Emeralds in the crown of islam by dr shaykh mohammad iqbal

(’Jmam c4bu Manifab, UM
(Jmam (Malik 13in Mna<s, UM
(Jmam (Muhammad 13in (Jdri<s al-Shabii, KJ4
_______ _______ AIK
(Jmam cJlhmad 'in JJanbal, "RcA

Emeralds in the
Crownof
Islam
imam Abu Hanifah, ra.
Imam Malik bin Anas, ra.
Imam Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi’i, ra.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, ra.
SheikhMohammadIqbal
‘SAUDIYAH’, BARZALLA BRIDGE,
SRINAGAR-190005, KASHMIR

© Reserved with
Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal
Author
All Rights Reserved:
No Part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor
transmitted nor reprinted in any form nor even translated
into any other language without the written permission of
the author or the Foundation.
First Edition 23-3-2006
Published by:
Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal
Barzulla, Srinagar
$:2
This Treatise is Dedicated
to
Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah
rahmatullahi 'alaihi
The Greatest Missionary of the Contemporary
Islam A Distinguished, Fervent and Selfless
Muhajir from the Nizam's Hyderabad.
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Call of the Four Great Imams
This treatise aims at introducing th
founder-jurisconsults of Islamic Law namei S
Abu Hanifah. Malik bin Anas. Ibn Idris al-shafi^'
and Ahmad bin Hanbal. rahmatuj1ah-i 'sJajfyj
'ajma'in. It was tragic that men in the past
should have ignored the hard reality that alj
the said Imams bore endearing qualities besides
having mastered Knowledge from the fathomless
springs of the Quran and Sunnah. Instead, the
altruistic believers should have collaborated
in achieving coherence. cohesion and
'"d *’;;
*■ •-
«“■*,h'
rlSh,’b7y ""
Hlgh „.d lnv«...W
of the Book of A“3hreach
prophetic sunnah. .
view, it is -
sincerely try
qua.
and their
, the assaults
^Sin nate study
a dispassiona
< each imam 1s *
1 11 of them is
consolidation in the Ummah and thereby proved
their loyalty to the universal Message of
Muhammad, 'alaihissalam. for the reason that it
ensured salvation not only to Muslims but also
to the rest of Humanity
The four eminent Imams and their true pupils
never wanted to create conflict or strife among
the votaries of Islam They issued verdicts.
opinions and decrees (fatwas) within their
comprehension on furu' (branches) and not on
usuf (roots or fundamentals) of the Shari ah.
or. in concrete terms, in accordance with the
provisions of the Quran and Sunnah. Regrettably,
some unimaginative followers' in each juristic
School seem to have brutally insisted on the
stand of the respective Imams on furu' and this
at the expense of usuf. Such an unwarranted
approach to ordinary issues definitely harmed
the essentials of the system and society of
Islam.
To achieve solidarity ’
of corruption and evil.
of the personal merits of -
today- Literature in Arabi shlbli s
1 Y u, Tn Urdu, one may c Aimmah
available. In uro Ahffled s
Sirat-e Numan. and Rai latter, which
Arba'ah. The Delhi rep^"avour is not readable
is a unique literary e composing for the
and needs fresh scribi g make g resoive
benefit of all. However..th
•*,h-
01 .11 a...,in.
The situation in which the Muslim Ummah (in
the Quranic sense) has been made to land today
by various factors, necessitates that all ltS
sections must avoid differences in furu ur
rejoin under the specious and spacious umbrella

Contents
Introduction
Introduction
Chapter One
Prologue

. lheCro^J^
10. W>* C*’r', X*"'"','”'
/Jitfic. Ui^cr f nod’ ifjade cltid his
7|he prop^'tn'an pre,Zui^ ob,igaloryf
freeing ll fr .j t0 it five ' % pay"’el1' °[
daily P^5'/ ,/0r„iance °f F "rmal duty
once i"need. And if ana nOie no one
bl,'a"Xê^’'anarn' be
Besides, truth, fl Mi(s)|,n society,
govern human ^t,onS and simple, and any
this yeas to be Is'a^Pcall it Wahhabi or Sufi
other Islam, one may c ha,ninad s
Islam, has had " Pîng in clear terms,
universal system of f reads
the former is a mtsnomer turn ,o
I coercion in °f Fîs n0 compulsion
the Ouran that enjoins, There is no r
. Religion; Truth stands out clear from Error
■L m-256). And the latter is retroga e an
false in case it misdirects a Muslaman who is
already on the Path identified for him by the
Final Messenger of Allah, on him be peace.
When published, the above-mentioned research essay was
widely appreciated. Nevertheless, several months after its
appearance, 1 thought that it is imperative and vital to my mission
that 1 should further clarify historical events and facts, in some
othercontext, in order to build an affectionate society ofMuslims,
free from mutual hatred and disposed to peace enabling them
to unite in accordance with the Commands of the Quran and
the Sunnah. Once this noble aim were achieved it would possibly
improve and remedy the erroneous views of our non-Muslim
rien s which they have been holding about the Faith and
followers ofMuhammad, on him be peace.
c°'Jer°iy'''8%e
co<ol< 'that |
I
0”«"is Xpi«‘wb0 p ce high mora u, any
itteaches, an jfor plainness,j controversy 1
lof„»«hi"’.®’d'°'e ted division or con e, dld
>nd affeclionTH êssenger „f Allah, on him basis of
circumstanc • classes in rebg>° . like the
not allow groupings , ■ d made an asserti
niety and devotion.No dou , , / j;fference ' in views among
« t'”“" "“"“'“"it w ” not to be understood in
invieôropinionsshoutdromou
discussion, deliberation and consultation among men of clean
mind and comprehension. Once the issue becomes clear and a
decision is arrived at unanimously or even by majority vote, the
whole affair turns to be a blessing.
,.PB'?," r,i"8 r‘“lle‘l b;/ AHah SM^. Muhammad
,efyw° ieîes,
“als'««Ap0stle inh.ys

U—
time
him-
_^^^Tsi.bmitted to
<'» S,T.etl«r”,e'(Ca''Ph)
>a settle h'n'se . the issue a . tbe sagacious
M Ttnaifa''681 S hn al-K'iattab „ between the
sgsssEgie
to *eu5S?>e forme0rr
(rdhy delayed h nt between the t successor
noreasonforadis 6 buBakrtObetl P dnonAjnated
reC0SnlSthXi of A«ah’on him ae S the Amir al-Hajj in 9
because the P services and a d( when Ah
t<m»nii«tes»pf»®«w ’ dh) andnot tonngthe
,’nd ..to Caliph b” ,, f„ (tdb). caliph Mi (1*
1 caliph.® «< «“ people like »>. «™>-taV'
—*
was Umar bin al-Khattab (rdh).
As for the differences between Amir al-Muminin All (rdh)
and AmirMu’awiyah (rdh), they were ultimately reso ved but
at a cost. The attitude of Banu Fatimah (or Banu All) towards
the successor of Caliph Mu’awiyah was stiffened because of
the growing tendency of the latter towards autocracy and the
arrogance and inhumanity ofhis armymen. The undependable
nature of the Kufans also prolonged the dissensions among
Muslims. Regarding the revolt staged by Iraqi and Egyptian
factions against Caliph Uthman (rdh), it was unbridled as well
as grounded on misunderstanding. The martyrdom of Amir al-
Muminin Uthman Zu al-Nurain (rdh) and that of Imam Husain
bin Ali (rdh) were unfortunate occurrences and the killers in
both cases were according to consensus, in the wrong. Both
tie crimes were punishable under Islamic Shari’ah and the
Divine Law ofRetribution.
pio^iP
W^ A sotpe^jnUsi^P Tbis ^aS ;jeals, Pr‘ of
KfcSt0 re b°n Wffan.1 ccepted the
pr0P° to them was de Anting tens>^ ffah and Al
aCC°rd This was enough ^ AbbaSis (A1 ’ of power.
Aiithis went on for capturing the solidarity
Mansur) cleared settled, a new presented
Whilethe polity |ooming large- surged
Thistime the assault was
fcmtosl.keMumun sn Mu US |ed by the
on the Divine origin of the y' As a result, some
Mulazilahsuchas Ibn AbiDawudand his ilk. As a re ,
of the eminent jurists and traditiomsts were either killed o
subjected to corporal punishment.
What happened at the hands of individuals and factions
since after the assassination of Caliph Uthman (rdh), was a
deplorable Chapter in Muslim history. But it could not intimidate
ZXtanKmo “h ide0l08y' Theirs was a"
(CnmpaLns),
J“nsts and the Muhadduhir, (t T°ba Tabi'i^ the
by
favour each w/v ?81Cal structure of Id ate80ry of
in ,hat
"f lK1S hM »«„ «XVh; S0Ci0’«C ? 4 SUffered
of on h&«'es“Preme1eXritKal
“■•"•'....a;;

Emeralds in the Crown ofIs!am
______ f „cnirationand strength,—
■ - The highest source o i P unaffected, the first
Comps"’01'5 qlldlhe Sunnah, rem" interpolation) by
the Holy O“ran î „alded (from I"—" !”Xter by the
Ca 'ph 4 ffnrts ofthe Muhaddithm, , • :sts who made
History after each period or era ofsupremacy and the refresh, g
n>le thatthe respective leaderships played in the hour of need.
The chiefcause ofdecay used to be the loss of individual and
collective Islamic character. By the time, Imam Abu Hanifah
► (ra) came to found his School ofJurisprudence after strenuous
work on the supreme sources of Shari’ah, the vast field of
Islamic Law was ready for many others in the Hijaz and Iraq.
Happily, the right-thinking contemporaries(such as Imam Malik)
and the future Jurists respected him (Abu Hanifah) as a
precursor in Jurisprudence. This was inspite ofthe disagreement
ofsome ofthem with the Imam’sjudgments on branches {furu')
ifnot on the roots (usul). Concretely speaking, all the four
Imams-cum-jurisconsults, namely, Abu Hanifah, Malik bin Anas,
al-Shafi’i and Ahmad bin Hanbal, — Allah shower His blessings
/Surgeon/SpeciXrwhosTZ l° the Ph*sic'an
the Science ofMedicine and Treafamenta W3S t0 Promote
S3Ve the Precious lives of the " "1 °r AnatOrnV order to
^"^’"g'^collectivehealthanrr"10.0'^ and cooperate in
,he*ityofthe society buj„ I * WOuld ensure
rtain basic rules prescribed
H‘s
by tlte Crer MtthatnIliar ’when the s> the n1 Actua Y’ j
Messeng6 ’ However, do_doct disrUpt d eSSence
C îndinThey did Sf
sUC ofeac,1-f011 ting control5 cture. They YoUSUf
X W0„1h soci»-reli8'^hafi’i. l^ês *'ou8h
out differe"fwould, in
discussion.iney ’edewhen conoid doned the riv
aspiritofrealism- and the ignorant eover, it1 the late, the Juristic Sdtoo kabte
*iK°fXey Xed to be inspired by rem
Similaritiesbetween the founders.
As soo„ asthe inquisitive student or reader^plunges mto
an effort to understand the personal aspect of the life ot ea
Imam, he orshe will find that there was something magnetic in
each. Thusallthe Imams, —Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi i and
Ibn Hanbal, Allah bless their souls, were physically attractive,
with an aura around their appearances. All of them were
generous andhospitable even though the degree ofthis quality
differed. Allofthemstrove hard in the domain ofJurisprudence
Quran “d ,he
onthese iwosupreme * ofKnowledge based
««!»«. All ofthem were he;xmor,'s’in documents
and -d-
arried from

17
Najran to Baghdad but
" ---------------- Emeralds in the Cr
I
■ but ane '. B°dt
t0 a Court intrigue durinJh'â,'> and- the othe tlle
And above all t|)e rni 8''S detention ordered h r- rSUCCUrnbe(j
■ ""»«« ».«**" *«'><«
?rcte»»rasMKj '"sp«lw f0r t7IUn a. ’
'8nored right a ykindofdi^ " posterity anH ,
Cities nfer . ' Because of th ens,Ons could h d’ tBe
m^lftoX tSandeXcel'ence ofL^
haveVoider t,ngthemasPm fa thell^nis h Pers°nal
^pretau '^g in theCr Coêd
■T nof touch thealdjpd8nient onTe^8 the d'ffe°ren °f>Slam■ I
Ûran and the <?, a/7J/c Sftar/. . thatdid
fr°n th Sure/y> We nustbe ^‘^toffh n8 eVen th °'Ceêss
7d”171isi77yv'«so,u7lbtri‘ii7t'’!‘n'>r77°'na,ic
d tvith
Introductio'i _----------------------------------------
lexUngs ofthe Apostle ofMercy, on him be peace. In that
age, theprevailing innovations and the repeated aggressions of
the outrageous Mongol hordes had eaten into the vitals of the
whole Community of ‘believers’, turning their leaders into
spineless entities. That situation exists in our times as well and
ii“P‘Mityofn,a’„yaMushm ' ! aPf 'eS 10 the Present
ala,hll 8 (used) as a conveyance ” r^ ° n°ne
• Wuttafqun
°bP‘îZbaSfC °bj^ve
comPreh°8Ue °fthis n ''cAhasbeen mpan,on Tha ,sbt °fthe
proPhec,hend tfle es<;PUbJlCation y, repr°duceri Ubar>’ A llal
their f ’ a ‘eW rla n> Lilian S 'ntnlt nceretl of
I
*"**>“> I
/ve
sSX*

