Authors · Islamic scholarship
Abū Ḥanīfa
أبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت
80–150 AH
Born in Kufa, Abū Ḥanīfa studied with Ḥammād ibn Abī Sulaymān.
At a glance
- Law and argument
- Al-Fiqh al-akbar · الفقه الأكبر
- His teaching examines cases and the relationships between evidence.
Timeline
- 80 AHBirth
- 150 AHDeath
Biographical overview
- Full name
- Abū Ḥanīfa an-Nuʿmān ibn Thābit
- Arabic name
- أبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت
- Birth
- 80 AH
- Death
- 150 AH
Life and education
Born in Kufa, Abū Ḥanīfa studied with Ḥammād ibn Abī Sulaymān.
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Understanding the work
His teaching underlies the Hanafi school. Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī developed and recorded its positions. The attribution of treatises transmitted under his name requires examination for each text.
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Method and contribution
His teaching examines cases and the relationships between evidence. It belongs to Kufa’s legal tradition, shaped by texts and debate. Reducing this approach to reason versus hadith is misleading: understanding, comparing and applying sources to particular situations is also central.
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Transmission and legacy
Abū Yūsuf and Muḥammad ash-Shaybānī transmitted, developed and sometimes debated his positions. The Hanafi school emerged through this sustained collective work. Doctrinal treatises bearing his name have distinct attribution histories, unlike a single modern autograph book.
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A guide to reading
Identify the question and the author’s legal school. Distinguish the quoted evidence, its interpretation and the preferred ruling. Technical discussions often require prior knowledge: definitions and other schools’ arguments clarify the reasoning without making every position a unanimous consensus.
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Selected works
Al-Fiqh al-akbar · الفقه الأكبر
Theology and beliefA doctrinal treatise attributed to Abū Ḥanīfa; its versions and transmission require individual examination.
Al-ʿĀlim wa-l-mutaʿallim · العالم والمتعلم
Theology and beliefA doctrinal dialogue transmitted under his name, requiring attention to attribution history.
Biographical sources and references
References for further reading on the life and works of Abū Ḥanīfa: