Aqaid of the truthful Imam Abu Yusuf the student of Imam Abu Hanifa.
1. Iman decreases and Increases.
2. Using recommended tawasul rather than a Bad`ee waseela.
3. When Qadhi Abu Yusuf student of Imam Abu Hanifa was on his deathbed.
4. Whoever says Qur`an is created is not a Muslim and the aqeedah regarding Jahmiyah.
4. He retracted from all his fatawa on his deathbed.
1. Iman decreases and Increases.
Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Thiqaat and said:
حدثني الحسن بن محمد حدثنا إسحاق بن إبراهيم القاص ثنا قتيبة بن سعيد قال سمعت أبا يوسف يقول الإيمان قول وعمل يزيد وينقص
Qutaybiya bin Saeed said: I Heard Abu Yusuf, saying: Iman is Qaul and Amal, which increases and decreases. [at-Thiqaat (7/645)]
2. Using recommended tawasul rather than a Bad`ee waseela.
Imam Abu Yusuf ordered to ask Allah through recommended waseela
حدثني علي بن إشكاب قال:سمعت أبي يقول: سمعت أبا يوسف يقول: يا قوم أريدوا بفعلكم الله، فإني لم أجلس مجلسا قط أنوي فيه أن أتواضع إلا لم أقم حتى أعلوهم ولم أجلس مجلسا قط أنوي فيه أن أعلوهم إلا لم أقم حتى أفتضح.
O Nation, Ask Allah`s acceptance through your (good) actions. Whenevr i sit in the gathering with the intention of humbleness i became dominent. But whenever i sit in the gathering with the intention of being dominent i was humiliated [Akhbar al-Qadha by Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Khalf bin Hyan (306 h) vol 3 page 285]
3. When Qadhi Abu Yusuf student of Imam Abu Hanifa was on his deathbed.
4. Whoever says Qur`an is created is not a Muslim and the aqeedah regarding Jahmiyah.
1.Imam ad-Dahabee mentioned from the book by Imam Abu Hatim
اخرج ابو حاتم فى السنه قال حدثنا احمد بن محمد بن مسلم حدثنا على بن الحسن الكراعي قال قال ابو يوسف ناظرت ابا حنيفه ستة اشهر فاتفق راينا على ان من قال أن القرآن مخلوق فهو كافر
Abu Yusaf said I have debated Abu Hanifa for 6 months” Our opinion matched on the statement that whoever says Qur`an is created is a disbeliever.”[Al Uluw by Dahabee page 152. Shaykh Al-Bani said Chain is good in Mukhtasar al Uluw page 155,Shaykh Ali bin Rasheed al Ufree endorsed the words of Shaykh al-Albani in منة الرحمن ببيان موقف أبي حنيفة من القول بخلق القرآن , Shaykh Amr Abdul Munim Saleem said chain is hasan in Al-Imam Abu Hanifa and saying of Qur`an is created attributed to him page 38]
2. There is another rout of this saying in Asma wal Siffaat of alBayhaqi where he quoted with his chain
وَأَنْبَأَنِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَافِظُ , إِجَازَةً , أنا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الثَّقَفِيُّ , ثنا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الدَّشْتَكِيُّ , قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا يُوسُفَ الْقَاضِي , يَقُولُ: كَلَّمْتُ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى سَنَةً جَرْدَاءَ فِي أَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ مَخْلُوقٌ أَمْ لَا؟ فَاتَّفَقَ رَأْيُهُ وَرَأْيِي عَلَى أَنَّ مَنْ قَالَ: الْقُرْآنُ مَخْلُوقٌ , فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رُوَاةُ هَذَا كُلُّهُمْ ثِقَاتٌ
Abu Yusaf said I spoke with Abu Hanifa .. regarding Quran is created or not” Our opinion matched on the statement that whoever says Qur`an is created is a disbeliever. Abu Abdullah said all the narrators are trustworthy”.[Asma wal Siffaat of alBayhaqi hadeeth no: 551 page no: 251, Shaykh AlBani quoted this in his evidence see Mukhtasar alUluw page 155]
Note 1: The saying of Abu Yusaf that Abu Hanifa died whith the belief that Quran is Makhlooq [Tareekh Baghdad 13/379] is not proven Shaykh Nasir ud din alBani rahimaullah did kalam on this.
He said
وأما ما روى الخطيب (13/379) من طريق سعيد بن مسلم الباهلي قال: قلنا لأبي يوسف: لما لم تحدثنا عن أبي حنيفة؟ قال: ما تصنعون به؟ مات يوم مات يقول: القرآن مخلوق.