------- --------------7lv -Absorbing as was propagated and
“TdtaX ' of Real'sm’ hi" be peac^, B‘"
practised by the I P detrimentally to the
the instances of
fundamental requirements oi Al
which the Holy Quran and the Sunnah are replete.
Secondly, all Muslims must respond to the Divine Call to
transform themselves into Ummatan Wasata, and, imbibe all
those qualities and values which it requires ofthem to cultivate
and which were stressed by the Most Eminent Bearer of the
Book of Allah. In other words, promoting believers’ makarim
al-akhlaq, as envisaged in the system of Islam, is highly desirable
today in view of the fact that the Muslim communities have
become a plaything with the self-conceited detractors who are
busy digging the foundations of the Muslim Ummah. It was
Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (ra) who emphatically told his co-
. religionists about six scores ofyears ago: “It is the unavoidable
■ Law ofNature (Creation) that the people who bear high morals
exis?” nln|llfe’t0°’3nd th0Se Wl’° 3re deV°'d Of tllem’ cease to
exist. Only wisemen can explain the difference between the
tofM“s'“ soci“y
oflife and that was the main contrih f ’’ ‘° S'am'C pattern
Decades back, Dr. Muhammad Ham^°n °,f Slam t0 Humankind.
"hlle -'tmg his essay onSmc ’?''3'’ b'6SS h* ^'1,
expounding the Quranic statement ^PrUdence observed: “In
an abstam from ^hat ismw^(ev’il) th 'S W "'V(good)
LaW d£Vel°Ped an a/l-embracing syX ’ Phi'°S0Phers
,lMSe
resun>ew^on,loss' °f their
SocialSciences research,promoti ° -tbey sbou,d
UP latest techno/o ? C°de opfn°ra/ity Pff " °! Islamic studies,
'» b' °TT'0W"rdsP^^
logical centres att,Onal /nMitutions °U,d 'mp,y
ntresat every level ' °ns’ scientific and
passionate Western
of Mus,irnS
proHiot'6n
have already ^^^jentiflc adv^ pUtttng
sd’°JarS I ancing >ntereSt hP rerrie,T1bere^ ■ c of scientific
tovvarding rt win, however, domain fhe
........
baoXf‘heirrd’g,0n‘ diness of both the
LasUy. not less <*■” ,he
pBctisinSan<l"o"-P»“Xnnovations, moral and materia
ofhonesty embellishing it, so that they findjust and efficacious
solutions to their outstanding Issues and Problems, and, at the
same time, protect the resources that Allah Subhanahu hath
given them against exploitation and alien aggrandisement.
in the end, the need to print and publish this virtual treatise
on our most distinguished founder-imams of U
Jurisprudence seems to be urgent at ♦ f Islam,c
Ummah stands confounded on the cros " J™ When MuS,im
for calling them ‘Emeralds’ r roads- Thejustification
econd"
that av0HaniSat,°ns arp°r t,le
*»iea”di"fC"0"al«'
'""V'Wh),tl>isSo
S0"’«Hat
aPPear'"gOno -o . 6 1
the idea
^Zhat-" the
»«^vaa ,es ^th
»ee».„ n,e»<li»o '.L "°I taken se' cl'°ns ofh'n papers
'nSe'ves^T,0ltalybyt'l’eP0pll|ati2’
lsand per?1 "e they Jthe constib r,°n
^^^PeoX'
,ISUe|"era,.„
arni^_

Emeralds in the Crown ofIslam
was owing to the
?,*, ,ha, on important occasions, some ‘rnstructed hands'
become courageous to sacrifice vital documents on the altar of
expediency. That shouldpoint also to the lack ofsupervision in
the domain ofjournalism at the preparatory stage. This is what
happened recently with a valuable research paper ofa selfless
scholar. Thepages encompassed the dynamic role ofthe leaders
ofa country, who, besides having made history in their own
national reconstruction and Hajj Services, broke records of
promotinghuman welfare by rebuilding fallen economies ofthe
poor and needy nations and by advancing regular financial aid
(without strings) to their development plans, educational and
medical institutions etc. Moreover, they have since undertaken
gigantic tasks ofestablishing, reorganising and strengthening
s am.c organisations such as the Muslim World League the
Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Conference
rgamsation, and the World Assembly ofMuslim Youth.
The said research Dan»-
was not an 0^ - al-Haramain
but that it was
it positive
effulgent
Inirotluctlon__________________________ .________________________ 21. .
mostprobably, born ofmisleadingnotions ofa mundane polity
that ispresently terriblyharming the cause ofworld peace.
I thank all those friends andgentlemen who have helped
mein wordanddeed to dress this humble effort towards Islamic
RevivalandReform in thegarment ofreality, and, thus allowed
it to see the light ofthe day.
Dated: 23-3-2006
(Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal)

2^
Chapter One
Prologue
"He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book:
in it are verses basic or fundamental (of
established meaning); they are the Foundation
of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in
whose hearts is perversityfollow the part thereof
that is allegorical, seeking discord, and
searching for its hidden meanings, but no one
knows its hidden meanings except God. And
those who are firmly grounded in knowledge
say: ‘We believe in the Book; the whole of it is
from our Lord:' and none will grasp the Message
except men of understanding. " (Al-Quran, III: 7)
As per Divine Revelation, the Message borne by
Muhammad, the Last ofthe Prophets ofIslam, on him be peace
was meant for the totality of Mankind and not for a part ot it,
nor was it to be confined to a particular people or region, as had
been the case with various apostles including those deputed to
the tribes ofIsrael. The prophets of old had foretold the arrival
of‘the Counsellor’, ‘the Comforter’, ‘the Saviour’ and ‘the
Praised one' (Pariclytos), who was to inaugurate the Kingdom
of God on Earth along with a system {Nizam) to liberate the
oppressed, the ignored and the misguided. And by all reasonable
estimates, it was to be none other than Muhammad of Arabia,
on him be peace. Moreover, the Lord ofthe Creation had willed
that the Religion of Islam should prevail with its fundamental
principles to govern life in the Universe. The approval to that
end was conveyed to the Final Messenger of Allah, on him be
P ce, on t e occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjatul
of Islam’srole
reject
......Tb;Sf urreliS'-’ ^edyo^^^vecbo^'’
^P"TCSyo^dig'0 bet
::-r'"a,“reofthe a
, heenobserved- f Muhammad,
llhaS e distinction °twhile others
“The supreme d fact that W
fundamental onenes bye-ways along
nation
but of entire Mankind.
Besides, a HM is recorded in Mishkal, wherein the
Apostle of Allah, on him be peace, speaks of the unity ot all.
“The whole of Mankind is the family of Allah and he amongst
Hisfamily is dearest to Him, who does good to others.” In further
amplification ofthe Message ofIslam, it is worthwhile to quote
Dr. Ralph Austin ofthe University of Edinburgh, who has very
ably analysed its special features and the same may benefit the
«veminds. Writes he among other things:
XTXoluIe Truth a 7T °f and
^Absolute Truth ofwhichtirh1^"1116 ReaHty;
aneinn?eS but dim and fleeti / ■ tfUths a"d
wiha,?'i!6ReaHtyofwh>ch all "f 'mnienngs, and
& and partial
slam is a
°neness of QoT86 °f Unity and
Man jn

Emeralds in the Crown offsinm
The Quran says,
•Say He, God is One', and, ‘The believers are on ly
» ls|am strives for a whole Humanity, free of
the tyranny of factional and sectional imperatives
which it attributes to a state of ignorance. Islamic
man constitutes one Community, one people ofGod,
subject only to the One God, concerned only to
execute His revealed Commands.”
“Islam as a message is the Message of Finality. It
teaches that ‘it is the Last Religion’ ordained by
God for Mankind, that its Word is God’s Last Word,
and that its Prophet Muhammad, on him be peace,
is the Final Messenger whom God will send to man
and the w'orld. This Message of Finality, however,
is also a message of unique opportunity in that
Islam, as final sums up in its message all that was
gone before it and includes in its finality all the
blessing ofprimordial and first things ”
TV bl“ “ “ be ""dersleod „,e
revealed to him the F' 6,PeaCe’the Quran that was
»r.he l>el,ev“P'"'Sof,l,a Message,
'< is a
"made it ckar la"d Shaft lva|in|(ah " a ,aere religion.
the term but a r am ls not a re/m,nn ln their life work
'ndividualrighteo?Plete C°de of life whi'l USUal Sense of
bW ,h« •• p'ov : aT aI
OC,a' activities.” The h ■ frame’work for
'he Ho'y Quran and the
Therefore
I
■S”""1” „swp»forc CofS«(eP° ofa citizen u,,d
Il<"is "Lsuch asexercl i °|,ts and Unties °f ’ tion, and,I
suciVors'Desphe the emergence ofthe institution ofmonarchy
and the tendency of some Caliphs and Sultans towards .an
autocratic rule, no one had the audacity ofchanging or violating
the fundamentals ofthe Quran and the essentials ofthe Sunnah.
One would ask how was it possible then to disarm all those
influential elements that could have coerced men ofconsequence
and the common people to accept their ‘philosophical nations’
borrowed from the alien cultures ThA dUOnS
dynamic role ofthe outstanding • answer could be the
stMed against the selfJncetld J3"^116^’1'011'818 who
,heirbac^ to the wall in earlie ' and ^P^nts with
WCre the c°nu'ng generat n C6ntUries of Hijrah Era Th
",Jll,lctionsoft|letT ^°ns saved from ioj • t Thus
Visions of pH?y Quran> the legacies 8J ng the vital
•^h-eheiXj8?1:0^ CaI’PHs. HaX * bearer’ and
^Me'V been affectedOin and
OrW,h-»Xna :VeR ip ^ c nSt°me
Vendeen e . . onearth. Vers'«
5S^^^Pa„ionSf.
,ntiVe^'a«L°ufothe
Unnah)’

26
/
from the .
k"°"ledge t'hey'i^ the
■
W bm'°i'ZkZ ce,Zixrs (,/^)îh727rry
Texi “nd'
hin -A I Muslim , ,rdb> d«erves ,h TOn""i«ee
I
L----- Prn ,S"nilarly eff Plta,s- g al sacred
Hr°phet’s o, y’ e"°rts f0
C°mPanion nnah (his 7 °//ecf"’g the
Pr°Phe,-s'nco"sona^mages, a’c^'^m^^nions ° of
C°nfî/Xa^P/e ^^the aniuêdtga(,ersandleaô
dustri0Us^. In
/
/
27.
and,jurists ofgreat consequence arose and
' n studying the Quran and Ahadilh to find out rules an
n 'Radons to be applied to people, the offices and religious
/ services. Eventually, this necessitated seeking more information,
F gathering more d/wdrt/r and writing more on the blessed lives
I of the Prophet, on him be peace, and his Companions.
Accordingly, the category ofthe great Imams and Muhaddithin
(laditionists)had to meet those who happened to be the keepers
ofauthentic Sayings, shedding light on the Sunnah to facilitate
^'—^‘^^nousedifieeoftheiegaisy^Tf
COllec2°"s ‘ ^ter devel
^reddâsthe °f C°mpanion< .e!°Pme^ is
on him be peace l bear(^ t^lem from th a PriVately
usedtoremaincio’ ^.btained them from th Ap°Stle ofAllah
/
2^2 ?ofthepr^d by the ugton. Aboui Eng!ish
I*°"kl‘‘d7 wlK<iDr20"l'^be^'npan'°ns t egree
0/je « f° ^ritte. S °h tK 0/)s Of ’
^Si°the7 Subjee7e Polyp
‘^$7$ I
s4 t
not a correct view. 4
u^bbi/7

Se9he
HaniM 1 Ahmad bin
■Shan’t^'"13 oes the credit of
I ^njaau,'“'nuls. To each of tnes & advanCed in
I > WesS ^school ofJurisprudence, a" sharl’ah. Each
*<X »the science h according
”^^use ofthe I" 3rd a"d
" was the.,r 7
Allowed by their own pupils, who went on developing
legal thought that was ascribed to each of the four founding
fathers of Islamic Jurisprudence. These pupils and their later
successors, some of whom attained to personal fame, such as
Imam Abu Yousufand Imam Muhammad under Abu Hanifah,
and Imam Ibn Taimiyyah (ra) centuries after Imam Ahmad and
Others following Imam Malik and Imam al-Shafi’i, stabilized their
definitediscipline. ' d transformed each into a
Ifet SayL ,l,a‘ each the four Sp/, ,
""'w.tlKsepara™^35 best as 11 could in it °° S Served
learn‘ngmAS JUnior and °nsidered wh’i P*n’OnsOfn>
^nMusi^'^’inour SCnior corJ’ 6 Sett|‘ng mer°US
ra"ks. must llav"'P0rartes lf| Sue« and
T*" 'n8 >heir inions
en(s
Emeralds in the Crown of/s/
r „ the savings and doings of theis what I wrote froi from tjme tQ tjme, s0
Prophet, and also re . herernoved it himself:’
that ifthere was any mistake he re g
“VX »" ,0 haV' b“
first-hand knowledge- Later generations compiled
the memoirs of these different authors, always
scrupulously mentioning in each case its source.
(p.1228)
The four great Jurist-Imams to whom we shall instantly
advert, were closely followed by actual traditionists, that is who
gathered Ahadith from persons spread over the whole ofArabia,
and the Fertile Crescent (Iraq and Syria) and possibly even
Egypt. Those who collected Ahadith (other than Imams Malik
and Ahmad) won reputation for their dedicated performance,
were ten, and two of them Imams Bukhari and Muslim (ra),
gained much credibility for their contribution in the domain of
Sunnah. Their collections are called Sahihain and, again, these
and four other collections are regarded as Siha-i-Sittah. When
a Hidath is found in both Bukhari and Muslim, it is termed
muttafaqun alaihi, that is agreed by both the eminent
tradmons. The names ofthe fourteen Imams and Muhaddithin
are given hereunder with the years oftheir birth and demise:
!™m^nH.anifah (8°‘150 H) Abu Daw”d (202-275 Hl
mam Malik bin Anas (93-179 H)lbn Maiah (209 271 m
Imam Al-Shafi’i (150-204 Hl r MaJan (209-273 H)
to- Ata bin Ln rmT (2'WM H)
(64-241 H) ImamTabarani
Imam Bukhari (]94-256 H) ?.6,°‘36° H)
Imam Muslim (206-261 H) Abdullah Darimi (181-255 H)
Imam Tirmizi(209-279 H) , r ^Utni (306-385 H)
'mam Baihaqi (384-458 H)
^"^"g^ditfonTs^kesentl^w deSCriPtio" of the ten
f°urprecious gems in the c only concerned with
vn °fIslam, namely, Nu’man

