Imam Abu Hanifa (d. 150 AH / 767 CE)
In brief: Biography of Imam Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Thabit, founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence, and his place in the curriculum of the Islamic Institute of Advanced Research.
Imam Abu Hanifa al-Nu’man ibn Thabit was born in Kufa, in present-day Iraq, around 80 AH (about 699 CE) and passed away in 150 AH (767 CE). He is honoured as al-Imam al-A’zam, “the Greatest Imam”.
His contribution
- Taught in Kufa, learning from leading scholars of the generation after the Companions
- Developed a methodical approach to deriving rulings from the Qur’an and Sunnah
- Trained a circle of students who recorded and expanded the school’s positions
- Left a legacy continued through the works of Abu Yusuf, al-Shaybani and later jurists
In our curriculum
Hanafi jurisprudence runs through our fiqh specialisation and underpins the legal rulings cited in Imam Ahmad Raza’s fatawa. See the overview of the Hanafi school.