Paragon of Faith: Imam Abu Hanifah

6 selected traits to emulate from a role model.

The need for role models: The Ulul Albab

Man is magnificently crafted with the nature of finding a sense of purpose and attaining a state of impeccability. In trying to attain such distinction, the most common and inspiring way is to refer to people of repute. In our rich Islamic history and civilisation, many of such individuals existed, contributed and impacted Muslims until this day and age. The names written within the annals are endless. It is in the wisdom of Allah SWT to have created these individuals, for us to ponder, analyse and emulate from their resilience, knowledge and most importantly character. Allah SWT mentions this in the Qur’an numerous of times as the people of ‘deep thought and reflection’ or widely known as the ‘Ulul Albab’. These are the people, who are our supposed definition of ‘success’. They are the role models for our Ummah since the past, present and the impending future and there is a certain need to read and study about them, in the pursuit of attaining our own Islamic definition of excellency.

Success: Redefined

Wealth, fame, status, and professions are things that define success in our world. However, there is a need to recalibrate this status quo as a loyal and true Muslim. The religion defines success rather unconventionally, beyond materialism and ephemeral attachments,. Islam sees success through the lens of piety, good conduct, and character. A manifestation of success is in how far a person can sincerely contribute to the religion and people. This is the hallmark of excellency, as mentioned in Surah Al-Hujarat verse 13:

اِنَّ اَكۡرَمَكُمۡ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ اَ تۡقٰٮكُمۡ​ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيۡمٌ خَبِيۡرٌ‏

Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

The best of people, as per the definition of the Qur’an and Sunnah are multi-faceted. Within this diversity (multi-facetedness) is a desire to reach a unified and singular goal. In other similar narrations, the Prophet SAW has referred to success with the usage of ‘the best of people’. Some hadiths state that the best of people are those ‘who are most beneficial to others’ while in other narrations, he mentioned them to be ‘those of good conduct (khuluq)’. All these listed traits are mainly related to the heart and soul, which radiates externally, permeating goodness to whatever and whoever surrounds it. These are the traits of the people whom we should choose to follow and those we should consider as role models.

Abu Hanifah: A symbol of success

Abu Hanifah is one of the many scholars who is perceived as an exemplary model of faith. He is chosen in this article to spur Muslims, young and old, to be a better and more outstanding version of themselves.

His name was Abu Hanifah An-Nu’man Bin Thabit Bin Zutha, and he was a non-Arab of persian decent. It was stated in narrations that he was a good-looking man, of perfect height, not to tall nor too short, and was extremely intelligent. He was a luminary in various sciences of the Syariah and was most prominent in the field of Fiqh (Jurisprudence). He is currently the pioneer of one of the four most prominent school of thought (Mazhab) in Fiqh. Let us delve deeper into notable facts about Imam Abu Hanifah that we should emulate into our lives.

Fact 1: He is not your normal erudite.

He was a rich merchant who spent his youth in trade and business. He was not the conventional scholar who started his voyage of knowledge at a young age and the enlightenment towards the pursuit of knowledge only came later in his life. This fact is a light of hope for several of us, who feel as though it is ‘too late’ to embark on the seeking of sacred knowledge. The reality is that there are plenty of scholars who started late and ended up contributing tremendously to the religion. There is no age expectation nor stringent timeline in seeking knowledge.

The story that further spurred his drive for knowledge was a rather inspirational one. It was mentioned in a narration that Abu Hanifah passed by a great Imam named As-Sya’bi, who asked him where he was heading to. Abu Hanifah responded saying that he was heading to the markets to do business. As-Sya’bi then advised him to head towards scholarship instead and reminded him to never leave the seatings of knowledge and mentioned to him directly that he saw potential and drive in Abu Hanifah. Abu Hanifah heeded the words of As-Sya’bi and admitted that this encounter had benefited him ever since.

This recount allows us to reflect on how an inspirational person who offers words of advice and wisdom may highly influence another to take on an ambition that would also benefit others. Such accounts are a reminder for the bulk of us to remind and motivate others to do good.

Fact 2: Knowledge is not as fast as Tik Tok and IG Reels.

IG reels, Tik Tok Videos and YouTube shorts have shifted  the way we receive much of what we ’learn’ about Islam. we have also witnessed several people who have self-proclaimed themselves to be an ‘Ulama’ after watching one (or maybe several) inspirational videos on the religion. How is this fact then linked to Imam Abu Hanifah, you may ask.

Imam Abu Hanifah, as well as others who were just as prominent as he was, learnt under many scholars, for many years. It was said that Imam Abu Hanifah learned under the tutelage of another great Imam of his time named Hammad Ibn Abi Sulaiman for around eighteen years. This prolonged amount of time is more than the number of years even an undergraduate would spend in university. Their loyalty to their scholars is proof to their humility and an accreditation to their depth and insight, Teachers used to bemore than a facilitator, they were their guides and guardians. Perhaps the next time we think about how smart enough we have become, let us remember the time and effort Imam Abu Hanifah put into learning before admitting himself to be a learned man.

Fact 3: A scholar is not one who is most famous, rather it is the one who is most pious.

Internal resilience and strength were the keys to success for Imam Abu Hanifah. The Imam’s priority was never fame nor popularity, although such was the outcome for people who have had tremendous impact in the Muslim community. People knew them for their knowledge and would meet them or learn under them from different parts of the region. Yet, being known was never recognised as a symbol of success for them.

