The document outlines an upcoming course on Imam Malik and his legal school presented by Mufti Abdul Waheed. The course will cover Imam Malik's life, works, legal theory, methodology, contributors to developing his school, students, testimony from other scholars, and analysis of some criticisms against him. It provides an agenda with timing for the sessions covering Part 1 on Imam Malik's background, Part 2 on his legal methodology, and Part 3 on misconceptions about him.

1. Presented by
Mufti Abdul Waheed
Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Fiqh and Usool ul-Fiqh
at JKN Institute
fatawa@jkn.org.uk
Date: 12/10/14
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2. Agenda
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10:15am Welcoming and introduction to the course
10:20am Session 1: Part 1
11:45am Break (15 mins)
12:00pm Session 2: Part 2 & Part 3
1:00pm Q&A session and closing remarks

3. Course Content
1. PART 1 - Imām Abu Haneefah, Life and Works
2. PART 2 – Legal Methodology
3. PART 3 – Misconceptions
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4. Part 1
Imām Abu Haneefah (80AH - 150AH)
His Name, Occupation, Early Education, Teachers, Testimony & Death
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5. 1. His Name & Occupation
Nu’mān Ibn Thābit Ibn Zuwti al-Fārsi, (a Persian),
born in the city of Kufa during the reign of Ummayyid
dynasty.
Differences of opinion the reason for his appellation;
- His daughter’s name was Haneefah
- Haneefah in the Iraqi linguistic referred to an ink-
pot.
Father was a successful business man, trading silk
materials. He succeeded his father in the business.
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6. 2. Early Education
a) Ilmul-Kalām
Memorised the Qur’ān during his childhood.
Devoted the early part of his life in studying ilmul-
Kalām (Islamic Theology).
Frequented the city of Basra and debated with the
deviant sects such as, Khawārij, Mu’tazilahs, Murji’ahs,
Jahmi’ahs and Shi’ahs.
One of the renowned works on Islamic Creed
attributed to him is Fqhul-Akbar.
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7. 2.b) Training in Fiqh & Hadeeth
Around the age of Twenty, Imām Sahib relinquished
Ilmul-Kalām and devoted to Fiqh.
Amongst his famous teachers was Hammād Ibn Abi
Sulaimān (d.120AH).
Hammad was amongst the prominent and representative
Jurists in Kufa.
He spent 18 years studying Fiqh and Hadeeth combined
by Hammād.
After his teachers death, he travelled to Makkah &
Madeenah in search for knowledge.
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8. 2.c) His Reputation in Hadeeth
Imām al-A’mash praised him for his preceptiveness in
Hadeeth.
Imām al-Awza’i met with Imām Sahib and discussed
the issue of raising the hands other than the initial
Takbeer. Imām Sahib substantiated his position by
narrating a Hadeeth with his chain of transmitters.
Abdullah Ibn Mubārak describes him as “the
quintessence on knowledge.”
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9. 2.d) His Teachers
He is reported to have 300 teachers.
Amongst his reputable teachers were;
- Amir al-Sha’bi (d.104 AH)
- Ata Ibn Abi Rabah (d.115 AH)
- Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhri (d. 124 AH)
- Amr Ibn Deenār (d. 126 AH)
- Qatādah (d. 118 AH)
- Sulaiman Ibn Mihrān Al-A-ash (d. 148 AH)
- The Imāms of the Shi’ahs e.g. Ja’far al-Sādiq, Mumāhd al-
Bāqir.
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10. His Famous Chain
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Messenger of Allah (saw)
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood
Alqamah
Ibrāheem al-Nakhai
Hammād Ibn Abi
Sulaymān
Abu Haneefah