Schools,
Mge and
of Jal), the grandfather of N uman bin T
from Kabul during the Caliphate of Vthman bin Affan (rdh).
Westartedbusiness inthe city and eventually developed contacts
withAmir al-Muminin Allbin Abi Talib (rdh) to whom he would
occasionally present gifts. Mu’man, who later became famous
« Abu Hanifah, rose to be a brilliant student, with elegant
^whty, good habits, fineness of speech and art of
reUti^^sorfte'distan^ ofJnowk
., view on the whole, that all the four
It is a well-considered , simply the sub-schools
Schools ofIslamic ofIslamic shari’ah. By dividing
Ofthe one paramoui the narrow.
tliended Ulama in later times were treading the path of early
Separatist groups and other strayed men who got overt and
covert support from unhealthy and unwarranted developments
sincethe revolt ofthe twofactionsfromIraq and Egypt against
Caliph Uthman bin ‘Affan (rdh). It would be ennobling and
blissful tobe enlightened on thelives and contributions ofal1 the
fourSunniImams and derive lessonsfromtheir efforts, sacrifices
and extraordinary merits to be able to rebuild the broken ranks
oftheMuslim Ummah and consolidate its divided strength. Once
it will be achieved, byGod’s Grace, it would not be difficult to
counsel moderation to the imaginative followers of the Fiqh
J’afariyyah in a spirit ofrealism. The need ofan accord among
the separated legatees ofthe Arabian Prophet, on him be peace,
is both unavoidable and inevitable. The reason for coming
together is that the future of the whole ofIslamic world is at
stake, and intrigues are on to reduce Muslim States and
communitiesto non-entities and deprive them oftheir resources,
strategic areas, independent economics, political sovereignties'
theirmviolable rights, and above all, oftheirsupreme ideology’
recoUpre’ "a 7 c°ya,tyt0 Muhammad> him be peace since
leftto time and clime. Hisfundamental duties
arefour-fold: cultural (propagation ofIslam),
administrative-executive, judicial and
legislative. But legislation by government is the
leastimportantofitsduties. In Islam, legislation
has always remained a privilege ofprivate
savants, beyond the control ofthe rulers with
their ever changing whims andfancies andexigencies ofthe dav.tn . J ncies a”a
havebribedabove, legis^.0,t,CSr °S W
for secondary matters• the °” slam is only
have already been laidf Pnmary Principles

Emeralds in the Crown
I . TTfor his Sharp and
: h'foand time to satiate his
puphyetAbu Han'fah. fo lgarned
Ration Witt bisjuristic programme.
Beachingthe work andcontribution ofImam Abu Hanifah
Terence to his generosity and profession is necessary. By nature
h[ was munificent and hospitable, and in particular, ifhe found his
students indigent, he would extend to them material assistance to
prosecute theirstudies. His very dear student, Abu Yousuf, received
financialhelpfrom him notonly forhimselfbut that his magnanimous
leacheralso undertook the responsibility ofmaintaining his parents as
untilAllahgothim the status ofthe Chief / t0 P°Or
l»“»W«H>yhism„1iKr.il,.|aweti"st,<>'n“hcneedandf0r!!lat
I •*»T»dS™.n with '™e scholars and
■:^v;^^nope;;asid^-ntr ;:x',ers
<fee' deali»8 w S AbU vat 100
/ win, l Perfeet atUreofhio tasafireafi an<^meet/ 47wBut
32_
and, he himself would admit later that he was a pastmaster ’
raising debatable points. Before undertaking his role as jurist
he was well-versed in philosophy and theological divergence ’
of various sects. However, as the time passed, he got tired
controversies and turned over to very serious and vital stud °
ofthe Holy Quran and the Hadith, and finally, to Shari’ah La'68
On the positive outcome of Abu Hanifah's first period nf 7
Sayyid Maududi has observed: P of bfe
“The beautiful use that he later made ofreason and
bee"
for the guidance (rdh) v'hom Caliph Umar F. , ff°rts of
Abl Talib would pray Sett,ement. EVen lad sPured
because he had fm / ‘ A,ab to bless th* C,pb AIi bin
Wsa'™e^"?w“'tbe9ur»n
4s/)e^ Slbe Phased
Juridical matte S dest‘ned to a
ceedM<«X:sd

r V time with his teacher,
. ,J cojw >“dwealth of all Muslims.
»d
lU Abu Hantfah J« hemseU
’■•SSfLcallpham^^Xundomg
JUeCto be the head of Judicial andtoh unique thing about
oAte'^''toosfp‘'™Xtee accorded ''^TKartai
1M« Abu Hamfah « s “ ,„ion5.lbnal-B.zzazal.K.rdar,
*wsM"“,i1’ oWm“m zam'
Xu™.bush in me boss, as if mere was none
other present.”
The right to freedom of speech exercised by y°u"eer
scholars of the esteemed School enabled them to differ from
their teacher, who with pleasure enjoyed consulting them while
framing the legal system. Abu Hanifah’s “passion to do all that
he could for the sake of his religion, and his love of God, the
Prophet, and the believers, did not allow him to undertake this
work by himselfto the disregard of his pupil colleagues.”
Imam Abu Hanifah was not only generous to his students,
who though inspired by his presence and eloquence, freely set
forth their opinions on various issues and judicial points. Pupils
got closer to him in proportion to their aptitude, their profundity
ofthought, their fecundity ofminds, assiduity and dedication to
learning. Among them Abu Yousuf, despite lack of substance,
was very dear to the Imam. Recognised as the most outstanding
scholar among his colleagues, Sayyid Maududi, citing various
states- greatest
udbin
.source
,ed o*lly
ofPrld disciple’A Jto say th31 :ngwaS
this one d|!,b r H uSed to w itu |earnm&
respect for hl^sitive and ad°rne (jtt|e hope wa
thenl0StaCf Once he was ill so coming out o
AbuY°usU; Abu Hanifah, health, depl°red
left0fh*SX inquiring after would not
The Abbaside Caliphs, with someone
.I.Rrfd.havingstriventostab I 8bi. Vand Rnown for hls
commanding eminent post someone. Imam
to knowledge, felt the need tor so
MMorsome reason would not come round when approacneo.
Very soon, a man ofstrength, character and capability belonging
to the School of Imam Abu Hanifah, resolved the problem of
the Judiciary. It is observed:
With his great ability and personal influence he
delivered the Caliphate from a continual state of
XtT C°de was made the Law
Wem of LatC This' U'e *hole State a un'form
;5Sn6*-2a^8tb?a"ifah’ssettling
'kB|0"4e*hok®rwa,TinthbrespectareaSO,''ng
»tu*"®andsoci “ p'sPr>nciplePt0 . no true strengthhWs
_ - m
Manions

„d in c.s. ofdisagreement between the last-mentioned group,
f L those whose opinion or action was within the spirit ofthe
Lan and the Sunnah. According io Al-Khalib Baghdadi, he
would also consider the opinion ofthe Tabl'in in certain matters.
Ibn Hazm holds the view that the Imam would even give up
deciding an issue or replying a query by analogy if and when he
obtained a 'weak’ Hadith (that did not satisfy a technical rule).
It was only when things would become impossible that Imam
Abu Hanifah would at the end exercise his privilege ofIjtihad.
Caliph Mansur once complained to the Imam that he was going
by his discretion against the tradition of the Prophet, on him be
peace. The Imam answered:
“0 Commander of the Faithful! what you have
heard is incorrect. I go first by the Book of Allah,
then by the Sunnah of His Prophet, then the
decisions of Caliph Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and
Ali, and then the decisions of other Companions;
but, when I find disagreement among them, I resort
to discretion.”
r .. J" re.'evance t0 this answer of Imam Abu Hanifah to the
Hamiduna°hS7ar7yeXon7s|reCO7e-f° °r'Muhammad
he points to the inabiliL ofmen t"1'' JunsPrudence therein
underlying principles of each .£ Street "t0 understaad the
injunction which is the domn' r Qtlran,c order or
oftaw.” imam a'u HanZ b^3'^ °f Phi,OS<W
h-s free judgement’ allegedly regardedTf0" b'amed for
cases to the supreme source of £ ?etnmenta' >" certain
fra} wr,t«: Js,am,c Law. Dr. Hamidullah
w'th a sense of humour Not a,S0 end°wed
reusonX <0
him “Pinions, stupid-, |hlSsreat Jurist to
“^heresy; acco, f ““““““
8 legislated by
«I never pro^ alWs I
’"d L I "»llld bave d ,, hand not on the
i -^rdered b,h:
appers °f t eSe for that is the part which
*Xe“i -rX any other part of the
XX'.X this humorous way, Abu Hanifah
Xceeded in silencing and in calming e
apprehensions of his well-meaning critic . The
answer was humorous, because Abu Hanifah did
not refer to the reasons for not washing the soles
of one’s shoes for if the sole of the footwear is
moistened and then one stands up for the service
of worship, it is the more apt to get dirty if one
prays on the ground, and to soil the carpet if one
prays on one....”
opinion seemed best tn 8ement '° find
Sunnah." bestapprOximate (Q
fcl*g»lCodeofn'6118iuristicWorka an B I
*"ofLaw s ain. was in th» „ • an<H'iscontrihne I"'"•Wchh ’~llle Quran = j ma"1 based on tn Utlonto 1
teacher hn’rnanded fnll h 1^' Sunnah of th* SUprenie I'>10it“er hild had a a. ho,d- Imam a . the pronl„., I
4: I j
11
i
ese Were’ I

AV
reproduced in the form of Musanid such as
Hanifah and Musnad al-Imam al-A’zam. Because th 1
.d!d not establish his Hadith-relating circles the s,JniF "a'n
h,S *ork as a Muhadddh was overlook d by TCe of
Wdhispreuous^XTsT^ Wert h,s nerve and
ssss* xn
rulers, he WA >! d the Umavi, 3 C ,pbs °r the rn °p,Cs
fav°urofCaijp. "ot Certain n S°me êndant^T'0"8’
exPressin„ fa Ah b'°Abi TalihÛgb be *as np * °f earIy
tbe finnan 8 ab°ut his J b (rdb>> he Woul. Penally j„
of«er;>arlesbe^‘l<‘"olin<luye "
fyy'ZZr 100
eplacement tT n °PPressiVe a marn Abu oa P'nstructiOn
,uali'ZnZ"e'âbuf. '2z/eow I
adandhP„ °u Hanifar, ’ /
Up,,^s£Z
I TtheAee and ofIslam
/ ,he ^"m'lurc him or cow him, no
f could move or attract
/ "ifof" est3te’ âfflictions under State tyranny, he refused
/ ^Montiotherhand, observed patience and never
/ ’^XXoffort-We. The reputed learned dtvme,
I jtT^n<bnMubarak, would state on occasions: “I have yet to
/ ôrepious man than Abu Hanifah. What would you say
I yi‘n the man to whom they offered the world and its wealth
/ j„dhekicked it away, who was flogged and remained steadfast,
/ undwhonever accepted those posts and honours which people
/ ^kerafter.” Imam Abu Yousuf would at times remark while
I tilkingabouthis teacher’s virtues: “The Imam always keot awxv
^„,(tbe Prohibited), from mundance gatherings and
‘o meditateând avofd idle
/ Quoting the famous iemct v l ,
/ îdMaududi(d 1970) 8 *’Y hya bln Adam fd ?cn/oi
/ W"eS “tto *e 0Z,„ 203/SlV,
/ nervwh ce before those fl 1. °f Clther
/ "”>'P,1«*c;<je<|L. ere;tilejudges ruM Abu nanifa),.
""with3 law; in
/ ofd bec°rne so " ’ h's system of i tH'n ha,f a
/ ô/iesno artl ât it u âb e and n ^êrPretaf
/ K/i’srêste^ to Fahai ifnPossihi Ornrôn wjfh ■ atl°n
%. °f«>Ûris?bsês
........>ca/