قلت: ففي ثبوته عن أبي يوسف نظر؛ لأن الباهلي هذا، لا يعرف بالرواية، ولذلك أغفلوه، ولم يترجموه في كتب الرجال، حتى ابن أبي حاتم لم يذكره في “كتابه” مع سعته وأحاطته، ولعل السبب في ذلك ما أشار إليه الخطيب في آخر ترجمته (9/74):
“بصري الأصل، وكان قد سكن خراسان، وولاه السلطان بعض الأعمال بمرو، وقدم بغداد وحدث بها، فروى عن محمد بن زياد بن الأعرابي، صاحب اللغة. وكان عالماً بالحديث والعربية، إلا أنه كان لا يبذل نفسه للناس”.
لكن هنا في “التاريخ” روايات أخرى عدة أن أبا حنيفة كان يقول: “القرآن مخلوق”، إلا أنني دققت النظر في بعضها فوجدته لا يخلو من قادح، ولعل سائرها كذلك، لاسيما وقد روى الخطيب عن الإمام أحمد أنه قال: لم يصح عندنا أن أبا حنيفة كان يقول: “القرآن مخلوق”.
قلت: وهذا هو الظن بالإمام أبي حنيفة – رحمه الله – وعلمه، فإن صح عنه خلافه، فلعل ذلك كان قبل أن يناظره أبو يوسف، كما في الرواية الثابتة عنه في الكتاب، فلما ناظره، ولأمر ما استمر في مناظرته ستة أشهر، اتفق معه أخيراً على أن القرآن غير مخلوق، وأن من قال: “القرآن مخلوق” فهو كافر.
وهذا في الواقع من الأدلة الكثيرة على فضل أبي حنيفة، فإنه لم تأخذه العزة، ولم يستكبر عن متابعة تلميذه أبي يوسف حين تبين له أن الحق معه، فرحمه الله تعالى ورضي عنه
[Mukhtasar al Uluw page 156]
Note 2: Some ignorant lay people claim that Abu Yusaf is weak in hadith so his saying is not evidence and they rely on the tehqeeq on Abu Yusaf by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai. I want to tell those lay people that even Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai mentioned the good sayings of Abu Yusaf and said “Chain is authentic”[See Majallah al-Hadith no:19 page 55]
3. Imam Bayhaqi mentioned
561- وقرأت في كتاب أبي عبد الله محمد بن محمد بن يوسف بن إبراهيم الدقاق بروايته عن القاسم بن أبي صالح الهمذاني ، عن محمد بن أيوب الرازي ، قال : سمعت محمد بن سابق ، يقول : سألت أبا يوسف ، فقلت : أكان أبو حنيفة يقول القرآن مخلوق ؟ ، قال : معاذ الله ، ولا أنا أقوله ، فقلت : أكان يرى رأي جهم ؟ فقال : معاذ الله ولا أنا أقوله رواته ثقات
I Read in the book of Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Yusaf bin Ibraheem ad-Daqaaq that he narrated from Qasim bin Abi Saleh al Hamdani from Muhammad bin Ayud al-Razi said. I heard Muhammad bin Sabiq saying I asked Abu Yusaf, I said, whether Abu Hanifa said Qur`an is created? He Said May Allah forbid, neither did i say. I(Muhammad bin Sabiq) said whether his opinion is with the opinion of Jaham? He (abu Yusaf) said May Allah Forbid. Neither I am. He (Abu Abdullah said) Narrators are trustworthy.[Asma wa Siffat Behaqi no: 561, Shaykh Amr Abdul Munim Saleem said: Imam Abu Jafar At-Tahawi trusted this in the creed of of Abu Hanifa famous with the name of “Aqeedah at- Tahawiyah”(see Al-Imam Abu Hanifa and saying of Qur’an is created attributed to him page 38)]
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4. Imam Abu Hanifa himself refuted Jahmis
أبا يوسف يقول قال أبو حنيفة صنفان من شر الناس بخراسان الجهمية والمشبهة وربما قال والمقاتلية
Abu Yusaf said Abu Hanifa said: There are two types of evil people in Khurasaan (1) Jahmiyah and (2) Mushabbiha..[Tareekh Baghdad 13/382 Authenticated by Amr Abdul Munim Saleem in Al-Imam Abu Hanifa and saying of Qur`an is created attributed to him page 24]
5. Ibn Abdul Barr quoted with his chain
: قال أبو يعقوب نا أبو حامد أحمد بن إبراهيم قال نا سهيل بن عامر قال سمعت بشر بن الوليد يقول : كنا عند أمير المؤمنين المأمون فقال إسماعيل بن أبي حنيفة القرآن مخلوق وهو رأيي ورأي آبائي قال بشر بن الوليد : أما رأيك فنعم وأما رأي آبائك فلا
Bashr bin Waleed said Ismaieel bin Abi Hanifa said “The Qur’an is created and that is my view and the view of my fathers,” whereupon Bishr ibn al-Walid said to him: “It may be your view but it is certainly not the view of your fathers (i.e. Hammad and Abu Hanifa). [Al-Inteqaa Page 166]
Comment: The name of Ismaeel is, Ismaeel bin Hammad bin Abi Hanifa who was grand son of Imam Abu Hanifa, His opinion was rejected by Bashr bin Waleed who is direct student of Qazi Abu Yusaf and Imam Malik (see Seyar Ailam Nubala under his biography).