11. 3. Imām Abu Haneefah being a Tabi’een
The Following Companions he is reported to have met:
- Anas Ibn Mālik (ra)
- Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa (ra)
- Abdullah Ibn Hārith (ra)
- Abdullah Ibn Umais (ra0
- Jābir Ibn Abdillah (ra)
- Wāthilah Ibn Asqa (ra)
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12. 4. Abu Haneefah’s accreditation by Scholars
of Hadeeth
Isā Ibn Musa said to the Caliph Mansur upon seeing
Imām Sahib, “ He is the most knowledgeable man in
the world today.”
 Abdullah Ibn Mubārak said, “Had Allah not
benefitted me through Abu Haneefah and Sufyan At-
Thowri then I would have been an ordinary person.”
He also said, “There is no one worthy of being followed
than Abu Haneefah. Verily he was an Imām, pious,
righteous, a scholar and Faqeeh.”
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13.  Yahya Ibn Sa‘eed al-Qattān stated: “We have never heard a
better understanding of the Qur’ān and Sunnah than that
of Abū Haneefa, and we follow him in most of his
opinions.”
 Yahya Ibn Maeen v states “Abū Haneefa was a trustworthy
narrator. He would only transmit Hadeeth that he had
memorised. He would never narrate those Ahādeeth which
he had not memorised
 Muhammad Ibn Sama’ā states, “The Imām has mentioned
more than seventy thousand Ahādeeth in his book and has
selected Athār (reports) from forty thousand Ahādeeth.”
 Makki Ibn Ibrāheem states, “Abu Haneefah was the most
Knowledgeable of his time.”
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14. 5. Imprisonment and Death
The Caliph Mansur offered him a post of judge which
he relentlessly refused. As a result of this he was
imprisoned during which he was severely tortured.
Inspite of his imprisonment, people would attend to
his service and seek knowledge from him. His
popularity increased during this period.
He was eventually poisoned and died in the year 150
AH) in Rajab, Sha’ban or Shawwāl.
More than 50,000 people attended his funeral, due to
which his janazah was performed 6 times.
He is buried in Khuzayran cemetary, Baghdad.
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15. 6. Personal Quality
Generosity
Piety
God-Concious
Humility and Forbearance
 Consideration for others
Natural intelligence and perceptiveness.
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16. Part 2
The Fiqh of Imam Abu Haneefah
His Legal Methodology, sources of principles, Students,
Works and Development
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17. 1. City of Kufa in the Islamic World
Iraq was conquered during the reign of Umar (ra) and
established the city of Kufa.
Umar (ra) despatched Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood (ra) in 17
A.H to Kufa to teach the local people.
No less than 1000 reputable companions migrated and
took residency there.
- 70 were participants of Badr
- 300 participants during the Bai’atur-Ridhwān (oath of pleasure)
- Companions included; Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqās, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari,
Hudhaifah Ibn Yamān, Ammār Ibn Yāsir, Abdulah Ibn Abi Awfa.

18. Ali (ra) transferred the Islamic capital to Kufa during
his reign of Khilāfat.
No less than 4000 people studied and received
scholarly training under him.
Prominent students included;
- Alqamah Ibn Qais (d.62 A.H), Al-Aswad (d.75 AH), Shuraih Ibn al-
Hārith (d.80AH).
- Amongst the students of Alqamah & Al-Aswad were Ibrāhim an-
Nakha’i, Amr al-Sha’bi and Abul-Wāil.
Kufa became one of the major centres to Islamic
sciences
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19. Status of Hadeeth in Kufa
 Anas Ibn Sereen (ra) stated upon arriving to the city of
Kufa;
“I came to kufa and found 4000 people in search of Hadeeth
and 400 people in search of fiqh.”
 Ali (ra) said upon arriving to Kufa;
“May Allah shower Mercy upon Ibn Umm Abd (Abdullah’s
appellation), he has indeed filled this city with knowledge.”
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20. 2.The Ahlul-Hadeeth and Ahlul-Ra’y
The scholars of Kufa were known to be Ahlu-Ra’y
whereas scholars of Madeenah and Makkah the Ahlul-
Hadeeth, The reason for this distinction;
1. The people of Kufa restricted circulation of Hadeeth
due to the possibility of fabrication, unlike regions in
Madeenah and Makkah.
2. The People of Kufa faced innumerable new cases
which required extensive Ijtihād.
3. The Ahlu Ra’y considered the understanding of
underlying reasons behind texts as necessary.
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21. 3. Unique Attributes of the Hanafi
School
 The formative period was that of a collective effort. Hence,
the opinions of the other Imams were fused into the
Madhab.
 Imām Abu Haneefah held a council of forty scholars in
which they would discuss hypothetical cases. His council
included;
- Abu Yusuf, Hafs Ibn Giyāth, Wakee Ibn Jarrah, Dāwood at-Tā’I, Yahya Ibn
Abi Zā’idah, Abdullah Ibn Mubārak, Zufr, Muhammad As-Shaybāni,
 Imām Sahib allowed his students to discuss and express
their views when he was confident in their level of Ijtihād.
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22. Imām Abu Haneefah was the first to organize chapters
according to fiqh.
He established broad principles of Ijtihād, but the
detailed principles were developed and consolidated
by his scholars of later generations.
Supremacy of the Qur’ān at all times.
Preferring Hadeeth over rationality.
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23. 4. Sources of Principles
1. The Qur’ān
- Imperative and prohibited commands.
- Arrogations and abrogated verses
- Specific terms or general terms.
- Multiple meanings of terms and those interpreted.
- Primary usage and secondary usage.
- The Quranic injunctions are decisive commands.
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24. 2. Sunnah
- The Prophet’s words, actions and tacit approvals.
- Words and actions of companions also include in
Sunnah.
- Three types of transmitting reports;
a) Tawātur
b) Mashoor
c) Khabr Wāhid.
3. Fatwas of the Companions.
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25. 4. Ijma (Consensus)
- It is a consensus of the Mujtahideen belonging to the
Ummah of the Prophet (saw) who converge upon a
legal matter after his demise.
- There are three types of Ijma;
a) Statement
b) Action
c) Tacit
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26. Conditions for the validity of Ijma
1. The consensus must take place by those who have attained the status of Ijtihad.
2. Consensus must take place after the demise of the Holy Prophet (saw).
3. The agreement must be unanimous amongst all Mujtahids.
4. The Consensus must take place in a single determined period. In other words it must
not be left opened to all jurists of all periods.
5. The agreement must be made upon a legal matter, not something other than that e.g.
Arabic Grammar, Aqaid etc.
6. Consensus must be upon a matter either pertaining to Ijtihad or the purport of a
textual evidence e.g. “And marrying your mothers is forbidden” all jurists unanimously
agree that this verse also includes grandmothers though this is not explicitly
mentioned.
7. The matter upon which the Mujtahids agree upon must be based upon a relied Sanad.
In other words, the legal matter must be traced back to the primary textual sources i.e.
Qur’an and Sunnah. Otherwise it will be based upon one’s personal opinion which is
not permissible.
8. That consensus subsequently must be transmitted to the later jurists via means of
Tawatur.
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27. 5. Qiyās (Anological deduction.
- Transferring of ruling from the precedent to the subsidiary on
the basis of a common underlying cause existing between them
both (Asl & Far’a)
- There are Five Conditions for the validity of Qiyās;
(1) The illah of the original case should be of rational
understanding.
(2) The ruling that is sought should be found in the text.
(3) The ruling should not be an exceptional one.
(4) The original ruling should not alter after employing Qiyās.
(5) The ruling should not be closely bound to the situation,
otherwise it would be impossible to extend the ruling elsewhere.
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28. 6. Istihsān (legal preference)
7. Urf (Custom)
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29. 5. His Students
1. Imām Abu Yusuf (d. 182 AH)
- Authored many books such as Kitābul Kharraj,
Kitābul Athār (attributed to Imām Abu Haneefah).
2. Muhammad Ibn Hassan as-Shaybāni (d.189 AH)
- His works formulate the pillar of the Hanafi School.
Prolific writer and master of Tafseer and Hadeeth.
3. Zufr ibn Hudhayl.
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30. 6. Renowned Hanafi Scholars
Imām Abul Hasan al-Karkhi (d. 340 AH)
Abu Bakr al-Jassās (d.370 AH)
Abu Zaid al-Daboosi (d. 430 AH)
Muhammad al-Bazdawi (d. 482 AH)
Abu Bakr as-Sarakhsi (d. 483 AH)
Kamālud Deen ibn Humām (d.861 AH)
Ibn Nujaym (d. 970 AH)
Ibn Abideen as-Shāmi (d. 1252 AH)
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31. Part 3
Misconceptions About Imām Abu
Haneefah
31

