ABU HANIFA: THE MUSLIM INFIDEL

[A] devil who opposed the reports of the Prophet Muhammad with his speculative jurisprudence.

There is a consensus of the scholars as to the fall of Abū Hanı̄fa. We know this because the leading authority of Basra, Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānı̄ had aspersed him; the leading authority of Kufa, al-Thawrı̄, had aspersed him; the leading authority of the Hijāz, Mālik, had aspersed him; the leading authority of Misr, al-Layth b. Saʿd, had aspersed him; the leading authority of Shām, al-Awzāı̄ , had aspersed him; and the leading authority of Khurāsān, ʿAbd Allāh ̇ b. al-Mubārak, had aspersed him. That is to say, we have here the consensus of the scholars in all of the regions.

‘There is not a scholar who is well respected except that he has denounced Abū Hanı̄fa.’ al-Kāmil, 8:238 (Dār al-Kutub edn. = Riyadh edn., 10:123) (H&F, p. 334)

ʿAbd Allāh b. Ahmad b. Hanbal > Mutrif al-Yasārı̄ al-Asamm > Mālik b. Anas said: ‘The incurable disease is the destruction of faith. Abū Hanı̄fa is the incurable disease.’ Abd Allāh b. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Kitāb al-Sunna, 223 (H&F, p. 250)

Ibn ʿAdı ̄ > Ibn Abı ̄ Dawud > al-Rabıʿ b. Sulayman al-Jızı > al-Harith b. Miskın > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik said: ‘The incurable disease is the destruction of faith, and Abū Hanı̄fa is [one manifestation] of the incurable disease.’ al-Kāmil, 8: 236–7 (ʿAbd al-Mawjū d edn.)(H&F, p. 250)

‘Praise be to God. He was destroying Islam systematically. No one was born in Islam more harmful than him.’ al-Kāmil, 8: 239 (Dār al-Kutub edn. = Riyadh edn., 10: 126) (H&F, p. 334)

Nuʿaym b. Hammād < al-Fazārı̄ said: ‘I was with Sufyān when news of al-Nuʿmān‘s [Abu Hanifa’s] death arrived. He said: “Praise be to God. He was destroying Islam systematically. No one has been born in Islam more harmful than he [was].”’ al-Tārı̄kh al-awsat, 4:503 (Abū Haymadedn) = 2:77 (al-Luhaydānedn) ((H&F, p. 65)

However, al-Bukhārı̄ appears to give Abū Hanı̄fa special treatment. His entry on Abū Hanı̄fa relates three damning reports attacking Abū Hanı̄fa’s religious credibility. The first report maintains that Abū Hanı̄fa repented from heresy twice.The second report states that when Sufyān al-Thawrı̄ heard that Abū Hanı̄fa had passed away, he praised God, performed a prostration (of gratitude), and declared that Abū Hanı̄fa was committed to destroying Islam systematically and that nobody in Islam had been born more harmful than he. The third and final report, which al-Bukhārı̄ also includes in his al-Tārı̄kh al-kabı̄r, describes Abū Hanı̄fa as one of the anti-Christs. al-Duʿafā’ al-saghı̄r, ed. Abū ʿAbd Allā h Ahmad b. Ibrāhı̄m b. Abı̄ al-ʿAynayn (n.p.: Maktabat Ibn ʿAbbā s, 2005), 132 (H&R, pp. 67-68)

Whenever I wanted to see Sufyān, I saw him praying [upon the Prophet] or narrating hadith, or engaged in abstruse matters of law (fı̄ ghā mi ̇d al-fiqh). As for the other gathering that I witnessed, no one prayed upon the Prophet in it. al-Tārı̄kh al-awsat, 2:113–14 (al-Luhaydānedn) (H&R, p. 66)

‘No one was born in Islam whose birth was more harmful to the Muslims than that of Abū Hanı̄fa.’ Al-Fasawı̄, Kitāb al-Maʿrifa wa al-tārı̄kh, 2: 790 (H&R, p. 242)

