Taqleed and Imam Azam

Hadhrat Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti (May Allah shower His mercy on him) writes in “Tabyeez Us Saheefa ” that this Hadith is perfectly correct, which gives glad tidings of the coming of Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa and expresses his superiority.

All the scholars agree that this Hadith has the prophecy of the coming of Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa and his superiority, because in the people of “Faras,” there is no one more knowledgeable than him.

Imam A’adham (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) had spent his whole life in piety & fear of Allah Ta'ala.  Because of this, Allah Ta’ala had opened his heart.  Allah Ta’ala granted Imam A’adham (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) extraordinary memory and juristic ability.  Through the blessings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Imam A’adham (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) worked out 83000 rulings of the Shariah.  Imam A’adham (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) did not offer his opinion against the Holy Quran and the Hadith, but he worked out the rulings of the Shariah in the light of the Holy Quran and Hadith.  Imam Sha’arani (May Allah Ta’ala shower His mercy on him), who is a Shafa’ee, says about the rulings of Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him): I have researched and compared, the rulings of Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) or any of his students.  They are extracted from the verses of the Holy Quran or the Hadith or the Traditions of the Companions or with the permitted Qiyas (analogical reasoning) on the Holy Quran and Hadith.

Hadhrat Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa deeply respected the Ahle Bait of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and his research in Fiqh has the support and the backing of the Ahle Bait.

Hadhrat Imam Abu Yusuf (May Allah shower His mercy on him) states that once Hadhrat Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa was sitting in Masjid Haraam.  People would come, ask their questions and he would answer them.  Suddenly, Hadhrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) sat there.  As soon as Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa saw him, he stood up and said: O prince of the Prophet of Allah! If I knew that you were here, you would not have found me sitting when you were sitting.  Hadhrat Imam Jafar Sadiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: O Abu Hanifa! Sit down and keep instructing the people.  I have seen my forefathers doing the same.

Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) was born in 80 Hijri and passed away in 150 Hijri.  His teachers only of Hadith are 4000.  Most of them are Companions or Tabi’een.  The canons of Hadith are full of the Hadith narrated by his great students.

Imam Bukhari (May Allah Ta’ala shower His mercy on him) has recorded 22 Hadith in Sahih Bukhari in which there are only 3 links between the narrator and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  This is a great honor for him, but in 20 of these Hadith, Hanafi Hadith-Experts are his teachers.  Makki bin Ibrahim is a Muhaddith (Hadith-Expert), a close student of Imam A’adham Abu Hanifa (May Allah Ta’ala be well pleased with him) from whom Imam Bukhari took 11 of these Hadith; from Abu A’asim Zahhak An Nabeel, Imam Bukhari (May Allah Ta’ala shower His mercy on him) took 6 of these Hadith; from Muhammad bin Abdullah Ansari, he took 3 Hadith.