41.
~ - ---------------------------------- ofh.
prestige of those who framed it. It had also I i
-portant consequence in that it op X"^-
Muslim thinkers new lines for th« ° P for
Islamic Law. The ZfZl ‘ CodlfiÔn of
-y have ‘‘-ted laler
tar period of the a"d «>teim (r“) Fv
overand they haH h 3VlS’ theY were thinJ- ’ £ven ln
‘-’■racre,les; *? ''PnV,'le8eofl,0“instl,ehoX"B °f ,aki”g
H «taS „ e'y™""- rutes ^"-'l
’ 'S-te foundeX ,? T' "-ted „,er'X X, '32
“hwrei8„„ffo„ e rule of rhe Abbasides""d Abbas
Mansur. The 3 and was succpah ' He dled after a
■ ^stere.’XSS.''''ea"'"XXXhtaro1hW,AF
tas-teveX‘Xr Nafsa'-*h» X'^^-r-te X
thre^d and f0L"',becarne a martyrn g3n,Sed a large f^'
rte r^XsX'aCked '"-'XXXr"’ to0‘ "10
. .«erevo„f e“a'my«aMS^‘e
^dinah the Raa- tbe Sadat was
rece/ve/Ven/aiamMa//X 3 /bra/1-fra)l he c/a"n of
, bu Hanifah by n 8htofh,afs ai ? ,by COercion a . nsurhad
t>,hesi<l'ofX?o'SVer>tede^>=hintLf ,’d the
:3~1S?S-S=S2=
andev* erefore the nCe a"d theiUr ^d Cant He
for engave them m ° l71am favn her action k CaPlured
died
3reof)
revolt
behind the rebellious forces,
’and allowances. It was beyond
andrdtod
' It was beyond
Abu Hanifab- who’-a.fter
'fall had leftMakkah and resettled in Kufah.
I Mansur decided to induce the Imam with favours and
/ ^redhim the position of the ChiefJustice but he refused on
/ groundsofhis 'inability. ’ The Caliph accused him of lying and
gave him another reason for rejecting the offer. That the
Imamshouldhaveturned down the Caliph’s proposal in the open
Wwas unbearable for the latter. As he was threatened with
mortifying punishment, the Imam under compulsion tnnC h ’
/ ^mtheJudicmry. Curiously, there came up astm * k h'S
/ MtorandCreditor. He could not decide it f , 3nge case of
/ Hecame back from the office and fr» m l° 1,S Satisfaction
‘old the Caliph tha
W“ Wanifa/, b
, bars did
r,'fe''MXpro6at>Xpopu'"r-
^ ^d, pânsu
Cf "> a i> at,er of f n’any
>^rly l^t w aCt’ «ie
,Presl'8e 2 4f>n H U,d be
loha • fie rL °e
<rta
tn
JOtl and
r Wittl the ÎS
* ne great
lr was

4
Emeralds in the Crown of Islam
undertook to poison Abu Hanifah, who, when he felt the effect
ofthe venom, prostrated (in the posture of Sajdah), and expired
in that condition and left this transitory and treacherous world.
It is said that the whole of Baghdad came out on hearing
about the sad and sudden demise of the great Imam and reached
the place where he lay in state. Hasan ibn ' Ammarah, the Qadhi
of the city, washed the blessed body and repeated these words
while in process : “By Allah, you were the greatest jurist, adorer
(of the Lord), pious, and that all excellences were combined in
you; your successors have not reached the status you held in
life.” Abu Hanifah had willed that he should be buried in
Khaizran Cemetery, thinking that its land was not a
misappropriated area. For twenty days, large numbers of people
came to the Cemetery and offered funeral prayers. The tomb
of Imam Abu Hanifah, throughout the centuries, continued to
be frequented by thousands of devotees. Sultan Alam Arsalan
Saljuqi visited it in 459 H and built a dome on it and attached a
Madrasah to it which became famous eventually not only
because of the scholars it produced but also for architectural
beauty ofthe building. It was constructed under the supervision
of Abu Saeed Sharfal-Mulk, and on the occasion of its founding
it was attended by eminent Ulama and public men, and a poet
ofconsequence, Ab J’afar Masud, was present on the auspicious
moment: He recited:
“Don't you see, how knowledge was humiliated,
and the man who gave it a form, is buried in this
grave. Likewise, this area of land was lifeless, and
the endeavours of Abu Saeed infused life into it
(by building the School).”
The Madrasah, known as Mashhad Abu Hanifah, came
to have an inn for travellers and visitors to stay therein. Rulers
an Sultans, from time to time paid their homage at the Imam’s
u1d even Sultan Nasir al'Din Qachar of Iran offered
atihah here and made offerings (for the School and the poor).
Lvirt1"5 »f' a| Code, byJ Inla>n
»f lslfri aW “1’d ,b;es for ‘he Ca"PI t eatment
>»" rietv that was to I
i0fl,n,eSfhise^ortsa^be peace’an^?l^j7ays denounce the
•i^0Prophet’ on hl. . faith will a excesses
followers °f 3 d'their inhuman tools o was
S*?Te «3t of Mankind. The
2Hanifah (ra) - a ma" t tongUe, finer traits, and a
^X^”‘s’“idabove<hisin,el1
capability and versatahty.
His selflessness was a distinct characteristic of his life.
Hecould never be carried away by flattery or favours, and did
not accept rewards and official positions. One who would tell
things to one’s face especially that of a tyrant or an autocrat
»sure to displease all concerned. Which aspect of his
i ustnous career was not worthy ofemulation? He was truthful
■** * Pupils and learneJs °Slty’enllghtened in attitude
“l^ngofftheb^a ™ Sn>rri,t',ng loa"s favour of
*° his fo«i‘ud= to e''"5 b°rr0WerS’ mOre
*<s, (re neiehbours, patient wh • 0,her’s anger
,he of bX? ln difficul‘V or in
.Xbed‘.e'’110 u.

U_______________________ Emeralds in the Crownpfh^
Humanity. Allah alone knows the punishments that He in ’
impose on Al-Mansurand his ilk for afflictions to which
eminent servants of Islam and the Ummah were subject el
Allah well-pleased with them (the servants) and thev
Him, is a decisive and distinct announcement ofthe Holy Qu
Emeralds in the Crown ofj, ^
Three
/mam Malik bin Anas, ra., (93-179 H)
“Once Harun al-Rashid came to attend the
lessons in Imam Malik's inajlis. He had to be
seated a little below the Imam’s place (masnad).
OnlheaHei- hand, when Imam Abu Hanifah
so
Hanifah
ofdZZ fPhUP"S ,ha‘ he
64 prove “ lo that
j,ajk bin Anas (ral
years aft? J^'rteen years n j ,Vas Vounger tn
,an’-With beaui,nfU|ef.MSSedi>wavtwman’ At>u
*ApoX,h7With'helb*'^ated d e-v«. he ?Ctiv=
■to, XTbo'b the ? 30(1 rout M“"a«-»3r > dea Uni of

Emeralds in the Crown ofIslain
Mercy, on him be
peace.
Likewise, Imam Malik, while in the majlis (classes or
gatherings) ofthe Holy Quran and Hadith, teaching, answering
queries and issuing decrees on juridical matters, would observe
all the rules of an unblemished conduct and attitude. Before
joining the classes of the learners, he would have a wash or
perform ablutions, dress himself well, apply scent to self and
garment and comb his blessed beard. When asked why did he
exert so much before going to teach, he would reply, “I honour
the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, on him be peace.” An
instance of his personal culture may be noted. Once I bn Hazm
(the Imam’s own student) was holding a majlis of Hadith and
the tmam.passed by but left because there was no scope to sit.
When asked why he did not continue he renliprf “lu* •
w became
solation, of the i!sues statements and
these had been preserved in the docume H reCOrds’ Muc*i of
the Companions from whom the memories of
got them fund of knowledge Mahk h AdOtherbenef'ciaries
XclX^
Al.?011811
which he was destined to Pr°Ceedon Mth tht Ut hath His
his^diesand steadHy reSJImamMalikm''mission
i"1"=amooa,toE"'"Ahm*d’"'lvThT K"kk«i I’M
"“•at.
I
^n^oftheCompanions on’issues and also acted accord.ng
hisjudgment.Imam Malik’s greatestcontribution was his famous Hadith
compendium called Muwatta, which became popular right from
the years of its compilation (130-40 H), and the scholars and
juristsbelonging to his School as well as others benefited from
this timely collection. Malik’s Muwatta comprises 1700
narrations (Ahadith) of which 600 are termed marfu ’ 200
™w/, and, 600 are mauquf. The statements of the Tahi ’in
count 285. A thousand learners are said to have lista aunderImam Malik himself. It was arrano d d t0
'“juristic subjects and regarded the first §ed according
lheHadith aspect ofthe Sunnah Th • SyStematic Volume on
s”*°ZnXren''c -U’H0’f* .he
Xf?hM“"ah bin Abbas nor'ihe ‘thwe sl,°uId bet P.rOptlet’s
Mowcd'by’lhh ’'ished il•» be sim'l1^ °fAbd"Uah ii""6'’^
‘"SSestedtofm'J’"01’!' with no .L'’ flrieand fl. . " U|bar
lmamM*kthemeth°oddff^lty. As'^tobe
ecaUedit
CoPies of

41
48
' rrTthalmanner. Broadminded as the Imam was, he
“K Ca iph «»>'» *' P“"s ”st(“’e ’ge of
i knowledge bad spread in all regrons and the believers
were acting «p»» it- Caliph Harun al-Rashtd a so des,red that
Muwatta Malik be pleased on the walls of the K abah al-
Mushrifah and the people be induced to follow it. The Imam
told him thatthere had been disagreement among the Compan ions
in branches (furu'f The practices approved by each were in
vogue everywhere. In other words, he wanted to say that each
Muslim followed in the footsteps ofa particular Compan ion (who
had a Hadith with him) and found salvation. It was a sound
advice thatthe Imam conveyed to the Caliph, thereby removing
his confusion about a legal code to be adopted. The Imam meant
that his Muwatta could not be imposed as a final collection of
Ahudiih because not only there existed much of these but also
he might have, it is probable, imagined that in future other
dedicated men might accomplish a greater task in respect of
Hadith collection. And as the people witnessed eventually very
hard working and dedicated Muhaddithin emerged under the
îrmamentwh° left very rich legacies in the domain oftheS^nnaL
anykindofdissensiiwwithintheM TT l° haVe abhorred
his wider vision and foresight He h" Ummah bV virtue of
with the tragic events ofthe decides i bee" disaPPoi”ted
birth. He rejected the theolonir- 1 • lmmedlately preceding his
tbe^ttr'butesofGod.ForinstaCnceV1h'VSOftheÛ âzdah about
Enn^^-^he^^^ngnimself
■"novation.” Similady, as^be’ qUeStionin8 aboV^t?^
approve of anyth,n„ . as been stated, Imam , l ls an
°f the Islamic State and adverse'y the s^N 001
general attitude revealed that of the Faithn^
functioning ofan efn. that he would not lib . thful-His
“«Abb.„ts î
Maliki patten °?,’s'“,<|esiredto*s’,««ot
e le8al
chance was
w SX of
’,asXnsiveai’<lelat’
1J«'l'11,(‘b°e0'oo«'nment' . e in terms of th®
° Otion of d the Prophet on
1.-*'ik’sC^d‘«elucW<"Ss^
•J‘.‘'® X ,eac“X terms: “Knowledge was
.tot imam replied to him ' honour it, it will be held
pItd.utft»m,outhousehold. IfjOH
tSXsought about, it does notitself go tothe
seekers.” The Caliph had to agree to what the Imam stated.
Imam Malik Flogged.
Al-Mansur succeeded his brother Al-Saffah actually in
138 H, two years after the revolt of Abu Muslim Khurasan!
wssuppressed.Inl39HheorderedconstructionoftheCai; t, i
capital at Baghdad because he got tired of the Kufa
Curiously, the construction of the city was Pa J PeoPle.
supervision oflmam Abu Hanifah TlJ x, Carried Under the
and at Madinah the Radiant ?h n Mans”r Came fn u
«« WudodSufy^ “ ’ “rae of the Ulama ®for Haji
W. Before the riseoftb ’ “a,» Malik and sQ| ■ 1IR1 and
ortaa^ ikA^.ita, Man u" a®an KhaWas

Emeralds in tlte Crown of /siaH)
"OKbu Abdullahi _ . .
-Uavebeen confounded by the juristic differences
among Muslims, as 1 see them. There is nothing
worthwhile in Iraq in this respect (that is there is
no unanimity')Tn Syria, there is no great knowledge
(tobringhelievers together). If there exists anything
fby way of juristic legacy) it is in the Hijaz. And, in
the Hijaz (Makkah and Madinah), you are the
leading light. 1 wish to keep the Muwalta in the
Haram (K’abah). The people should have recourse
to it and copies of the volume be prepared and sent
to various regions of the Caliphate so that fatawa
Screes) are issued according to it.”
afminga^J^?^^’ ^bu Abdullah (Imam Malik) gave
Wove ot OI a as .^mentioned elsewhere. He did not
4WthaUaa° 'J the Caliph’s proposal. There is no
w WernTn<uâ^’ûânThauri and a few
thernwm'n''^V''4'Jebada'n°vOnOUr them was their desert
despteTa°'Uca'motive as wel1 >n treating
at-Z.akiâ1?^6xWiiajQh ct shown to Imam Malik was
off'«oftheUiJr°f Muhammad Nafs
ad received the right claimant to the
SassuW'onwasi“a'■^'‘gh tQad n'a'ntained that Mansur
-r. 1 l'lt4%u|,e Whods and hence
d,Vorce.
ref““d
blessed bod, garments, and ,, &oveu X n 6S a8a'nst
b“ Cb?en
tK,nls «rihe Ss“'C>>i’in"er>
,s o'd at
60 ye*l , who
.vins^mo^.êtbinr
words ft0 vnows <«e " ,he effect
but fissue /«“•*“ the cruel
tbe11”1 wel1’ he bin Anas-1 „ âying e after
c'eaning d told the Pe°Ple had offered pray
prayer3 Pd and after thath after
beenfloggedana P for Hajj 058 b aHv
c linh Mansur came had already
I menandVlama.
■o Abu Abdullah! you will be the shelter of the
residents of Al-Haramain (Makkah and Madinal)
till the end ofyour life. The afflictions they should
undergo, will not be imposed on them because of
you. 1 know, the people of the two Holy Cities (not
all of them necessarily) are given to sedition. And
then, they have no strength to fight with constancy
As for J’afar (the enemy of Allah), 1 have (besides
fciuissinghim from governorship), ordered that he
I should be brought to Baghdad on a donkev i
humiliatingcondition.” Key ln a
I Rowing that the Wm°^ th
, hlta to them (in prison^ a. u PP°rter of the sari ’ th°ugh
' ofTu °f reconc'V'at'on. The Car bu SSad0r With^’ depUted
a * ^Ssage
news