We do not loathe (lā nanqimu) Abū Hanı̄fa because he employs speculative jurisprudence, for all of us to do this (kullunā yarā). However, we loathe him because when a hadith comes to him on the authority of the Prophet he opposes it (yukhālifuhu) in preference for something else. Ta’wı̄l mukhtalif al-hadı̄th, 63 (Zakı̄ al-Kurdı̄edn.); also Abd Allāh b. Ahmad b. Hanbal, Kitab al-Sunna, 210 (H&R, p. 74)

ʿAbd Allāh b. Ahmad b. Hanbal rallied against Abū Hanı̄fa for supposedly permitting the consumption of pork, alcohol, and other prohibited drinks.⁸⁴ He was aghast at Abū Hanı̄fa’s edict that breaking musical instruments was a punishable crime.⁸⁵ Other proto-Sunni traditionalists claimed that Abū Hanı̄fa permitted adultery and usury and that his jurisprudence led to the shedding of blood with impunity.⁸⁶ Many were, of course, puzzled and startled by these allegations. When a sceptic demanded an explanation, he was told that Abū Hanı̄fa permitted usury because he did not object to deferred credit transactions that accrue additional charges (nası̄’a); he permitted public violence (al-dimā’) since he ruled that if a man kills another man by striking him with a massive stone, the blood money must be paid by his male relatives, tribe, or social group (al-ʿāqila); he permitted adultery because he ruled that if a man and a woman have sexual intercourse in a house, whilst they are known to be parents, and both declare themselves that they are married to each other, no one should object to them. Upon hearing this detailed explanation the sceptic remarked that all of this amounted to invalidating God’s laws (al-sharā’iʿ) and injunctions (al-ahkām).⁸⁷

On lookers observed that when Abū Hanı̄fa was presiding over lessons in the mosque there would be laughter and people would be raising their voices. Others were affronted by more serious charges, namely, that Abū Hanı̄fa’s lessons would go on without their being any praise for the Prophet Muhammad. Kitab al-Sunna, 213–14 (H&R, p. 242)

But we can measure the importance of discourses of heresy against Abū Hanı̄fa to proto-Sunni traditionalists by the fact that ʿAbd Allah’s Kitāb al-Sunna devotes almost fifty pages to portraying Abū Hanı̄fa as a heresiarch.²⁵³ ʿAbd Allah’s method for depicting Abū Hanı̄fa as a heretic and deviant observes the norms of religious authority current among proto-Sunni traditionalists of the ninth century. Rather than communicating his own thoughts and ideas about Abū Hanı̄fa, ʿAbd Allah proposes to relate information he heard from a select group of religious authorities…

The Kitāb al-Sunna evidences a number of themes that form the basis of discourses of heresy against Abū Hanı̄fa. I have counted a total number of 184 anti-Abū Hanı̄fa reports in this section of the Kitāb al-Sunna. There are six overarching (and overlapping) themes in the material ʿAbd Allāh b. Ahmad b. Hanbal collects against Abū Hanı̄fa. Most of the (forty-one) reports fall into the category of general curses against Abū Hanı̄fa. Within this category we have reports describing Abū Hanı̄fa as the greatest source of harm to Islam and Muslims; the most wretched person to be born in the religion of Islam; prayers and curses against Abū Hanı̄fa; and expressions of joy at the news of his death. The second prominent theme is the opposition between Abū Hanı̄fa’s ra’y and Prophetic hadith (thirty-two reports). This is followed closely by the theme of heresies (thirty-one reports). This category refers to reports wherein the semantic field of heresy (kufr, kafir; zandaqa, zindiq; muruq, mariq, etc.) is employed against Abū Hanı̄fa. Examples of reports from this category include a report in which a proto-Sunni traditionalist encouraged his colleague to declare Abū Hanı̄fa an unbeliever (kafir) and heretic (zindiq) because he believed the Quran to be created;²⁵⁵ students of Malik b. Anas alleged that he declared Abū Hanı̄fa to be beyond the pale of the religion;²⁵⁶ on a separate occasion, when someone proposed one of Abū Hanı̄fa’s solutions to a legal question, it was dismissed curtly as the view of ‘that apostate’.²⁵⁷ The fourth theme refers to reports that describe Abū Hanı̄fa as having repented publicly from heresy (twenty-three reports). Another prominent theme is rebellion (seventeen reports). ʿAbd Allah collects reports in which proto-Sunni traditionalists drew attention to the heretical nature of Abū Hanı̄fa’s support for rebellion against Muslim rulers. A sixth theme is Abū Hanı̄fa’s adherence to the heresy of Irjā’ (fourteen reports). Little is made of Abū Hanı̄fa’s views on the Quran (six reports) and his connection to the Jahmiyya (six reports), which is especially surprising given the historical background of the Mihna and the involvement of the author’s father, Ahmad b. Hanbal, in that inquisition. There is no doubt that the Kitāb al-Sunna represented the culmination of proto-Sunni traditionalist attempts to place Abū Hanı̄fa outside the realm of orthodoxy and that the close students of Ahmad b. Hanbal were at the forefront of disseminating discourses of heresy against Abū Hanı̄fa. (H&F, pp. 95-97)