The world was never a place to rejoice in and their goal was always towards the eternal abode. It was mentioned in numerous narrations that Abu Hanifah was well-known as someone of deep piety and asceticism (wara’). Piety was to be close to the Lord and acting upon the obligations of the religion, while asceticism was the ability to avoid additional pleasures of the world, even if it was not prohibited. He was truly the embodiment of what an Ulama’ is, as stated in the Qur’an:

إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ

“From among His servants, it is only those who know that fear Allah.” (Surah Fatir, Verse 28)

In an account, Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah mentioned: “There is no other man in Makkah in our time that prays more than Abu Hanifah.”

Abu Muti’ Al-Balkhi mentioned: “I was in Makkah, and every time I entered for Tawwaf during the night (for Qiyamullail), I would see Abu Hanifah and Sufyan in Tawwaf.” (alluding to the frequentness of the two for performing Tawwaf).

It was also mentioned that Abu Hanifah was an avid reader of the Qur’an and made khatam (completion of recitation) for around 7000 times in his life.

Piety is the distinguishing factor between a true scholar and an imposter- who only knows many things of the sciences but does not act upon what is taught in the holy texts. Abu Hanifah consistently proved himself to be a true scholar and this fact is manifested through his works that Allah SWT preserved until our time today.

Fact 4: Introvert? More like – speaking when he needed to.  

There is a saying: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” If there was a trait that many people with great intellect shared, it was silence. Reticence is an art that many of us have not mastered, yet it is one that exudes great power. Imam Abu Hanifah, according to his counterparts, was well-known for his reticent character and only spoke when required. He was a person who would distance himself from gossip and talking ill about others and only manifested his hate for such speech by physically distancing himself from those who were garrulous.

Ibn Mubarak alluded: “I mentioned to Sufyan At-Thawri that Abu Hanifah was a man who was furthest from gossip (Gheebah) and I have never heard of him even speaking ill of any of his enemies once.”

His words and speech were only reserved for what was beneficial. On the contrary, he was never silent if the matters pertained the truth or was revolving around the halal and haram. Abu Hanifah was a man of true wisdom and expressed only when he needed to with the right and sound reasons.

Fact 5: Power? No thanks.

As a person of high calibre, it was unsurprising for Abu Hanifah to have been proffered with numerous positions in the government. Similar to our times, jobs of that nature pay well and comes with huge worldly benefits and salary. Positions such as the judge of the state was offered countless of times to him, yet all were responded with rejection. Abu Hanifah was firm with his beliefs and did not want to associate with the government and its people because he was cognizant that it was not the best for him, nor his faith. He was a man of truth and did not want to compromise this by working under a ruler or a king who Had other worldly objectives.

At that point of time, the ruler who had offered Abu Hanifah the position of a judge was Abu Jaafar al-Mansur who was angered by his refusal. He then ordered Abu Hanifah to be punished by slashing and torturing the imam. The torment did not weaken Imam Abu Hanifah as he continued to persevere in pursuit of the truth.

Power is a trial that weakens many of us, especially those who are desperate for money and hungry for status. Unfortunately, there are aplenty who start off with good intentions but slip in the face of the glitters of this world and the allure of stature. Sincerity which is parked deep in the heart will be tested to truly distinguish between those who are true and those who prefer the ephemeral. Abu Hanifah is an inspiration to the masses; a custodian of the religion who would forego glamour with the ultimate purpose of upholding the word of the Almighty and would never succumb to the pleasures of status and wealth for the highest cause.

Fact 6: That one teacher you’d remember for life.

The impact of a great teacher will leave a mark on any seeker’s heart for the rest of his or her life. The best of teachers is usually those who are most sincere, gentle, and known for their efforts in patiently staying through with the student throughout the journey. Abu Hanifah was not only an amazing student but was also a teacher who portrayed exceptional qualities that ought to be emulated by teachers today.

It was narrated that he was patient with students who studied under him, and if they were destitute, he would feed them and pay for their fees. Abu Yusuf, one of Abu Hanifah’s loyal students, was said to be a poor man, and his father wanted to divert him away from seeking knowledge and channel his focus to something else. Abu Hanifah desired for Abu Yusuf to pursue studying and for ten years, so he paid for this man’s expenses until he would become a Faqeeh (a person of deep understanding). True enough, Abu Yusuf is known today as one of Abu Hanifah’s top narrators and of those who preserved and delivered his teacher’s knowledge to the masses.

Another beautiful act the Imam did for his students was that he was constantly praying for them, their success and guidance, and would even ask Allah SWT to pardon them of their wrongdoings and sins.

Abu Hanifah – Never forgotten

There is so much to discuss on Abu Hanifah, and countless of other narrations and stories that cannot be covered in one short article. In a nutshell, this introduction and abridged biography is aimed to inspire many of us and revive the love for our scholars especially those who have contributed greatly to the Ummah. Abu Hanifah was the epitome of good character, humanity and most importantly a scholar who manifested humility despite the status he holds in this world and the next.

We can only hope to become close to him, and the likes of those who came after him. One of the best ways to follow suit is to be around people who love the word of Allah SWT, follow it and whose hearts are filled with little of the Dunya as they aim for the hereafter (Akhirah).