Emeralds in the Crown of isiain
52
whichlregret.lt was your duty to obey me, refiain from talking
evil of me, and were 1 at a fault, you could have advised me (to
check it).” Imam Malik in reply recited verse 6 of Surah Al-
Hujurat which reads:
”0 you who believe: if any iniquitous person comes
to you with a (slanderous) tale, use your
discernment, lest you hurt people unwittingly and
afterwards be filled with remorse of what you have
done."
The Caliph then asked how they (the U lama) took him to
be.TheImamreplied thathe should be excused from answering
the query.Ibn Abi Sam’am exceeded in praising the Caliph at
bls face so that it sounded flattery. But lbn Z’eb returned a
harsh’ reply when questioned. He said bluntly: “You are the
orst creature. The wealth ofMuslims you misappropriate and
oennu”'8'^'1' ^°UT sp'endour a"d dignity. You murder poor
pointed to. axe perp'exed lhe rich families." At this Mansur
replied- “Ye'sl thhaSked wbat U was- lbn Abi Z’eb
^tterthanthedeatho?rC'mVtar 'Whatthen? Today’s death is
and Ibn Abi Z’Tleft ZTV” after’lbn Abi Sam’ an
s"tmgclosetothe Calinh J m?m continued for some time,
'"s clothes. The Imam answ^^™thathe smelt hanut in
^erece"'edbyhimatanunearthl T CabPba' summons
M>duM?isitpo MwnSUt teio'tted—sSthat he had g'Ven
hernia Of .
*ea<so mJhe hX'"6 age’Malik
I wntinued. Wh m ’th’maiUs> teachin exp'a"i hJ? about
athe'"'8'"
dass'sted ddo^°
I*pU a A Ihv he wept- He eP of
1^' 160 °nea°d ■' atepup'V^ . j that in P a „
I
^tiono ,pe0 who v/iH . uld have recei
•"'d“’0tH S»e<"’la"a'O8K' hep^d aw^-
eaclifawal'ssu fu| when hep
Mes*ereS . of his death. He was
wnMaliUraiwasSda^.^ of M-Baqi’>"
WJtorest inthehistor.e andsa d Mosque and
the Radiant. stated that someone (tn
Mausoleum. ‘Umar bm recited on the sad occasion,
.team)heird these . the morning when the leader
**,S0flS a”Z ±ve He was always the Intant of
iCTXwUe. Peace of Allah be on hint until
the Day of Resurrection.”
The death of Imam Malik was mourned throughout the
realms of Islam. When Sufyan bin Uyaynah was informed in
! Kufah about it, he remarked: “Malik has not left on enrtb’n
surface a parallel of his own.” Abu J’afar Oari S
500 H) composed an elegy 322 years after Malik’ (<t
Much he spoke highly of Muwatta and hk S eXpiry in
l«*roftaamakShafi'i.TwovWMs()f paving been the
I ut-l . t are:That Imam, who, by hie u
Prophets Sha,i.ah,b’ *"»a«Q, 0 h
might be committed aPa- ” feared that i the
8ainst * some qu? lnjustice
Pupil oth
,mGood

Emeralds in the Crown
54
Imam Malik, an Estimate
Writershold a unanimous view that Imam Malik bin Anas I
Ira) possessed rare qualities required in a true traditionist, scholar
and jurist.Yethe kept a low-profile of himself. He was a regular
and frequent adorer of Allah Subhanahu, and one who always
used to have the Holy Quran by his side for study, remembrance
and contemplation. On the night preceding every Friday he would
meditate, and on the first of every month he would pass a vigil.
Almost all his actions and movements demonstrated utmost
respect for the Apostleof Allah, on him be peace, and, when he
uttered his blessed name, his face would change its hue. He
°n an an’ma' w'thin the holy area because he
'S' ed the very idea that his conveyance should trample the
aemunr^ °nthe Prophet used to move and walk. His
teachine'ana ” ^post'e and his preoccupation with the
'•XJX' ■1ta“ L“
Wtth the blessings of seeing him in dreams.
Imam Malik’s
7“ VerV deep becausp ment to Madinah al-Munawwarah
âm^ndt0nsoVldat.o° 'ts history with regard to the rise of
and Mausoleurn 'm Power’the existence of the
andlQVer7 vnch °f the citv ? Prophet of Mercy, on him be
°t the XTte retreshed hisrmeand moment of sacred
dinar"Peace 0°^ and 'lfe in the vicinity
'J'Ba«hdad.ihea,n<ite<4'1nstedth2kCe,Ca'lph A1‘Mahdi sent
"namessa6e sa^J^d to J Shou'd shift to and settle
Ci» ““
Possm6^kkaV'tmpof2 VV'C P'ace. ’sd'nars back but he
^dmah.H^'âsve^ Jd’ûsedt^ver Imam Malik
the then ‘ya?nce it bej" the shortest
Makkan Qut2^’ had °ar seParati
, ofh'S
t>”d a?s fof hlS
W*'"’ did "‘Ct 0°° d'"l hlS,
" w <he lCn»bi’ p’tb»8s°lclVncia
;ss^tW oê-'«') i and Pa'd It,om'ts °n
int° "’S
of wt'0”' iaiifio’t’s',t.cas>o»''e . f horse-
I* ’Tw*""’M*.»» °"e “ of *« H'S
0*o'*^his esteem Pe*U he
lhelmain S t.me bad ? e came to . QOns to t
*aieI f0 toVsn’f’’1 dur'"g
.E,„severyt'’>ngf»ta hon>e,
fc«- , »'>n'SeJ
of examples to be fo oW tbe foot a scorpion that had
, of Hadith when he wa .vedtbebites ofthe poisonous insect
ZXX'he spoke io the audience his facial colour
changed. Abdullah ibn Mubarak who was present on the
I occasion inquired about the trouble and reason for perturbation.
I The Imam simply replied that he was beingbitten by ascorpion.
I Once a poet, Ibn Sirkhun, came to the Imam saying that he had
I mentioned him in his verses and that he wanted to roMto ru
»«plM»hjeh t«a ■‘MkthcM»fti0fMadirah wh , the
wsssml me Imam Who had lh Wher love
' composed a satire, said that he had ■ 1 the P°et had
That speaks of the element of h POt lssued Such a f
juhst. At one time, CalXJ hut^ in the traditin fâ-
thepremisesofthepX^^^êakmp
by reciting the verse A, , M°S(He. The U 8 °U(11y within
"al”....... (al'Huât). UQSVvaâ?SllencedhinA
"’’'Wain Se|f .
5elf'Pride

56
Emeralds in the Crown oflsiain
despite his quality of self-abnegation. He took care that this
privilege or trait of Islamic scholars, jurists and Muhaddithin
should be guarded in every way. The idea was to enhance
prestige and interests in scholarship and respect for the teachers.
His mode ofteaching in the class or majlis was symbolic of his
particular resolve. Whoever came there sat in awe of the great
teacher and no one could cross the limits of educational culture.
With regard to imparting knowledge his reply to Harun al-Rashid
isknown, andhe with his sons had to present himself for listening
to Muwatta.
The majlis of lessons conducted by the
accordingly, presented a view of scholastic gran , . an(j
teacher andthe taught would dress themselves imp was
set an example in cleanliness. /V standard decor muCh
maintainedandsilenceprevailedwhile the study was on so
so thatthe learners would turn over leaves without pro u
sound. It would appear that they were in front of a r°Y
personage. The atmosphere of the room was filled W'
hatgrance.'Why it should not have been so? The building was
the one in which Umar bin al-Khttab (rdh) had been residing
andthe adorn and awe ofhis greatness seemed to have continued
rpanorama of a most attentive majlis wasSt^?ed^feeanwaVand SUV ofvisitors, officials of
scholars to
, ^“wr’sCoart would, on
1 not so below his
1 love Qr ^'txes °ne could notbe °n be Peace•
' say, “1know ^ueW, issue or questionV® thou&bt he
‘ 'vould sometime* X* v surpri’sin s'mply
' around. bockthequestionerandshoinquirer.
People
1 r'nalv,tmamM
lk^.wouldfor£ethiSo^_
i
This?-
around.
V'°U1 ts iut’StS’
and t"e
their
id

lm»m Muhammad bin Itlric
•l-Shiffi. ra., (150-204 II)
w«ri
• /'
?/>/ "—'
, f*,rn
,^exfrt^P*"<r” P j |e»«OfH ,n ,h*
r '*"’’** rh- Hnh O«f4n 4 I
H1’wble r „ r he
,„7Hot»c«yjw'wp'^ F
* '’’^Z
< r'• fcecommit the fllW(itta For three
. .^memorising Imam MaltK s Min»w«
:.. awrded.tc.itcn in H.dith etc. from MuJhm !>'"
,,.e- tW Mufti of Makkah. who. during this period was
- ... - -. the intelligence, diligence and sharpness of the
... »-ner The Mufti desired him to proceed to Mildinah
■•'*-'»nd studs under the guidance of Imam M.ilik (ra).
■ eriut' n by th.it time had reached its zenith. As
‘ - ’*d h»d no money, he was advised to meet Mtis’ab bin
I'-d enough to recommend h..n to .„, m(,milte
**<•* ifli <
•■••la — »((„„,/ .1
•„ ,., M' M" af'”
’'’’'’“Mun, hit
; "■< n. ,,,,d
^>-.'*** "'■•»
*”" ■■ '<a' ”*•• *IW ,,A
*..........„,; *"*/</
“ '•■■• «... ' "•■■ ‘C >‘»u yex,hc*s
•** **. ‘Ma
J** 'Mlh ^***<-k
... * "•'»* *** iV4,,‘ n j
/“ " • ,... **“**».,
*“>■• ‘^Abu
*- ■c ■■• ■^SSS;?'
' M"‘ <*h M H
I. . (.» d.«Muhimmad btn Writ found himself at the
tool ta.m M.ltV. residence With great reverence he
t>r .nedtothe esteemed Imam the purpose of his coming and
hMOed ova to him a message from Muslim bin Khalid. The
ham saw it but was displeased saying, “Glory be to God! has
* Pledge of the Messenger of Allah come to such a pass
tanshouldbe obtainednow through recommendatory lett.-rc^
M-Wt’i (known as such because one of hi« , ' CrS‘
taaame),wrth all respect related his pethetu tai* nCC’tOrS had
'« the wrath of the judicious-niinded I S° el°MUcntly
--.wt^tusnan. «ii(tota,[’uh„ded H
W •> ■eponw Bhl„ tooku„
.‘<bvyi sers soon sour 4q °ntinu». i P,rdnt
three years. tnha^*Allah
®measc benefit ffom •* o« %M - lr»*hulluh „
WtsencdaaddissoBif^ *c*lth of i.f "8 ar»d Jra.,
"“'"'.tton ’"mg

Emeralds in the Crown of[siQl
$o when turning over their pages the learners took care not to
disturb the tranquil atmosphere. Great respect was shown to
the teacher. When ai-Shafi’i was asked to read what he could
from Mmvatia,he recited portions by rote (orally) having already
saved the narrations in his memory. Pleased with the boy, the
reveredImam advised him “to make piety your habit: time will
come when Allah will confer greatness on you.’ At some stage
of his study Imam Malik informed al-Shafi’i: “Allah has
bestowed on you the (radiant) light: it is obligatory on you to
safeguard it and not waste it by committing a sin.”
Among other teachers of al-Shafi’i were Sufyan bin
Vy^ynah,Ibrahimal-Ansari,Muhammad bin Islamil Fiddik and
ov™ Pupils included renowned men such as Imam
°nmam ^khari), Harmilah bin Yehya,
<z-afrani)’
othtts.Ma^ of bis 'UM" 'mam ^mad bin Hanbal and
tradmooists.)oma1u'S')eCamed’stlnSuished as jurists and
say/'d he and he nf.v'ian'’'mama'’Shafi’i would sometime
v'oufdhedefewed.” ' Weto debate on a point, the latter
Imam al-Shaff-
^dvemXTto^^'iX^ lmam Malik t0 ‘SSUe
ll'Wwcase , . ason was that the former
wretuUy. Patllcu,ar but strange
rare an y ? ’ ai»risr he proceeded
*;rhe b°<* °r”“ *«• »“»ss s""1* «'*k Thar was
and valuable am of them ar '"'me >PJUdence) and
*•*“ m ics b* ai-SI,af ttradistinclion to the
* P v Ial.Fiqh, tn con (branches)
S»g».tfra”'bKera0,s......
. was a very capable debater and one
J dcepIrTnt^rested^n^cfarifyingissues andJuristic points. But it
„mstbatallhiseffortswereaimedatconvincinghts scholastic
orjuristic‘rivals’ intheinterestofunanimity. On the otherhand,
/ hewasall outto denounce the theologians who had imported
controversialissuesand untoward philosophical notions into the
dominionsofIslam and created dissensions within the ranks of
I Muslim Ummah. Imam Ibn Taimiyyah (ra) quotes al-Shafi’i
Wta-theologians should be beaten with shoes and palm-
! AI
M'Sgarment,he would not succeed ’ Th Wl10tOok il to
■r-Xter,mam ai-
I "" belP»f scholastic tt' j"e"'h° would seekV a"d lmar»
'••'tai).’ heol°Sy wou|d |ur'e^0'»ledge by
Al-Shan- a" allleiS'