228. And it was narrated to me from Ishāq ibn Mansūr Al-Kawsaj who said: I said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal: “Is a man rewarded for hating Abū Hanīfah and his companions?” He said: “Yes, by Allah.”

229. I asked my father about a man who wants to ask about something from the matters of his religion – regarding what he is tested in of oath in divorce and other things – in the presence of the people from the people of rai (opinion) and from the people of hadith who did not memorize nor do they know the hadith with a weak isnad and with a strong isnad, then who should he ask, the people of rai or the people of hadith despite of the lack of knowledge that they have? He said: “He should ask the people of hadith and should not ask the people of rai. The weak hadīth is better than the opinion of Abū Hanīfah.”

230. Muhannah ibn Yahyā Ash-Shāmī narrated to me (and said): I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say: “For me the opinion of Abū Hanīfah and dung, are the same.”

236. Ishāq ibn ‘Abdir-Rahmān narrated to me, from Hasan ibn Abī Mālik, from Abū Yūsuf who said: “The first one to say that the Quran is created was Abū Hanīfah.”

241. Ishāq ibn Abī Ya’qūb At-Tūsī narrated to me (and said): Ahmad ibn ‘Abdillāh ibn Yūnus narrated to us, from Salm Al-Muqrī, from Sufyān Ath-Thawrī who said: I heard Hammād say: “Are you not astonished that Abū Hanīfah says: The Qurān is created? Say to him: ‘You kafir, you zindiq.’”

249. Abū Bakr ibn Zanjuway narrated to me (and said): Abū Ja’far Al-Harrānī narrated to us and said: I heard ‘Īsā ibn Yūnus say: Al ‘Awzā’ī went out to me, Al- Mu’āfā ibn ‘Imrān and Mūsā ibn A’yan, while we were with him in Bayruwāh, with the book Kitab As-Siyar, and what given as answers to Abū Hanīfah. Then he said: “If this mistake had been divided over the Ummah of Muhammad, it would verily have encompassed all of them. No newborn was born in Islam that was worse for them (i.e. the Muslims) than Abū Hanīfah.”

251 – Muhammad ibn Hārūn Abī Nashīt narrated to me and said: Abū Sālih Al- Farrā narrated to us (and said): I heard Al-Fazārī (i.e. Abū Ishāq) say: Al-Awzā’ī said to me: “That which we resent Abū Hanīfah for, is that he would come to the hadith of the Prophet, and then he would contradict it to something else.”

252. Muhammad ibn Hārūn narrated to me and said: Abū Sālih narrated to us and said: I heard Al-Fazārī and Sufyān both say: “Nobody was born in Islam that is more calamitous for this Ummah, than Abū Hanīfah.”

274. My father narrated to me (and said): Muammal ibn Ismā’īl narrated to us, from Sufyān who said: ‘Abbād ibn Kathir narrated to me and said: ’Umar ibn… said to me: “Ask Abū Hanīfah about a man who says: ‘I know that the Ka’bah is true and that it is the House of Allah but I do not know if it is the Ka’bah which is in Makkah or the one in Khurasān’, is he a believer?” He said: “He is a believer.” So he said to me: “Ask him about a man who says: ‘I know that Muhammad is true and that he is a messenger, but I do not know if he is the one who was in Madinah or another Muhammad’, is he a believer?” He said: “He is a believer.”

