abu Hanifa. These are the Imamia Ja'fari who as we previously explained
adhere to a pure religion. It is with regards to them that our Shaykh Shaltoot issued
a fatwa deeming it permissible to follow this madhab because this is a legitimate
Islamic madhab, that acts as a source of guidance for its adherents. In Egypt we
have incorporated certain principles of Shi'a fiqh on divorce and inheritance into our
Law".

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2. The beliefs of Imam Abu Hanifa

Abu Sulaiman also commented:

Ansar.org states:
"Even if Ja'far Al-Sadiq taught Abu Hanifah, then the matter will
not be more than that Abu Hanifah took knowledge from Al-
Saddiq and it does not mean that Abu Hanifah became a Jaffari. I
am saying this as a supposition, otherwise it is confirmed that
Abu Hanifah used to give religious verdicts at the time of Abi
Jaffar, the father of Ja'far Al-Sadiq!"

We are also not saying this and it is absurd for Abu Sulaiman to arrive at this conclusion. If I
study fiqh under a teacher with different beliefs to myself it does NOT automatically mean I
have converted to that belief system! Nonetheless what is of interest is that Imam of Ahl'ul
Sunnah al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi had in fact referred to Abu Hanifa as a Shi'a. He
writes in Tuhfa Ithna Ashariyya page 25:

"Imam Abu Hanifa [r] was counted amongst the Shi'a of Kufa and he considered
Zaid bin 'Ali bin Husayn to be on the path of truth"

During that era Islamic sciences were being spread through the empire and students were
benefiting from the teachings of scholars with differing views, far and wide. Students took the
opportunity to gain knowledge from Ulema, in the same way Abu Hanifa learnt from Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (as).

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3. Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) also taught Imam Malik

Abu Sulaiman stated:

Ansar.org states:
"Al-Shafi'i read "Al-Muwti" on Malik and the book has only 9
hadeeths that are narrated by Ja'far Al-Saddiq. And no one said
that Malik was one of the students of Abu Hanifah, but they said
that Malik was contemporary with Abu Hanifah".

Yet again Abu Sulaiman fails to cite any sources as evidences, just his own bigoted Nasibi
views. Like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik also benefited from the knowledge of Imam Ja'far al-
Sadiq (as):

Abu Nu'aym Isfahani (d. 430 Hijri) wrote in Hilayat al-Awliya page 199 Volume 3 that:

"Imam Malik bin Anas was a student of Imam Ja'far (as). He attained knowledge
from him and attended his gatherings".

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4. Condemnation of 'Abu Hanifa

In his tactical attempt to reach out to actual Sunnis, Abu Sulaiman sought to make a special
reference to the following tradition, commenting as follows:

Ansar.org states:
"Here, their master Al-Kulayni narrates in their most trustworthy
book which equals Al-Buikhari for us, "Usool Al-Kafi":

"Sadeer said: "I heard Abu Jaffar, peace be upon him saying,
while holding my hand and exiting then he stood in front of the
house: "O' Sadeer, the matter of the people is that they come to
these rocks and go round them and then they come to us and let
us know their wilayah for us and it is Allah's saying: "I am the
most forgiver for those who repented, believed, and did good
deeds and then were guided." Abu Ja'far pointed to his chest and
said: "Guided to our wilayah." Then he said: "O' sadeer, let me
show you those who hinders the religion of Allah." Then he
looked to Abu Hanifah and Sufyan Al-Thuwray at that time and
they were in a circle in the mosque. Abu Ja'far said: "Those are
who hinders the religion of Allah without guidance from Allah and
without an obvious book. If those dirts sat in their houses, then
the people who would look for someone to tell them about
Almighty Allah and about His prophet would come to us and we
would tell them about the almighty Allah and about His prophet."

This tradition does not in any way negate the fact that 'Abu Hanifa was a student of Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq (as). It is not uncommon for a student to leave his teacher and formulate his
own thinking. If Imam Ja'far (as) was criticizing Abu Hanifa, it was because he felt that he had
gone astray in his teachings, and this is linked to Abu Hanifa's introduction of Qiyas as an
addition to fiqh. If Abu Sulaiman is seeking to strike a chord with his Sunni brethren that the
Shi'a Imams have condemned their Imam, we should also point out that such condemnation is
not exclusively by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, the Ulema of Ahl'ul Sunnah have been scathing in their
attacks on Abu Hanifa, attacks that were far worse than the comments of Imam Ja'far (as). For
the sake of brevity we will present the fatwas of the three Sunni fiqh Imams against Abu
Hanifa.

4.1 Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal condemned Imam Abu Hanifa

Ahl'ul Sunnah's recognized scholar Imam Fakhruddin Razi, writes as follows in "Risalaah
thurjeeya Madhhab Shaafee" as taken from "Isthaksa Al Alhfam" page 233:

"Imam Ahmad Hanbal was asked about Imam Malik. The reply was 'his Hadith are
correct but the narrators are weak.' Then someone asked him about Imam Shafi'i,
the reply was, 'his Hadith and opinion is correct.' Then someone asked about Imam
Abu Hanifa, he said "Numan's opinion and his hadith bear no value'."

Baihaqi noted that:

"Imam Ahmad cautioned Imam Abu Hanifa because he would accept weak and
fabricated Hadith" (Tarikh al Baghdad Volume 13 page 411)

"Imam Hanbal said that a goats faeces is on par with fatwas of Abu Hanifa" (Tarikh al
Baghdad Volume 13 page 418)

"…Ahmad bin Hassan Tirmidhi quotes, 'I heard Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal say that
Abu Hanifa is a liar". (Tarikh al Baghdad Volume 13 page 418)

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4.2 Imam Malik condemned Abu Hanifa

Dr Islam Mahmood Misri, wrote an article "Shi'a aur Sunni" for the Egyptian magazine
"Mukhthar al Islami" - issue 90, 8th edition, Jamadhi al Awwal 1406 Hijri. On page 13 (where
the article is located) we read:

"Imam Malik said that Abu Hanifa was the worst of people and that it would have
been easier for him to raise his sword against the Muslims".

In Tarikh al Baghdad Volume 13 page 392, we read:

"Imam Malik said that for the Muslims Abu Hanifa's Fitnah is more damaging than
the Fitnah of Shaytan".

In the same book we read further comments by Imam Malik:

"Imam Malik bin Anas stated that in Islam, no one has damaged it more than
Numan" (Tarikh al Baghdad Volume 13 page 396)

"Once Imam Malik asked Walid bin Muslim: 'do people listen to Abu Hanifa in your
city? he said: 'yes.' Imam Malik replied 'its amazing that your city has not been
destroyed….Imam Malik said Abu Hanifa mocked Allah's Deen, whoever does so is
irreligious." (Tarikh al Baghdad Volume 13 page 400)

4.3 Imam Idrees Shafi'i condemned Imam Abu Hanifa

In Tarikh Baghdad Volume 13 page 398 we read:

"Imam Shafi'i said that no-one more mischievous has appeared in Islam than Abu
Hanifa"

Again Baghdad records this:

Also in Tarikh Baghdad Volume 13 page 411 we read:

"Imam Shafi'i said that Imam Abu Hanifa's Fatwas are like a chameleon, they
continually changes their colors"

It is indeed sad that the Ansar.org are seeking to cover up the facts of history in their efforts to
keep people hidden in the dark about the true position of the Ahl'ul bayt (as). Try as they might
the efforts of Abu Sulaiman and his likes are in vain for they will never be able to eliminate the
role of Ahl'ul bayt (as) in aiding the deen, as Imam 'Ali (as) had once remarked "Truth will
always overcome falsehood".

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