_________ ....... “J islam
duhamshc repliedthat itwas the right ofthe recipients to have
rhe amount as assistance and relief, and added, he had saved
himsetfthus from accountability on the Day of Last Judgment.
The End of the Genius-Imam, 2004 H.
hi Baghdad, Imam al-Shafi’i stayed for two years, went
backto Makkahal-Mukarramah, performed the Hajj in 198 H,
returned to Caliphal capital where he spent a few months and
then shifted to Egypt and remained there upto the end of his
life. His last days there showed him at his best in piety so that
he shivered and trembled at times with the fear ofAllah as ifhe
had achieved nothingin this world and served no cause during
hisbrieflife (54 years was not a long period). This was surely
the quality of self-abnegation when we know it for certain that
the eruditeImamhadbehind him sufficient spiritual strength of
'C ti"^ Sa""S I0''’*’)'0) would be jealous. Twice had he
in the^.J10^ °ôve’on him be peace, in early age. Once
ProphetanDliedh V'arCOmm.anded t0 come nearer and the
Mlahblessye.” m Ups and ton8ue> saying, “Go ye,
the Apostle offering l 6 Same time a'‘sbafi’i dreamed of
sermonto the people Ali? abah and then g'ving the
teachmetoo.”The MeseP„ '' re<Juested'- “O Apostle of Allah,
°UV a balance (mizanl from^° ^"ab’on bim be peace, brought
aad 8ave it to al-Shafi’i,Allah 6 lmam> Ptopaeatino tk ’nterPretertold him that he^WepeaCeP the Sunnah ofthe Apostle of
flttcd ^haf?' had shifted to fb
7"nua'»ndmieiuS.Pr°eramme.Hislât H and the
fot ''anouj ctual beehive, it Wa. r dence turned to be a
^Xptr'&&'Sn^Sn716Uldance’ fowled? peOple
anen<JePm'n&t'enteofM l?amal'Shafl’i whi' decrees
here * also a ' ® fect °n
report that he
, n’i ra (150^JU---------- “nd
)h»**ofl"“‘
Ztoin,,tere was an0,IKr °pp°nen' al'sh ’
AbdolAziz, aMalikijurist, who alwaysprayed for
ihcendoftheImam for the latter’s continuity would efface the
MalikiJurisprudence. When this was reported to him, Imam al-
Shafi'i had simply to say that one who prayed for his death,
shallalsodie even though he might followhim sometime after.
Imamal-Shafi’i wrote on somejuridical points differing therein
.“"r^-«t“e W~?™m°"ed ^ked
'êedays time to think over On h'S and sought
“”dde"'y"<l the people weresue‘h'rd"'8h>,he governor
mam remarked, “Allah Pff P dbythe°ccurrenrPS,ab"—homHelikes^lah efface^ -hom he wish^
Itwas a ‘Asr time on Rajab 30,204 H., it being Thursday,
thatthe condition ofthe Imam worsened and his disciple, Imam
Ibrahim Muzani, came and satbeside him, and heard these words
expressed by the departingjurisconsult ofIslam:
“I am leaving this world now dennw .
brethren, and sipping the cud o/n 'ng my
meeting my past actions P death. I wilj b
Court of Allah, not knowi m §°>ng to th
.. y™ al-Shafl- an'ha1?’’ ’
ashe leaned <
Message to the

64
the Hereafter:
Emeralds in the Crn
0 Thou Merciful Lord! Thoueh I □
come to beg at Thy Court " S’nner> I
har(fened and all doors were clo ' a " 'ny he*rt
"y hope a step towards Thy R L m6’ 1 made
&'7ys overlooked my sins and unCSS- Thou hath
FglVen me because of n 9 °rtCOmings and
lienee were n ° hy Liberality /f T"d
W0FshiPPerandpiOus ""th the Applicant ?
forgiveme Th hlSsalam yv , "y loured
'■'•»S?b,l,lw«r»±y„L?:d! if noa
yhou were to 3nd n'ght in cOm disobedient’
MPea,tached Jot? me’1 shall nm'“r,'"8 S'ns’ If
p y err°rs thron i?’ even if sent 3bandon niy
L°rgiving and 8 °Ut ha*e hp "Ced to Hell
The de‘° the 6neas. Very and
Co|ossa| |Se °f ‘he Im ? ^nna Lilial * *‘s bodi1v 3S be was
fune^ le«in3 ah pray^M by 5 Sn a| ‘'Ona of the
HaSan hPraVers ofthouSa a having , lntirnate n afl' Was
^am
demise
Mj,
his lasting
rMl^'snob . f.he category
. ^'“^j^f^irown- During
I ■**’" I"Ttad a spiritual standingot ■ f the
a"d af'er T'X7ed distinctly.
I That was the case wi Hanbal dreamed of him, an
,t(loi Houri), and then He said, O al-Shafi i, My favour has
been on you because you were never arrogant nor were you
(given to haughtiness on receiving Divine Bounties.” In another
dream the departed Imam told his student, Rabi’ bin Sulaiman:
“0Rabi’! Allah hath rewarded me with forgiveness, got me
seated in a golden chair, and the angels showered pearls on me
•X™Xas7i;»s^haq;rrr<,s a dream °f
I S==:S
> a|-'XX Xsouls- Ib» 4-
Md ‘"formed?6 Saw
t0 account ” £ H'm to f°rgiVe 'to A,lah?” i^6Ssenger
BaSL

&
Emeralds in the Crown of isiai1l
Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi’i, and the best of these was the
one writtenby the famous grammarian, Ibn Duraid.
mam aVShafi'i's Distinctions
The oungest Mufti
Muhammad bin Idris al-Shafi’i (ra) learnt all that he could
during his three years stay with Imam Malik (ra) as his guide,
inspirer and unique instructor, and benefited from his enriching
fund of 10,000 narrations he had preserved in his memory. Al-
Shafi'i was now sixteen years old. The Imam had permitted
himtoissuejatawaonhisownandthisby acurious occurrence
whenadealer in doves came to the Imam seeking his verdict in
a divorce case. When he explained the matter, the Imam told
him that the talaq (divorce) had taken place. By chance, the
man met al-Shafi i outside the majlis and he gave the opinion
av 'he talaq was not valid. The person again went to Imam
T'0nedt0Wma'-Sha{'',',sviewofthe matter. When
him to the ™ re?exp'a’n lbe P°'nt, his intelligent pupil referred
^d submitted?o m P?P°Sal of Fat'mah bint Qais which she
told the mÂp°S? °f Mlah’ on him be Peace- The
Simultaneously heamk 76 '?e d'vorce has not taken place.
1 cases. Being much satHâ a''SbaF' 't0 issue his verdicts on
I scholar.But al-Shafi’i dton Ae capab'lity of the young
I X^nab an e J jêd the majlis of
B «^kahT Wm on Hadith, iuriâmflMaUk’ learning more
■ Z*'s narratedS? Sufyaa askeda't^.p^'1 commentary
B '"'cncoccati abow lhe Pronhw f' 't0 exPlain Imam
B ^hen °n accompanied by Um ’ h'm be Peace> who
■ 4eT„TM“»'"SafTO.h.
'cchtorn lm 10 issues fatax. actory answer
B H al MaiPhOfession of a Muff ° lndependent'y-
I ^’ia8G ’and^ked—huntill9;
'âl-i^’Hairan.
metnS’Cities ana
qUaUfiôn had
“" aeett"'"’65 “d am01”"
<C^"d,,’eint’ X"natureof^^Xoftbe
<:X*bilitieS IdedW"> '° °' XlteHng
>°be fai: a secret
dreca;itt
X as such a supporter of the
Shafi’iwhebemgaHasltm
Sadat,the Caliph’s rivals.
c boh Harun al-Rashid was enraged by Mutrib’s letter
i ..d ht Jl a hshtening command to one Hamed Barban that
both Al-Shafi’ i and the Sadat should be arrested and directed to
Baghdad. When the detenues reached there, the Caliph ordered
that each day ten Sadat should be executed. On the day when it
was the turn of al-Shafi’i with others, he kept his spirits high
and delivered an eloquent address so that Harun trembled ad
he was brought to tears. He cancelled the order of ■
Yet, on another occasion, Imam al-Shafi’- ■ .eXecuÔn-
literary discussion. The Caliph was r dU i Participated in a
when al-Shari’f began his arguments he ’n'nh8 the and
manner and admired the sneak* > / k hls Seat in a „
rewarded him with 500 dina^hU °f knoX*
k’yun handed over to him with am°uPt Harth
Caliph Harun appreciated a|_Su eqUal anioun bin
Master of Arts & e . Sl,bject 10,1 ar>d
w-shat'’i -O
11 Ji-k j^--

-----------------Emeralds in the Crown oflsin^68-----------------------------------________________________________________ .
Madinah, joined for some time the tribe of Azd (linked to his
mother), andthen visited the Yeman where he made best ofthe
time in various subjects in the midst ofthe tribe ofHuzail, famed
for itsperfectness in language, eloquence and oratory. Al-Shafi’i
gottrainedin archery, philology, historiography, genealogy and
the method of discernment. He mastered each of the subjects
and men in the relevant field recognised his perfection in each.
Thus,attwenty al-Shafi’ i had picked up lessons in linguistics to
hisown satisfaction. Astonishingly, he had also memorised 10,000
verses from the poetry of Huzail. One wonders at al-Shaf’i’s
retentive memory,yet, more surprising is his composing a couplet
m whichhe says: 1 complained to Waki’ (bin Yehya) about my
memoir t0 8'Ve “P ‘sinnin§’ <t0 imProve
memory).’’
«S^S^X",i,ers'
al-Razi hav/T11 Zarnakhshari (of th**1^1 ^A1'Sbafi’i’s own
DrMpt that he Saw tron°my (heavo . rt ot Harun al-
®ole Th ‘ 24 days an? bab> will be k * person and
al Sklnthe seien *Fe<1Uest to al1 books
f°rete“ things.
Sc'ence . w°uldoft enceofM ,edthatv_ °tb|ngs __
'“hristia- ’’''nd 7,.. nteir
Sthei^;
.tfuiiy asser*f
,ve’u Science ot
the.Ls in the
Iman1 al"
ashed in ‘he”e '“r”b«eor in his oW"sthend in sa,d
•„ Arts and
I 1Shafi’ihad"’ns,eredSUTdC,toheagood
Th,,*”a Hsed fact. Yet. he pr°ved needs of a
Si*' » ’ re“8ttal he was well aware facilitate
Versified the requisites of
firing meaningful educa 10 quartrajns. Said he.
gaining true knowle ge in things and these
sufficiency, good guidance of a (capable) teacher, and the time
span (at the disposal of the teacher and taught).
Imam’s Discerning Eye
Imam al-Shafi’i was favoured by Allah with a powerful
penetrating sight or the quality of discernment (farasat) and
«iBht.ThereIsaHadith,-"Bewareofadiscerningbeliever
because he sees things through the Light nf tu r £Ver’
Apparently, this quality is the result of n °f L°rcL”
understanding and inspiration and profound tT S 1 ntel 1 ’ SenCe,
J ny instances which point to the fact th t ?0"8111' There are
seeming eye, backed by a fecund h • Imam al-Shafi ’ • >
thmg whenever he guessed ah • bra,n’ Could get tL * 1 S
Micular person was a ’b“« «. While he c*® tbe right
Baih ”'M,“ f"’<lhis s7 “ ”'lor’he couIrid tbi" a
lhau,horityofaUefective 'J a
latke)ama. Mosque '(’“‘bf(JI aper am Ibrahin, |u ‘n,8m
10 go and ask lu„( , al-Shaf;.- an,»l>|> tk that
with the dafeetV^rhe " ” 'Med R"8 SleeDi„ '
informed him th ,r^ls eVe Tu S ln Seamk bin Q, . ?
cam °^isNp a,nian
■■ 5
a'i tfie

■0
Emeralds in the Crown ofIslam
riddle.Imam al-Shaff i said in answer.
"I understood that the man in search of his slave
acted as if someone had run away from him. He
went to that quarter of the Mosque where black
slaves sleep and among them he was looking at the
right side of each face. I thought some Negro with
a defective eye must have absconded. It is within
my knowledge that when a slave is hungry he
commits theft. And if he has eaten to his fill, he
commits adultery. Hence, 1 concluded that for either
of the two crimes he must have been sent to jail.”
Imam Muzani was reported to have said ve
was exactly the same with the perplexed man s blac
Poverty to Prosperity
As a firm believer, Muhammad bin Idris al-b a
possessedtwo greattraits ofthepious andthe faithful: sincerity
ofpurpose, and, completetrustin Allah Almighty, the Sustainer
ofalllivingbeings.Throughouthislifewouldhe feel contented
withwhathe hadinhand. Accordingto his own statement, for
10 years, he never ate to his fill. The quality of contentment
freed him fromhumiliation, disappointment and hopelessness,
hefeningto domestic discomfort, its one reason was a man’s
M WS4TOM’S asking for more and more.
quotedW 6 ome a family an unhappy one. The Imam
X :XTtaV‘’HaShr' “.....hJrather give them
own lot for such fro,6 u!*’ eVen t,,ough poverty be their
that shall ulla,„^lr ,°WM Covetousness are saved-
,ani 10 a happy slate (that s prospeHtyf. ”
kT- PQOr boyhe never hoarded monev JP^mber,n8those early yea2
• r afar13317 the nCeded
oke A"ahn e he *aS
«°°'d vth6y.
.rot'11'0’■«, from '*°t ? Muzf"' ,.e handed
fot X message of8 fot
OT|e who lose hope. On u others (related or
complained to him thathe and provisions,
not)but athome there was o(rowed 70 dinars but on his
TWmamwentto some one and
door °fhis
residence when a Quraishi called him from behind for asS!Stance.
The Imam placed the meagre amount before him asking to take
bom it what he needed. The man went away with the cash
balance. He explained the whole matter to his wife and the
family slept that particular night silently. Next morning, J ’ afar
bin Yehya al-Barmaki, the Premier of Harun al-Rashid’
messenger to the Imam who went to see him not V ’•Sent 3
'eason for the call. J’ afar related to him the d n°Wlng the
Previous night and inquired whether whnt he had the
jnect.Imam al-Shaffi replied that he had had Seen was
the same the other day. At this the w/ Per,enced exactl
bun to accept the gift of one th W&Z!r U’afarl , Ctl^
'tT,syThisismeM^hC"d (tlquested
***•: ,inhisAT^
him to
is mentu
The Imam’s Hospitality
Imam al-Shafi’ i’s anothi
. 'li i—
^Shis
9
*

