Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →Hanafi School
المذهب الحنفي
The oldest and most widespread Sunni legal school, founded on the teaching of Abu Hanifah in Kufa and developed by Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani. Dominant in South and Central Asia, Turkey and the Balkans.
Biography
Abu Hanifah, a Kufan scholar and merchant, built on the Kufan legacy of Ibn Mas'ud through Ibrahim al-Nakha'i and Hammad, and is reported to have attended the circle of Ja'far al-Sadiq. He emphasised reasoning by analogy (qiyas) and juristic preference (istihsan). He refused judicial office under the Abbasids and died in prison (150 AH) according to many reports.
His students Abu Yusuf (chief judge under Harun al-Rashid) and al-Shaybani recorded the school. It became the official school of the Abbasids in practice, the Ottomans and the Mughals; Deobandi and Barelvi movements in South Asia are Hanafi.
Sources & explanation
۞ Qur'an
No specific verses cited for this node.
📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com
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Sahih al-Bukhari 7352 Sahih
'When a judge strives and is right he has two rewards; if he strives and errs he has one reward' — basis of ijtihad.
💬 Explanation Unverified
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective
Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Presented neutrally; the method's widely known stance is to respect all imams while preferring authenticated evidence over strict adherence to any school.
Empires in their lifetime
- Abbasid Caliphate 750 CE – 1258 CEAbu Hanifah's student Abu Yusuf became chief judge under the Abbasids.
- Ottoman Empire c. 1299 – 1922 CEHanafi law was the official school of the Ottoman state.
- Mughal Empire 1526 – 1857 CEThe Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, a Hanafi legal compendium, was compiled under Aurangzeb.
Further references
- al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
- Historical consensus
Connections
Comes from
- Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (Sunni Islam) offshoot — Sunni legal school
Leads to
- Maturidi School of Theology offshoot — Hanafi creed systematised
- Deobandi Movement offshoot — Hanafi revivalism
- Barelvi Movement (Ahl-e-Sunnat wa Jama'at) offshoot — Hanafi Sufi tradition
Linked with
- Ja'far al-Sadiq (RH) related — Abu Hanifah reported to have attended his circle
- Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (RA) teacher of — Kufan legacy via his students
- Ottoman Sultanate-Caliphate related — Official school