32. 1. Ibn Abi Shaybah accused Imām Sahib for
abandoning Hadeeth on 125 instances
1. Imām Sahib has based thousands of rulings on
Hadeeth.
2. He has pther supporting evidences from Qur’ān and
other sound Ahadeeth.
3. Ibn Abi Shaybah has wrongfully attributed certain
statements to him.
4. Differences in the criteria of accepting Hadeeth
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33. 2. Imām Nasai has classed Imām Abu Haneefah as
a Weak narrator.
1. None of the scholars of Islam are free from
criticisms.
2. Certain things were wrongfully attributed to Imām
Sahib.
3. There have been over 70 reputable scholars
accrediting Imam Sahib
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34. Recommended Reading
 Hasan, F. Fa Usool Fiqh Ki Tareekh, (Urdu), Pakistan, Dārul-
Ishāt.
 Uthmani . M.T Dars Tirmidhi vol 1.Karachi, Darul Ishat
 Nadwi M.A. Abu Haneefah Life and Legacy. Markfield, Kupe
Publishing LTD.
 Abu Zahra, The Four Imāms, London, Darul Taqwa.
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35. Scholarly Giants
Let us take you on a journey to the Truth
Imām Malik and his Legal School
Date:2/11/14
www.jkn.org.uk.co.uk
Not to be missed!
By
Mufti Abdul Waheed
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36. Life of Imām Malik and his works
His knowledge on Fiqh and Hadeeth
His legal theory and methodological framework.
Contributors to the development of his school
His students
Testimony of scholars about Imām Shafiee
Analysis of some criticisms against him and
detailed responses.
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37. Forthcoming Titles in the Series
The School of Imām Shāfi’ee
The School of Imām Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Critical Discussion on Taqleed
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38. ‫ا‬‫ري‬‫خ‬ ‫هللا‬ ‫اك‬‫ز‬‫ج‬
Q & A
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