Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad

 
 
 
Chapter One
 
The Life and Times of Abu Hanifa
 
His birth and lineage
 
 
According to most sources, Abu Hanifa was born in Kufa in 80 AH. Although there is almost total 
agreement on this, there is one source which posits 61AH, but this does not tally with the facts of his life since 
it is agreed that he did not die until 150 AH. Most say that he died after al-Mansur instituted the Inquisition. If 
he had been born in 61 AH, he would have been 90 at that time. 
His father was Thabit ibn Zawti al-Farisi, a Persian. His grandfather was one of the people of Kabil who 
was captured in the Arab conquest of the region. He was enslaved to one of the Banu Taym and then freed. 
His 
wala’
belonged to this tribe and so he was a Taymi by clientage. This information was transmitted by the 
grandson of Abu Hanifa, ‘Umar ibn Hammad, but ‘Umar’s brother Isma‘il said that Abu Hanifa was an-
Nu‘man ibn Thabit ibn an-Nu‘man ibn al-Marzban. He said, “By Allah, we were never enslaved.” 
So his grandsons disagreed about his lineage. One said that his grandfather was called Zawti and the other 
that his name was an-Nu‘man. The first said that he was captured and enslaved and the second completely 
denied it. The author of 
al-Khayrat al-Hisan
combined the two versions, maintaining that the grandfather had 
two names, Zayti and an-Nu‘man. He denied the enslavement. This present work agrees with the names but 
not the fact of enslavement, because the second version totally excludes it. 
It seems probable that he was captured in the conquest, but that grace was shown him, which was the 
custom of the Muslims towards some of the important people of conquered lands, so as to uphold their 
position and importance in Islam and to bring their hearts and those of their children close. 
Reliable sources state that he was a Persian and not an Arab or a Babylonian. Whether his grandfather was 
enslaved or not, he and his father were born free men. In any case, the fact that he was a client in no way 
detracts from his worth. The major exponents of 
fiqh
in the time of the 
Tabi‘un,
whom Abu Hanifa met and 
from whose 
fiqh
he extrapolated, were clients of tribes rather than pure Arabs. Most of the 
fuqaha’
in the time 
of the 
Tabi‘un
and indeed the following generation were clients. 
In
 al-‘Aqd al-Farid
, Ibn ‘Abdu Rabbih says:
Ibn Abi Layla said: ‘Isa ibn Musa, a religious and very partisan man, asked me, “Who is the 
faqih
of 
Iraq?”
I replied, “Al-Hasan ibn Abi’l-Hasan (al-Basri).”
“Then who?”
I said, “Muhammad ibn Sirin.”
“Who are those two?” he asked. 
“Two clients,” I replied.
“Who is the 
faqih
of Makka?” he asked.
“‘Ata ibn Abi Rabah, Mujahid, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr or Salman ibn Yasar,” I replied.
“Who are they?”
“Clients.”
“Who are the 
fuqaha’
of Madina?”
“Zayd ibn Aslam, Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, and Nujayh ibn Abi Nujayh,” I replied.
“And who are they?” he asked.
“Clients,” I said.
His face changed colour. Then he asked, “Who knows the most 
fiqh
of the people of Quba’?”
“Rabi‘a ar-Ra’y and Ibn Abi’z-Zinad,” I responded. 
“Who are they?”
“Clients.”

---

He scowled and then asked, “Who is the 
faqih
of Yemen?”
“Tawus, his son, and Ibn Munabbah,” I replied.
“Who are they?” he asked.
“Also clients.”
His veins bulged and he stood up. “And who is the faqih of Khorasan?” 
“‘Ata’ ibn ‘Abdullah al-Khurasani.”
“Who is this ‘Ata’?”
“A client,” I said.
‘His scowl deepened and he glared until I became quite afraid of him. Then he said, “Who is the 
faqih
of Syria?”
“Makhul,” I replied.
“Who is this Makhul?”
“A client,” I said.
He began breathing hard and then asked, “Who is the 
faqih
of Kufa?”
By Allah, were it not for fear for him, I would have said, “Al-Hakim ibn ‘Utba and Hammad ibn 
Abi Sulayman,” but seeing his violent state I replied, “Ibrahim an-Nakha‘i and ash-Sha‘bi.”
“Who are they?” he asked.
“Two Arabs,” I replied. 
“Allah is greater!” he exclaimed and calmed down. 
There are other transmissions to the same effect from other sources which indicate that, during the time in 
which Abu Hanifa grew up, knowledge was for the most part among the clients. Since they lacked the glory of 
lineage, Allah gave them the glory of knowledge which is purer and more lasting. This shows the truth of the 
prophecy of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that knowledge would be 
found among the sons of Persia. We find the 
hadith
in al-Bukhari, Muslim, ash-Shirazi, and at-Tabarani: “If 
knowledge were suspended in the Pleiades, some of the men of Persia would still obtain it.” 
Before going into Abu Hanifa’s lineage, we should perhaps first discuss the reason why, in Umayyad 
times, knowledge was found mostly among the clients. There were several reasons for this. 
• In Umayyad times, the Arabs had authority and power and they fought wars and went on expeditions. All 
of which distra-cted them from study and learning. The clients, on the other hand, were free to study, 
analyse and investigate. They realised that they lacked power and so they wanted to obtain honour by a 
means which was within their grasp: knowledge. Social deprivation can lead to excellence, high 
aspirations and splendid deeds, and indeed it led those clients to master the intellectual life of Islam while 
the Arabs were politically and economically dominant. 
• The Companions spent a lot of time with the clients. keeping their company morning and evening so the 
clients were able to take from the Companions what they had learned from the Messenger of Allah. When 
the era of the Companions ended, they became the bearers of knowledge after them and thus it was that 
most of the great 
Tabi‘un
were clients. 
• The clients came largely from ancient civilisations with developed cultures and science. This had an 
effect on the formation of their ideas and the direction of their pursuits, and indeed, at times, on their 
beliefs. Devotion to knowledge was part of their nature. 
• The Arabs were not people of crafts and learning; and when someone devotes himself to knowledge, it 
becomes like a craft. A lengthy discussion about this can be found in Ibn Khaldun.