275. Hārūn ibn ‘Abdillāh narrated to me, from ‘Abdullāh ibn Az-Zubayr Al- Humaydī, from Hamzah ibn Al-Hārith ibn ‘Umair – from the family of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab– from his father who said: I heard a man ask Abū Hanīfah about Al-Masjid Al-Harām regarding a man who said: “I testify that Al- Ka’bah is true but I don’t know if it is this one or not?” So he said: “He is a true believer.” And he asked him about a man who said: “I testify that Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillāh is a prophet, but I don’t know if he is the one whose grave is in Madīnah or not.” So he said: “He is a true believer.” Al-Humaydī said: “Whoever says this has verily committed kufr.” Al-Humaydī said: “And Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah used to narrate from Hamzah ibn Al-Hārith.”

295. Abū Al-Fadl Al-Khurasānī narrated to me and said: Ismā’īl ibn Abī Uways narrated to us and said: My uncle Mālik ibn Anas said to me: “Abū Hanīfah is from the chronic diseases.” And Mālik said: “Abū Hanīfah invalidates the Sunan (pl. Sunnah).”

306. Muhammad ibn ‘Amr Al-Bāhilī narrated to me (and said): Al-Asma’ī narrated to us, from Sharīk who said: “The companions of Abū Hanīfah are worse for the Muslims than the same number of them of merchant thieves from Qumm (a city in Īrān).”

308. Abū Al-Fadl Al-Khurasānī narrated to me (and said): Abū Nu’aym narrated to us and said: Sharīk would have a very bad opinion about Abū Hanīfah and his companions, and he would say: “Their madhhab is to refute the narrations from the Messenger of Allah.”

316. Ibrāhīm narrated to me (and said): I heard ‘Umar ibn Hafs ibn Ghiyāth narrate from his father who said: ““I used to sit with Abū Hanīfah and hear him give fatwa in one issue with five different opinions in one day. So when I saw that, I left him and turned to the hadith.”

322. Ibrāhīm narrated to me and said: Abū Tawbah narrated to us, from Abū Ishāq Al-Fazārī who said: I narrated a hadith from the Messenger of Allah to Abū Hanīfah regarding keeping the sword (from the Muslims), so he said: “That hadith is superstition.”

326. Ibrāhīm narrated to me and said: Abū Tawbah narrated to us, from Abū Ishāq Al-Fazārī who said: Al-Awzā’ī said: “Verily we do not have anything against the opinion of Abū Hanīfah, because we all have an opinion. But we verily have against him that if a hadith from the Messenger is mentioned to him, and then he gives a fatwa of the opposite of it.”

334. Abū Ma’mar narrated to me, from Yahyā ibn Yamān who said: I heard Sharīk say: “Expel whoever is here from the companions of Abū Hanīfah and remember their faces.”

340. My father narrated to me (and said): Muammal ibn Ismā’īl narrated to us and said: I heard Hammād ibn Salamah when he mentioned Abū Hanīfah, then he said: “Verily Abū Hanīfah met the narrations and the Sunan with his refutation of them using his opinion.”

343. Ahmad ibn Ibrāhīm Ad-Dawraqī narrated to me, from Al-Haytham ibn Jamīl who said: I heard Hammād ibn Salamah say regarding Abū Hanīfah: “Allah will verily throw that one in Hellfire.”

345. Muhammad ibn Abī ‘Attāb Al-A’yan narrated to me, from Mansūr ibn Salamah Al-Khuzā’ī who said: “I heard Hammād ibn Salamah curse Abū Hanīfah.”Abū Salamah said: “And Shu’bah (ibn Al-Hajjāj) used to curse Abū Hanīfah.”

350. Al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad Al-Khurasānī narrated to me and said: ‘Abdān narrated to us, from Ibn Al-Mubārak who said: “On the face of the earth there is not a gathering which is more beloved to me, than the gathering of Sufyān Ath-Thawrī. You used to, if you wanted to see him pray, you would (be able to) see him pray, and if you wanted to see him remembering Allah, then you would (be able to) see him (do that), and if you wanted to see him dealing with the difficult of fiqh, then you would (be able to) see him (do that). But a gathering, in which I don’t know if I ever witnessed him sending blessings upon the Prophet, then it’s the gathering.” And he became quiet and didn’t mention (any name). So he (‘Abdān) said: That is the gathering of Abū Hanīfah.

383. Abū Al-Fadl narrated to me (and said): Muhammad ibn Mihrān Al-Jamāl Ar- Rāzī narrated to us, from someone who narrated to him from Ibn Al-Mubārak that he was asked about an issue, so he narrated some ahadith about it. Then the man said to him: “Verily Abū Hanīfah says the opposite of this.” So Ibn Al-Mubārak became angry and said: “I have informed you from the Prophet and his companions, and you bring me a man who considers the sword (permissible) against the Ummah of Muhammad.”

387. I was informed from Mutarrif Al-Yasārī Al-Asam, from Mālik ibn Anas who said: “The chronic disease in the religion is destruction. Abū Hanīfah is the chronic disease.”

391. Abū Al-Fadl narrated to me (and said): Mas’ūd ibn Khalaf narrated to me (and said): Ishāq ibn ‘Īsā narrated to me (and said): Muhammad ibn Jābir narrated to me and said: I heard Abū Hanīfah say: “‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab made a mistake.” So I took a handful of pebbles and threw them in his face.

392. Abū Al-Fadl Al-Khurasānī narrated to me (and said): Hammād ibn Abī Hamzah As-Sukkarī narrated to us, from Salamah ibn Sulaymān, from Ibn Al-Mubārak, that a man asked him regarding an issue. So he narrated a hadith to him regarding it from the Prophet. So the man said: “Abū Hanīfah says the opposite of this.” So Ibn Al-Mubārak became very angry and said: “I narrated to you from the Messenger of Allah and you come to me with the opinion of a man who opposes the hadith? I will not narrate any hadith to you today.” And he got up (and left).

397. Muhammad ibn Hārūn narrated to me (and said): Abū Salih narrated to us and said: I heard Yūsuf ibn Asbāt say: “Abū Hanīfah was not born upon the fitrah.” And I heard Yūsuf say: “Abū Hanīfah opposed (with his opinion) four hundred narrations from the Prophet.”

400. Abū Al-Fadl Al-Khurasānī narrated to me (and said): Muhammad ibn Ja’far Al-Madāinī narrated to us and said: Muhammad ibn Jābir said: I heard Abū Hanīfah when a man narrated a hadīth to him from ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattāb (radiAllāhu ‘anhu), so he said: “’Umar ibn Al-Khattāb was mistaken.” So I took a handful of pebbles and threw them at him.

401. Abū Al-Fadl narrated to me (and said): Yahyā ibn Ayyūb narrated to us (and said): ‘Alī ibn ‘Āsim narrated to us and said: I narrated a hadith to Abū Hanīfah regarding marriage or divorce. He said: “That is the judgment of the Shaytan.”

403. Abū Al-Fadl narrated to me (and said): Muslim ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us (and said): ‘Abdul-Wārith ibn Sa’īd narrated to us and said: from Sa’īd narrated to us and said: I was sitting with Abū Hanīfah in Makkah when he mentioned something. So a man said to him: “‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab has narrated this and this.” Abū Hanīfah said: “That is the opinion of the Shaytān.” And another man said to him: “Has it not been narrated from the Messenger of Allah:‘The cupper and the one whom cupping is done both break their fast.’” So he said: “This is a rhyme.” So I got angry and said: “I will verily never return to this gathering.” And I walked away and left him.

405. Abū Al-Fadl Al-Khurasānī narrated to me (and said): Abū Al-Ahwas Muhammad ibn Hayyān narrated to us and said: One day a man asked Hushaym about an issue, so he narrated a hadithto him regarding it. So the man said: “Verily Abū Hanīfah, Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan and his companions say the opposite of this.” So Hushaym said: “O slave of Allah. Verily, knowledge is not taken from the bottom.”

410. Abū Ma’mar narrated to us, from Ishāq ibn At-Tabbā’ who said: Muhammad ibn Jābir said: I heard Abū Hanīfah – in the masjid of Kūfah – say: “‘Umar ibn Al- Khattab was mistaken.” So I took a handful of pebbles and threw them at his face and chest.