When Kufa - the city whose construction was paid special attention by the Righteous Caliph Umar - was appointed the capital of the Islamic Caliphate, the learned companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ settled there. Thanks to their work and efforts, Kufa turned into a real university and center of education. There were no equal Muslim cities in terms of the number of scientists. One of the capitals of the Caliphate is the setting for the book “Abu Hanifa - the Great Mujtahid”, published by the “Huzur” publishing house of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2020. The author of the book is the well-known theologian and preacher in Turkey Ihsan Shenojak. The author's attention to the ancient capital is quite justified. In Kufa was born the greatest theologian Abu Hanifa, and Imam Agzam achieved heights in the study of religion.
Abu Hanifa al- Numan ibn Thabit al- Kufi is an Islamic scholar and theologian and jurist. One of the four canonical legal schools of Sunni Islam (they are called “madhab”), the founder of which is Imam Agzam, bears his name. This is what some followers call Abu Hanifa - “The Greatest Imam”. Thanks to the efforts of his students, his madhhab has become a comprehensive school of Islamic law, capable of answering almost all legal questions.
Although, today, during the life of Abu Hanifa and after his death, there were many envious or ignorant people who declared, for example, that the imam didn’t know hadith. It is precisely to the debunking of such incorrect judgments that undermine undoubted authority that an impressive part of the book “Abu Hanifa - the Great Mujtahid” is devoted. The author briefly reveals the most famous works criticizing the activities of Imam Agzam. To confirm their infidelity, the author resorts not only to dry logic, but also lists the intellectual heritage of numerous scholars who spoke in defense of Abu Hanifa. This method of proof turns the book into a real textbook containing a useful list of references for a deeper study of Islamic jurisprudence - “fiqh”.
But Ihsan Shenojak’s book can be useful for everyone, not just people who want to become scientists. The publication is capable of captivating anyone with an interest in Islam, especially its Sunni teachings, based on the Hanafi school of law. Even a casual person can learn a lot, thanks to the fact that the book not only narrates the life journey of Imam Aqzam, but also greets the reader with an exciting introduction, which is worth mentioning later.
The story about the biography of Abu Hanifa sets out in detail all the stages of his life: from his birth, including the question of origin, to the completion of his journey in this world. Abu Hanifa devoted more time to worship than to studying. Initially, he was engaged in trading activities, where he significantly succeeded thanks to the trust of others. But the participation of the eloquent and God-fearing Abu Hanifa in various discussions and scientific meetings attracted the attention of contemporary scientists. The book also talks in detail about why Abu Hanifa lost interest in the science of kalam and plunged into the study of the discipline of fiqh.
Kalam as a science began to develop in the course of discussions that arose with the advent of such religious and political movements as the Kharijites, Qadarites, Jabrits and others. Abu Hanifa was born in an era when the Islamic world was in turmoil. Local peoples exerted a cultural influence on the society of Kufa. Once the capital of the Caliphate, under the Umayyads the city became a center of attraction for new peoples of the growing Muslim empire, including those not professing Islam. From here grows the root of Abu Hanifa's method, which guided him in resolving legal issues.
Discussing the method of Imam Agzam, author of the book Ihsan Shenojak quotes the scholar Al- Muwaffaq Al-Makki: “He drew a conclusion on a particular issue based on analogy (“qiyas”)”. If there were no analogies in the Quran, Sunnah and the words of the Companions, Abu Hanifa resorted to the “istihsan” method – resolving the issue in the direction of convenience and ease. When the latter turned out to be unacceptable, the theologian turned to local traditions.
The city of Kufa comes alive again in the pages of the book when it comes to the opening of a fiqh academy, headed by Imam Agzam. The capital beloved by the Abbasids appears attractive to diverse and heterogeneous cultures, with ideological currents seething within. In this regard, author Ihsan Shenojak notes the similarities between Kufa and the modern world. Holy Mecca also played a role in the formation of Abu Hanifa. Repeatedly making pilgrimages, and once completely hiding there from the persecution of the Umayyad governor, the scientist became the successor to the knowledge of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar.
It may seem that despite all his diligence in acquiring and disseminating knowledge, Abu Hanifa lived a quiet life as a respected scholar. But immediately after the chapter on the political views of Imam Agzam, the author immerses the reader in a story about the severe trials that befell the main character of the book. The torture committed against Abu Hanifa, who stood for just power, can be divided into two periods. The first tests on the Greatest Imam fell during the reign of the Umayyads, and the next ones - under the Abbasids.
The introduction of the book “Abu Hanifa - the Great Mujtahid” introduces the reader to the story of Mr. Nebit. This future orientalist received a Christian education in England until the age of 13. When his remarkable intellect became known, Mr. Nebit was sent to Istanbul. There he studied under the guise of a Muslim, Tahsin Efendi, and received official permission to teach Islamic disciplines. After this, he was sent by the British authorities to India, where a huge number of Muslims lived.
According to Ihsan Shenojak, over the past two hundred years, hundreds of such Mr. Nebits have grown up mainly in Istanbul, Egypt and India, as well as in other Islamic countries. Wanting to transform the political and social structure of Muslim society, the Western world deployed such secret missionaries. These people destroyed religion under the guise of correcting beliefs and sowed doubts around the name of the greatest Islamic scholar, Abu Hanifa. For this reason, it is the responsibility of not only this book, but of every Muslim, to highlight the merits of Imam Aqzam and to defeat criticism against him.
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