Emeralds in the Crown of isiain
visitorsand guests with politeness. That gave an idea of a true
adherent of"the Faith and values propagated by Muhammad,
'alaihissalam, Accordingly, the Imam behaved as a humble
believer and did not make a show of his wealth and permitted
nowaste ofthe assets in worldly trifles so that the hearts ofthe
poor were not annoyed. In this respect he always kept in mind
the commands of the Holy Quran and the instructions of the
Messenger of Allah, on him be peace, of which the underlying
objective was to build a balanced society in a pleasant
atmosphere. One of the ways of contributing to such conducive
environment was to maintain a graceful and hospitable attitude
towards the people. The Imam gave his ideals and likings a
concrete form. He had, for instance, appointed a maid-servant
for making sweats and these were offered to friends, visitors
vj tbe pupils. Those who called on him, he
smi p C°nVerse with them with affection and with a
cn^m^ happy when feeding °F
>n return for the nood rt hablt t0 exceed in doing favour
to serve he would remune S°meone-lf he engaged a person
saw a capable archer st v™ & boub'V or trebly. Once he
h'mself a capable marksm'ngthe nghttarSet. The Imam being
could have given him more'h ^Ve '1’m tbree ^’nars though he
N . a the money been on his person.
Nasir al-Sunnah.
Intani al > ■
Sunnah of
suppon-y. 6 ansWere(i the sam ma° 'nTu'red from him
,’nd . Hadilh
berdict^aS lmatn ni'Shafi’■>
es>hewOU|d
S^.'<^ntio inform
isl.«oe give an ‘Xs "re always meant to uphold
I fe«o»s «ith o*er scholars * felse h and
tenth He was never 8 and (he rea( t0 the best of
evertriedto say the right, the corr
hisknowledge.
The Imam on’ the Saif and Science
An endearing quality and habit of Imam al-Shafi’ i was to
accord full honour to seniors, teachers, geniuses and reputed
scholars, and, above all, to the Companions of the Prophet of
Mercy, on him be peace. Whenever the Suhabah (the
Companions') were mentioned or remembered in a mail’ u
would say. “The Companions are above us (ton J *S’ he
in every Science (‘Ilm) and, interpretati tr PeriOrto US)
(Taqwa) and wisdom (Hikmah)." as n pjety
mention was made on an occasion nf i g3rds ern'nent
M-Shafi’i remarked with all r 013111 A.bu Hanifak n’
(meaning‘all of us’) in Jurist“1^
Imam AbuHanifah (ra) ” a ! arp ?he PeoP|e
The imam rejoined: T™ "Phed that e "’“'"d from . J'1’ Of
>»fou dci'^
'""‘'edge 'ea<:her
8 the fact

and action (’Amal) Gnp'/"'™ °f llis Ovv'i in I
about one’s solemn nl a dayaPers°n cante tn i'l0W/edge r7,
■rtd * ;hoi';;’.’"“Us
,i, ‘ ^’''nanial.sht.rv Sufyan bin ‘iiv 11 s°meOnB
“Had br
and Xry ? after. leL Cn toP'cwiSe H t/,e sunrise
°CCUrred 1 °uld take Son °n Poetry o ,SCUSs'ons would
"* »’ rS'nm’r' '
‘"•m.ie adoX^, rhe
'*^°heree »
reC|„ lpants tSpene wa?, a,'shar y°ne SwOre.
the r>Se’9,1 an51'n bi to be L^e*ng h ' *■ On Otl re ascetic
endsiy and
J,was
„ hill «n the
Safa (opp°site was with us. By
! "Xlnd chat ofthe halfofthe inhabited world were weighed
I Mofthelmam would exceed in balance. Once Imam Ahmad
I ^Hanbal went with Fadhl, the father ofMuhammad bin Barazi
(thenarrator) for Hajj. Quite early he went out and it was thought
, that he had gone to join the majlis of Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah, a
I student ofImam Zuhri. Surprisingly, it was found that he was in
I themajlis ofal-Shafi’i whom Ibn Hanbal thought to be that best
in the knowledge ofthe Holy Quran. He informed his comoan ion
, fahe was Muhammad bin Idris aOnraich; a j- 0mPanion
I «».idi, the teacher of Imam BuSari, aX X ,mam
“no «*
«d more of the Quran bP“P' ’ he w»uId ask him . 'ntelllgent
hC "ei'°recite "’ore
Y^WnMXmadbinH«bal ls. k
a.....
>.2«
I
%JXX
’*oX
hof5
melod,ous'-ecitation

Emeralds in the Crown ofisiain
'6_
would throw stones on birds in their nests and if they flew
towards the right they would proceed, and if they flew to the
left they would abandon the idea. Thus would the people of pre-
Islamic age disturb the birds at an unearthly time. This evil
custom, the Prophet ofMercy, on him be peace, did not approve
of. and he commanded to stop it accordingly. At this, the three
well-known Imams acknowledged al-Shafi’i’s comprehension
and the grandeur of his status as a scholar. Imam al-Shafi’i
applied deductive method in solving a juristic tangle. When he
was asked what does the Quran say about one’s killing a wasp
in Ahram, he at once recited: "ma atakum al-rasulfa khuzuhu
"a ma nahakum 'unhu fantahu", —('what the Apostle
commands you follow it (take it) and what he forbids abstain
r?elmam referred t0 a Hadith’ ‘After me, O
andheia^ Stlai^ain>(meaning) Abu Bakr and Umar,”
XS?de(’"An^Vraw had permitted to kill the
■ Thlslsh°w the Imam satisfied the inquirers.
(ImpierFive
ImamAhmadbinHanbal,ra.,
(164-241 H)
MdM.ri.lic Scholars of Islam: An Objection!
“The first thing to be understood in this
connection is that the broad outlines of Islamic
Law, consisting of mandatory and unalterable
edicts and fundamental principles and
limitations, have always been accepted
unanimously by all Muslim Scholars of Thought.
Neither there ever was, nor there is now any
conflict of opinion regarding this portion of our
Lws. Whatever difference ever arosealways in connection with the dptnti W°S
“ framed through inteojf Ve™
^utthud. -auffZTfff d‘^‘>on
escribed by hlam .. (ls 'Ae limits
c«"mtt,tie,„,Pp.42.43) (,slam>o Law and
AWnUuhammadbinHanbaVspedigree canmam Ahmadbm^^^ and ‘ Adnan andthroughthem
hetracedto
son of the Patriarch, tbrahim, peace betothe Prophet s rep0Tte(yt0besome differencein
^w'0®a°?k “V'™4*»ofmiddle
were utmost attvactwe and elegant. He was brought nn a
educatedm’Baghdadwhvchcttywasseniortohintby abouttwt

Emeralds in the Crown of lsiait)
78
and a half decades. He travelled far and wide for study and
collection of Ahadith and received titles (asnad) from each
teacher such as Imam al-Shafi’i, Yehya bin Saeed al-Qattan,
Sufyan bin‘Uyaynah, Waki' bin Yehya and others as well. Those
who related Hadith on his authority included imam Bukhari,
Muslim bin Hujjaj, Abu Zir’ah and Abu Dawud. As the time
passedhis School of Jurisprudence produced some ofthe erudite
men in various fields who served both religion and Muslim
societyofthe day. His two sons, Abdullah and Saleh, not only
learnedHadith from him but also were his spiritual successors.
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (ra), despite his concentration
on gatheringthe wealth ofHadith, could write many books which
me uded subjects connected with Hadith, juristic issues and
thefn°a aS a'so re8u'ations about Muslim worship and
his KimTu S°ftheFaith- AmonS his important works are
A,i T“"b <'«■A
the Presidency of I ?V^been Slnce printed and published by
fnr the most outstand'10 and P awah, Riyadh. However, by
monumental collection''ta' WOr^ tbe 'mam (ra) *s b*s
comprising 30,0qq narr«- ^^dith called Musnad Ahmad,
t ousands. According exc'ud'n8 the repetitions in
le2CiaiieS and hi^?r- statement made to the
WaZS > Se'ectedthe sard"’ Abdu"ab> he had worked
whenevtt™sTdert°res0lvethep2er0Ut0fatotal of700>000
^ve said Wd'SPWes am°ngthemS believers
50 Aat 'he actu'„ T'The lmam seems
ir * ™;hb" °f
°U'd hê recourse to re<*uired b>'
. **-A
^hhsi^' he could" K'S îngs'i?"^’ and this
^lnvcstigat ®'hecontrov not recheck thP°Sed On him
Ch vvas om
i Sahif^
c comf^ ,mam
Vw"*7' ?nd '^"“'^collecr'01’ c*I8pter''l'j|ee’
»'l«M"o<'’"al|yarra"ge 'n Abdullah, who wh'le
•*“ “ecomplished byh» s»"; ,tturned to be
^*±*Xrisedl0,000^'rtfrOm',■,
l,^,Maudvoluminouswork.I l«.mAhmadSpemonalqualitieswereun.queandworthy
^-.Hesetuuparalleledexampjes.np.ety.preenan,
steadfastness, selflessness,courage,and aboveall, trust. an
I Subhanahti. Interestingly, Imam al-Shafi’i once expressed to
I CaliphHarun al-Rashid the need forajudge in the Yeman who
I repliedthathehimselfcould be the best choice. Then he spoke
I toIbn Hanbal whether he would go to the Yeman to join the
i post. The latter was displeased and pointed out that he was
^ngtohi,, for learning Hadith not for thejob ofa Oadhi
i “ba.,heirs because2 h“"Z"™’ "°r
*»..cesfrom Caliph M„,a’ kk^ ac'-ePled a»ignments or
I “'"“‘'obliged byrhej"’ ' W0“U Pêr keeping
Pr he dec Abd a|fLnancial
RCOnditionthat 101 ^ney"tatt^d ’lle P ' °'’ce
a^man bjn I l6 w°uld? PUrchac.S nients .! C°HfillPrl
I
rron' ■“PM*"’S"*"'»be:Têrf 6oojZ'1

81Emeralds in the Crown ofIslamImam AhmadbinHanbal (ra)used to be particular about
1 the welfare ofothers and ignore personal good. Whenever he boweddowninsajdah(prostration), he wouldpray: “Omy Lord!
' IfThouwantaransomfromthesinnersofMuhammad’s Ummah,
domakemetheirransom,”implyingto forgive them and impose
thetotalpunishmentonhimandexemptthe Muslim sinners. For
thewaterforhisablutionshewouldneveraskanyone to bring it
buthimselfgo andgetthe bucketofwater. And while drawing
the bucket he would utter Al-Hamdu Lillah. When asked why
heexpressedhamd(thanks),hewouldin answer recite this verse
ofthe HolyQuran: “Ifall ofa sudden all your water were to
vanishunderground, who(butAllah)couldprovideyou withwater
fromunsulliedsprings.”(LXVI1:30)
ngidiwF^l’ fOr?™Self’the lmam was 311 hardship and
hirwordXn" aWaSaS0UrCeOfrelief-lmam Baihaqi(ra)
supplicantcame'toth61"WhlChmaybe mentioned instantly: a
forhismother’srecoven"??^'Imam recluesting t0 PraY
notwalksincetwentyyears Th ei'ng3 dlsabled ladY who could
An hlmselfneededhis mother’"1 3'ittle angry’saying
ahforherrecoveryandthe S prayers- Yet, he invoked
oLWaS °pened by the patmh b°me ofwhich the
Aga?Aef'rSttime- The mam 35 She COuld walk
Was had gone through.
3 gift whe"
evenfor ®6'ftteU>nghimthatheT MC°St’ ?he donee
as'n«ohthr0ugh?tUmamountbecausehed °bHge him
a"d D” 8rMler
'e'"fluence Cî'ite Sen ° more- The baX’ ° ng the
to Ara£^reeklh^Pnratists after reason
6resu|twarXU'dedthe mV Ph'losophy(SL me Utlder
SnianipulatedaVe8ronndleSssOfthe said Abbaside"8'3^
’ lnduced
^binHanbal.ra., (164-241JV-------------------------
(0 issue a circular fo the U/ama to assemble at Court
prove that the Quran was UNCREATE. All along the Cahp
êdthreats ofpunishment and execution in case the invitees
refused to respond. It was now certain that a period of untold
oppression was to be faced by all the scholars loyal to the Word
ofGodand Muhammad’s Message. Our most esteemed Imam,
âdbin Hanbal (ra) had been foretold through genuine
mhins ;nd
* ne“forced the predictions" am'C"°ns m the
the autho’ity of Rabi’ bi
•bHia, or,„ sent with a r bl bln
I Rati'meV"
/ 0» inquiry wh ,? Prayers and dehv,, ? " he ,maOl
! the negXve t!" <Rak<') had < mesaage
e*»«le<id0w„ f '■ n'lmarn w,„ ,. d see" the text f
"from his eyes. Ra(); hr°“gh the lettcr’ fte
K",h‘^nlr 7,t,M »hat theT^^hatthel and
Hecoânded °er of Allah on Lh Imam read message
'"form vn d me to conn ’ n h,m be n d Out: “I K
Ofâ/o U V1 sllOrtly aft ey tOy011 his <fP,ace> /n the d
also q'1 CurQn (J afteryou win 'Sa/a/n ( e dreani
ac“Pi fthe 'JW„ eaM-” Th '■'Ashe
'• iC'°"•”Rat" ' !fe“Sht?reservin?.’'-^ h°^
‘Mo, a"<i the„'!","",e<lsta,”<i f,a<lit/l/S*:''0'v/ed ^'Ah
11

flj.
Emeralds in rhe Crown of Islam
X^Z^jndothersrejcctedtheMutazilite view or innovation.
The wero brought in chains to Mamun s misguided Court and
„„ still awsy from it when a bedouin. Jabir bin ‘ Aamir, came
up and wished the Imam well and stated:
“My Master (Imam Ahmad)! your personage is
extremely valuable to Muslims today, and, you are
going to the Caliphal Court as the (right)
Representative ofthe Muslim Ummah. For the sake
of Allah, do not become a source of regret to the
believers, and, never accept the (renegades’) view
of the Khalq Quran. If you keep Allah as your
Friend (IFali), observe patience. The time span
between the Paradise and you is simply your
(coming) martyrdom. And death is but inevitable.
id you succeed in (banishing) this disruption
He3teI’U W'" aCh'eVe b°th th’S W°rld and tHe
The Imam was moved by this appeal of (an un e
bedouin and it went deep into his heart. Again, accor mg
another report, Xbduilah, the son of the Imam stated that its
father would pray for the forgiveness of one Abul Haitham (a
robber), andwhen asked who he was, the Imam replied that as
he was taken to the Caliph’s Court in chains and the human
toolsofthemisguidedlotweremanhandlinghim, this man (Abul
haitham)toldhimthathe was adeclaredthiefwho was flogged
repeatedly but he kept (continued) his alliance with the Satan
1 vT-vVQ CTHnes- Thenhe toldhim (the Imam) that he
of S a™?OuWon'y reStef lfbe did not stick to the path
Profoundly imnre°^'u6 Ihe lmam satd that he waS
P essedby the remarks ofthe former robber.
wasbeingcaSStTa"d defendet ofthe Book of Allah
»*ervant ofrhepaKu there aPPoared in his front
m ant<c>parron,’thatiSeyes'who 'nformed the
Wm“th MutaS Prepar6d t0 klU him dld
m then stood on hisknee °fthe Ho'> Quran‘ The
and prayed-.
. ht
^^^r^n“e)&9ttned
X°Xtbe prison for sone ttme.
■nominee’ of Islam, was brought before him in shack e .
Questions and answers, arguments and counter-arguments on
the issue ofthe Book of Allah went a long way and thus three
days were spent in the ‘tussle’ caused by the Mutazilite hoax.
Mutasim offered to the Imam every bate but he refused to come
round and upheld the fundamental Truth that the Quran was
(stair t-Mtata,) and tried to convince the strayedCaliph who was surrounded by the Mutazilah . &yed
Abi Dawud and Ishaq bin Ibrahim and th r SUCh 355 Ibn
^hom were silenced by Imam Ahmad Xil Ulam3’ 3,1 of
ategoncally demanded from both the Calm3nacles) who
>o bringforth a prooffrom tha rx bPh and his wpa l
°f’heir profane stand on the Sunnah
l°°rthe Imam defeated the rene In the conchid’ SUpport
Mutasim to condemn him f ®ades who then tn ! d'n§ debate
was enraged and he Ord h,S kufr (Allah t0 instisatin ’
'he divinity of the r. 6Fed ^at the < ^°rt>id) |U
whipping the ImamU[an be fl°gged ASUprenie advX11^8'^
dSeX’fathde n5mi^hSlhe tOo'X°f
jr-'--:!:;;-*...,

' R . thr Imam turned down his otherwise luring offers. With
b, his wounds and bloodletting. I,e
swned and at the end the Caliph, overawed by the patience
of the sufferer, and at the same time fearful, ordered that the
flogging be stopped. The Imam, regained consciousness, and
found himself unfettered in a room of the palace. Then he was
taken to his home. On his way he offered salah in congregation
(jama’ah). Qadhi IbnSamma’ahfwho led the prayers) objected
to the Imam for praying while his blood was oozing from his
wounds. The Imam replied that he did it in accordance with the
Sunnah ofCaliph Faruq the Great, Shahid al-Mihrab, Allah be
pleased with him. Ashe recovered, it is reported that Mu’tasim,
who had already expressed regrets, was pleased at his resolve
to defend the right. The Imam forgave all those who had been
^^'^WtheMu’tazilah culprits who were soon to
fitnahwaT 1 6rS’ W'W suêred or died when the Mu’tazilah
a'-Khuzai ûbammad binNuh, Ibrahim bin Hammad
of all these missi^11 a''û')'3’and others, Allah bless the souls
sem'ssi°nanes of Islam.
Ralwiatullali a/aihi Was^Ta ’ 'mam Ahmad bin Hanbal,
^bnganxious forhismeow" Se.r'OUS'y the visitors began
reiJnam made testaments with S appointed time approached,
missionSXdeÔ'nedh’Ss°ns Abdî u° family’ children and
thatheL ^^^HisMesseno U & $a'eh> to carry on his
and Muhan^Tu W'th Altah, wiTu"h‘m peace’and ^pressed
^bowto^’^stProphel> on^P.pr°ved Religion (Islam)
"'OI"bonaFri(1 h'sbodyandcoverit u 6 Peace' He advised his
** 5k t?°a ^news0SPaSSed away the same
sayiadblnAbduZ6kd place Thedomise spread like wild
i2e'hese5fr‘bnTaheênthS PUty of the Caliph,
like thC Ca,iph' Becau7T W‘th the shrouds
dofll*oven^^d'^ftUrTSLh'Ssons,Abduieiahe '?am had never
Wash ^d fata Sl"allKJhe blessed body w and Saleh. did not
Wln ûseve^s covered with the
h ready money.
ha'1'
s^bePa hundred sc' ed the
i'*1’Lints cW"en repea’ed y t funeral k
XX waS S° ’iTresidence to
oiehead'Tfthepartlcipatin8nthe coffin fi01^1 of tôse
^bo»«i’6’ny'« w to the n«mb'’ A total of
ReCdXed ^XSTvarious times.
“-dChristians, IlaiM
the historic occasion.
An Ornate of the Defender of Q mettie Imam
Having noted an d wm nQt be
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn manual
difficult to attempt at recording an estimate of his greatness as
.scholar, savant, jurist, traditiomst and sufferer in the Way of
Allah Subhanahu and His Messenger, on him be peace. Besides,
for his steadfast resolve to uphold the Holy Quran as the Word
of the Most High and his immaculate adherence to the Sunnah
of Muhammad, ‘alaihissalam, the Imam deserved im
honour. Let us begin with the statements of his conta™ mense
and also the later scholars, and spiritualists Ah n rnPoraries
stated that “Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal’s m r &WUd SiJistani
an assembly of the Hereafter (Al-Akh; USed to be like
was mentioned other than the aff< herein nntk •Saeed at-Darimi said th"t?5a,”»fthe Faith... It, °‘hln8
preserving Ahadith of the An , n°t find a nrnad bin
than Imam Ahmad bin Ha k°St 6 Op Allah n ,n^°ne more
'h.r rhe Imam Uhao K; 1.°" be r,
creatures,” XehyaLt >“* (a pleatT ^hviyah i^^.
rhe excellencies aM p" “ AllaJ ^">"*1
Pendable( b«
| '“’“'.S';

---------- 'TT^Srfpet as an adherent of the Sunnah and
'h?'rtC’SecX^ns ”DarQutni mentionedatraditi°n
ikgn) of ' h and the $unnah, Imam Sufyan
Ahmad bin Hanbal after
whom innovations multiplied.
Ax the time of lbn Hanbal’s demise, Imam Bukhari was
in Busrah and he heard Abul Walid Tiyalisi saying, had Imam
Ahmad bin Hanbal taken his birth among the ancient Israelis he
would have been an apostle probably.” Imam Ibrahim Muzani is
reported to have stated that “in world history there were five
men who on respective occasions showed marvellous personal
courage and gave proofof their self-sacrifice: Caliph Abu Bakr
duringthe wars of Apostasy, Caliph Umar during Thaqifah affair,
CaliphUthman when he was besieged (by the rebels), Caliph
Mi on the occasion of Siffin, and, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal on
hehaTi ftf 2uran-Imam al-Shafi’i stated that in Iraq
'ban AhLa^ PuS°n m°re sc'10'ar'y> pious and God-fearing
Ahmad ibn Hanh»i lract’ none was dearer to him than
I other people. A reno / WaS dearest t0 him among all
'mams Bukhari and MusVSC'ê^ t0 Qutaibah (the teacher of
piety died, lmam a'pciTr ' lmam Sufyan Thauri passed
^"y affectediand.aft'fJf'' 6Xpired and the Sunnah was
Fa'th îonfmaa 'lbn Hanbal there wa* danger
liAS'7here'sy8etan0thd 'nnovations began being
10 an Hanba' fu'filledrtheTment of 9Utaibah that
*0,'ltli»ndsuff ^^^“tpasft i Uties^m’ss*on) assigned
n other words’the >-a-
,Slatrt pai Ce Mich was Sp P®rsev«ant. He showed the
special to the
Abu
apostles of the
r nresei
='dhere
ai, do«a"bi„ t the te^
X>7tedit’a,'d’ het°r°e^ to B'sbr ° rceed^ . in the
"'•■•S' •sS'-S* ” ::S”"
" orist‘ne . t0 be the A re gom . jn him .
i“st Tlb^^lTentMusH^J
of ^'g,£sooth,ht'31”lb heformer em n ingUish
ea landing traditions, * [ 4 hv standing
Razi regarfed Ahmad >bnHan of
'* a'-Du z Tand according to Had.th, he w
sparable/»?.«. ana,
,B* ««°d for 'be"8b
, „ rhe view that Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
, Td dJiX in the world of spirit, lbn al-Janzi quotes
ZIbrahim Harbi saying that he saw Bishr Hami in a dream
and he asked him how was he treated (he having something
moving in his sleave): he replied: “I was forgiven by Allah.”
Ibrahim asked what was in his sleave. He said: “The other night
pearls and rubies were showered on Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
and I picked some of them.” Ibn al-Jauzi again cites tk.
statement of Abu Bakr Marozi (a pupil of the Imo , tOe
him in a dream, seated in a garden covered in who saw
with a crown on his head, at once radiant W° 81X60 blankets
unique manner. I asked, “what pattern / Wall<ing jn a
replied, “it is the pattern ofthe Servo ♦ °f Walking js jt9„
asked about the crown on h' u ants °fDar al Sal '
you persevered and suffereme His Light Q d’ 11 Was a
andthis is the reward i red for reienf °nhsayinok ■ a»rottOTtbeai^nSation'the jgf ês,
^«r.tKk-,„AbiÂbU|H ' Hafeib «?2wa
Imam Ahmad ibn u âs bn • ^Wanitk AsQaU •
-S found im ; Haabal 230Sy rie<i adja hat when
after> the b l° the gra Har f
I
V

1 Epilogue
XRadith to be thought over.
Companion Thauban, rdh., Narrated.
“The Messenger of Allah, on him be peace, sat ■
"Just as the eaters invite others (hungry) to the
trencher (a large wooden plate of food), it is
imminent that antagonistic peoples will assail
you." Someone (ventured) to ask: “(O
Messenger of Allah!) would it be because we
would be then in lesser numbers?” The
Messenger of Allah, on him be peace, replied:
ho1 you will be in large numbers, but that you
"ill lose weight in the manner of particles (of
S^,a^ m>iXe.d wi,h ,Be scum on flood-waters,
enem?' ' j' ^°Ur dread from the hearts of the
1 bv theV' y°Ur °Wn ^rts will be overcome
I Present inquiredS'” ” S°'"e°"e
k iswahn?” He ’ r ^essen?er °f Allah! what
1 halred of death6' (Al r °f the WOr/c/ and
' I4|-Bathaqi, 4bu Dawud, ra.)
■ Presenting the lives and
■ Ab" Hanifah.
H and spiritual a the'r resPe«ive ' and Ahmad bin
Pr0Vide * rea<?X°V
6 "Wnal to scu, ' am> ls n°t meant just to
■ Ch°larsand students and others
«s^nfl5lamic U1W
UopW* *al'hP supreme
WSy8WmdZsuccessors
Zfe, u sb»»W "ot *eir ‘adversaries.’ May be
10 drf „L men m fuWre v,ete responsible for
-wtlbe narrow™ enMS dm,„gthe periods when, apart
Wing the fire o , supremacy, the socio-intellectual
from the decfine o
level had touched a new
t is interesting to know that the eminent Imams under
reference lived and died in somewhat same era. The total period
for whichthey studied, functioned or suffered, extended to 161
years according to Hijrah Calendar. The first of them a l
Hanifah was born in SO Hand the last one Ahm^ x /’ Abu
was recalledby Allah in 141 H. ImamMalikwa st' n ^anbal
Abu Hanifah passed away. Imam al-Shar ■ 7 when Imam
year ISO HwhenImam AbuHanifah evni j ‘ Was bOrn in tk
leftthis earthly abode,Imam al-Shaf Inta x
old. Imam Ahmad was yovmpg1 h his pUpH Malik
U ana rhe *.4 29 Hars
demure °t taw al.Sk “'“'Ke M »I-Stafl,.

Emeralds in the crown of islam by dr shaykh mohammad iqbal

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