6. Here is another evidence
قال النخعي: حدثنا محمد بن شاذان الجوهري قال: سمعت أبا سليمان الجوزجاني، ومعلى بن منصور الرازي يقولان: ما تكلم أبو حنيفة ولا أبو يوسف، ولا زفر، ولا محمد، ولا أحد من أصحابهم في القرآن، وإنما تكلم في القرآن بشر المريسي، وابن أبي دؤاد، فهؤلاء شانوا أصحاب أبي حنيفة.
Muhammad bin Shazaan al-Johri said: I heard Abu Suleman Jozhani and Ma`li bin Mansoor al-Razi: They said Abu Hanifa did not talk about Qur`an, neither Abu Yusaf, nor Zafar nor Muhammad, not a single companion (of Abu Hanifa). Rather Bashar a;-Maraisi and Ibn Abi Dawood talked about Quran…[Tareekh Baghdad 13/384 Amr Abdul Munim Saleem said”Chain is authentic” in Al-Imam Abu Hanifa and saying of Qur’an is created attributed to him page 45]
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Comment: This is clear from students of Abu Yusaf that their teachers never spoke about Quran is created rather they were Ibn Abi Dawood and Bashar al-Maraisi who said Quran is created. Imam ad-Darami also wrote a refutation of Bashar al-Maraisi on this issue.
The Scholars who rejected the saying the Abu Hanifa said Qur`an is created.
1. Imam at-Tahawi Hanafi (321 h) wrote whole book on the aqeedah of Imam Abu Hanifa, he wrote
هذا ذكر بيان عقيدة أهل السنة والجماعة على مذهب فقهاء الملة أبي حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت الكوفي وأبي يوسف يعقوب بن إبراهيم الأنصاري وأبي عبدالله محمد بن الحسن الشيباني رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين وما يعتقدون من أصول الدين ويدينون به رب العالمين
“This is an explanation of the ‘aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah according to the view of the fuqaha’ of this madhhab: Abu Hanifa al-Nu’maan ibn Thaabit al-Kufi, Abu Yoosuf Ya’qoob ibn Ibraaheem al-Ansaari, and Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybaani, may Allaah be pleased with them all, and the beliefs concerning the fundamentals of Islam, on the basis of which they submit to the Lord of the Worlds.” (Muqaddimah Aqeedah at-Tahawiyah page no: 1)
Imam at-Tahawi said regarding aqeedah of Imam Abu Hanifa
36: The Quran is the Word of Allah
2. Imam Ibn abi al Izz Hanafi commented on above statement page 96 of Sharah Aqeedah at-Tahawiyah
“…..It is not created like the speech of Human being. Whoever hears it and Thinks it is the speech of Man is a Infidel”(end quote)
Comment: Imam at-Tahawi and Imam Ibn Abi al Izz were great Hanafi Imams and they knew the stance of Imam Abu Hanifa.
3. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said
وقال النخعي حدثنا أبو بكر المروذي قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله أحمد بن حنبل يقول لم يصح عندنا أن أبا حنيفة كان يقول القرآن مخلوق
It is not true according to me that Abu Hanifa said Qur`an is created[Tareekh Baghdad 13/384 Authenticated by Shaykh Ali bin Rasheed al Ufree in منة الرحمن ببيان موقف أبي حنيفة من القول بخلق القرآن, And Authenticated by Amr Abdul Munim Saleem in Al-Imam Abu Hanifa and saying of Qur`an is created attributed to him page 44]
Note: Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said in as-Sunnah no:265 that I think Abu Hanifa said This (Quran) is creation, which is his dhan, But the narration presented above Imam Ahmad is telling with yaqeen that Abu Hanifa did not say this.
4. Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmaan al-Khumayyis said
Imaam Aboo Hanifa declared that the Qur’aan was sent down, it was not created. So he said, “And the Qur’aan is not created. And he also said, “And we affirm that the Qur’aan is the Speech of Allaah the Exalted, it is not created. However, al-Kawtharee said that the Qur’aan was created and that there was no difference between him and the Mu’tazilah with regards to its nature being created.[Taken from The Creed of the Four Imams]
Dr. Muhammad al-Khamees, reads:
“Imaam Abu Hanifa’s belief in the Quran is the belief of the Imaams of the salaf (righteous predecessors) of this nation, and this is what was authentically proven by the Quran and the Sunnah, that the Quran was revealed and not created; it began from Him and to Him it will go back. These are the words of the Imaam quoted from al-Fiqh al-Akbar: ‘The Quran is not created;’ and he said in Al-Wasiyyah, ‘We acknowledge that the Quran is the speech of Allaah, and it is not created.
I have not come, in the books that are attributed to him, across a statement that is contrary to this view.
Based on the above, the scholars, such as Imaam Ahmad and Bishr ibn Al-Waleed, At-Tahaawy, Al-Laalikaa’i, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn Hajar, have consecutively ignored the narrations that say that Abu Hanifa said that the Quran was created, and they decisively asserted that the view of Abu Hanifa is that he did not say that the Quran was created.
At-Tahaawi also held the same view, as he, when clarifying the belief of Abu Hanifa and his two companions, said, “They were convinced that the Quran is the speech of Allaah in reality and that it is not created.” At-Tahaawi did not refer to something that is contrary to this.” [Summarized, Islamweb Fatwa No : 299545]
Comment: Above is clear cut reply, Abu Hanifa Rahimaullah himself said Qur`an is not Creation, Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah defended his aqeedah, what else these people who accuse him want now? Maybe he said that before but than he repented and agreed with his student Abu Yusaf after watching the truth.
5. Imam Yazeed bin Haroon did not consider Abu Hanifa a Jahmi
حدثني إسحاق بن بهلول قال قلت ليزيد بن هارون أصلي خلف الجهمية قال لا قلت أصلي خلف المرجئة قال إنهم لخبثاء
Ishaaq bin Behlol said i asked Yazeed bin Haroon regarding praying behind Jahmiya, He replied: No. I asked regarding praying behing Murjiya. He replied: They are Khubatha.[Kitab al-Sunnah no:55]
Comment: Here we can see that Imam Yazeed bin Haroon considered them Khubatha. How can he praise a person to whom he consider a khabeeth?
Imam Yazeed bin Haroon (d 206 h) said
. أدركت الناس، فما رأيت أحدًا أعقل ولا أفضل ولا أورع من أبي حنيفة
“I have seen many people. However, I have not seen anyone more intelligent, better and pious person than Abu hanifa.[Tareekh baghdad vol 13 page 364 Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai said chain is authentic]
4. When Qadhi Abu Yusuf student of Imam Abu Hanifa was on his deathbed.
Dhahabi said:
وقال يحيى بن يحيى التميمي سمعت ابا يوسف يقول عند وفاته: كل ما افتيت به فقد رجعت عنه الا ما وافق الكتاب والسنة، وفي لفظ: الا ما في القرآن واجتمع عليه المسلمون.
Yahya bin Yahya at-Tamimi said I heard Abu Yusuf on his deathbed saying :
I have retracted from all the fatawa i gave apart from those which are in accordance with Quran and Sunnah. Another words are apart from (those fatawa which are against) Qur`an and Consensus of Muslims.
تذكرة الحفاظ 1/293
Khateeb Baghdadi narrated the following:
أخبرني محمّد بن أحمد بن يعقوب قال: أخبرنا محمّد بن نعيم الضّبّيّ، حدثنا أبو منصور محمّد بن القاسم العتكي، حدثنا أحمد بن حفص بن عمر الفقيه-بجرجان- حدثنا علي بن سلمة اللبقي، حدثنا يحيى بن يحيى قال: سمعت أبا يوسف القاضي عند وفاته يقول: كل ما أفتيت به فقد رجعت عنه، إلا ما وافق كتاب اللّه و سنّة رسول اللّه صلّى اللّه عليه و سلّم
Yahya bin Yahya at-Tamimi said I heard Abu Yusuf on his deathbed saying :
I have retracted from all the fatawa i gave apart from those which are in accordance with Quran and Sunnah.
Tareekh Baghdad ١٤ / ٢٥٦