After Abū Yūsuf, the second most prominent student of Abū Ḥanīfa is Abū ʽAbdullah Muḥammad b. al-Ḥaṣan al-Shaybānī (132-189AH/749-804CE), more often known simply as Imam Muḥammad or al-Shaybānī. He was born in Wasit but grew up as a client in Kūfa and, like Abū Yūsuf, he first began his studies in hadith. Unfortunately he was only able to … Continue reading al-Shaybānī and the Conclusion of this Tale…
Abū Yūsuf: The Knowledge of Kūfa Inherited
One day Waki’ b. al-Jarrah, a prominent hadith scholar of the time, cited a ruling given by Abū Ḥanīfa when someone remarked that Abū Ḥanīfa had committed an error. “How could Abū Ḥanīfa commit an error,” Waki’ replied. “He had eminent men to assist him – in analogy Abū Yūsuf and Zafar [b. al-Hudhayl]; in hadith … Continue reading Abū Yūsuf: The Knowledge of Kūfa Inherited
Abū Ḥanīfa: Rising Out of Kūfa
Abū Ḥanīfa Nuʽman b. Thabit (80-150AH/703-767CE) is considered by many to have been the greatest scholar of the Ahl al-Raʽy. Presently, his school is also the predominant school of Sunni law with nearly half of all Muslims associating with it. However, the Imam has not escaped fierce criticisms alleged against him based upon misperceptions concerning … Continue reading Abū Ḥanīfa: Rising Out of Kūfa
Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb, Part II: A Young City with Ancient Controversies
As the newly emerging Muslim empire expanded to the north, it acquired not only new land, spoils, and converts; but also inherited the home of many different religions, sects and philosophical teachings.[1] Throughout the region, Syriac Christians had established educational institutions for the study of Greek philosophy and the ancient wisdom of Persia, [2] laying … Continue reading Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb, Part II: A Young City with Ancient Controversies
Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb: Part I
It is an all too common misperception that the Ḥanafī madhhāb (school of legal thought) was forged at a time and locality where hadiths were not widely available. Likely due to this misperception, the Ḥanafī madhhāb is often singled out as the only representative among the Sunni schools today of an earlier, and controversial, school … Continue reading Origins of the Ḥanafī Madhhāb: Part I
Technology & Religious Change
In his article Technology and Religious Change: Islam and the Impact of Print, Francis Robinson analyzes the relatively late use of the printing press by Muslims, who only utilized en masse about four hundred years after it had been well established in the Christian world.[1] This is not because Muslims were unaware of the technology. … Continue reading Technology & Religious Change
Our Tradition and Traditional Schools of Law
Sacred Law does not only entail the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, it also includes within it methodologies for their interpretation and application. While each school of Sacred Law considers the Qur’ān and the Sunnah as possessing divine legal authority, they also recognize that to derive the rulings from this authority demands the use of human … Continue reading Our Tradition and Traditional Schools of Law
A Struggle For Authority
For Sunni Muslims, authority to speak on behalf of the religion, and to command from it the obedience of the religion's adherents, is not derived from a divinely established religious hierarchy. Rather, authority is derived from a divinely revealed text- the Qur’ān- and the authenticated sayings and actions of a divinely influenced messenger- the Sunnah. … Continue reading A Struggle For Authority
Ibrahim J. Long 