1 00:00:00,530 --> 00:00:03,529 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:03,529 --> 00:00:08,529 The best of generations in their conduct and example, 3 00:00:08,529 --> 00:00:13,529 Following the Messenger when he strove or spoke. 4 00:00:13,529 --> 00:00:15,529 Mawaddah Association 5 00:00:15,529 --> 00:00:17,530 Presents: 6 00:00:17,530 --> 00:00:21,589 Portraits from the Life of the Tabi'un 7 00:00:21,589 --> 00:00:26,010 By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 8 00:00:26,010 --> 00:00:28,010 May Allah have mercy upon him. 9 00:00:28,010 --> 00:00:33,020 Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man, 10 00:00:33,020 --> 00:00:35,020 May Allah have mercy upon him. 11 00:00:43,439 --> 00:00:47,500 Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man once visited Imam Malik, 12 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:50,539 While a group of his students were with him. 13 00:00:50,539 --> 00:00:52,539 When he left, 14 00:00:52,539 --> 00:00:55,539 Malik turned to those sitting with him and said, 15 00:00:55,539 --> 00:00:58,539 "Do you know who this is?" 16 00:00:58,539 --> 00:01:00,539 They replied, "No." 17 00:01:00,539 --> 00:01:04,540 He said, "This is al-Nu'man ibn Thabit. 18 00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:07,540 This is a man who, if he were to claim about this pillar 19 00:01:07,540 --> 00:01:11,540 that it was made of gold, he would provide proof for his claim, 20 00:01:11,540 --> 00:01:13,920 and it would turn out to be exactly as he said." 21 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:20,920 Imam Malik was not exaggerating in his description of Abu Hanifah’s strength of argument, 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,920 his quick-wittedness, 23 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,920 and his sharp, brilliant mind. 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:31,920 History and biographical books are filled with accounts of his debates with his opponents in legal opinion, 25 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:33,920 and his adversaries in creed. 26 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,920 All of these are testimonies to the truth of what Imam Malik described him with: 27 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,920 that if he were to claim to you that the dust before you was gold, 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:49,920 you would have no choice but to yield to his argument and accept his claim. 29 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,920 So how much more so when he is defending the truth 30 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,920 and arguing for its sake? 31 00:01:54,920 --> 00:02:01,620 Among these instances is that a man from the people of Kufa, whom Allah had led astray, 32 00:02:01,620 --> 00:02:04,620 held a position of status in the eyes of some people, 33 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:08,620 and his word carried weight among them. 34 00:02:08,620 --> 00:02:12,620 This man used to claim to the people, among the things he asserted, 35 00:02:12,620 --> 00:02:16,620 that Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was Jewish by origin, 36 00:02:16,620 --> 00:02:21,620 and that he remained upon his Judaism even after Islam. 37 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:25,810 When Abu Hanifah heard this statement of his, 38 00:02:25,810 --> 00:02:27,810 he went to him and said, 39 00:02:27,810 --> 00:02:32,810 "I have come to you to propose marriage to your daughter, so-and-so, on behalf of one of my companions." 40 00:02:32,810 --> 00:02:36,810 The man replied, "Welcome and greetings! 41 00:02:36,810 --> 00:02:40,810 A request from someone like you, O Abu Hanifah, cannot be refused. 42 00:02:40,810 --> 00:02:43,810 But who is the suitor?" 43 00:02:43,810 --> 00:02:48,810 He said, "A man known among his people for honor and wealth, 44 00:02:48,810 --> 00:02:51,810 generous and open-handed, 45 00:02:51,810 --> 00:02:54,810 a memorizer of the Book of Allah (the Almighty and Majestic), 46 00:02:54,810 --> 00:02:57,810 who spends the entire night in a single rak'ah, 47 00:02:57,810 --> 00:03:01,810 and weeps profusely out of fear of Allah (the Exalted)." 48 00:03:01,810 --> 00:03:06,810 The man exclaimed, "Excellent, excellent! That is enough, O Abu Hanifah. 49 00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:09,810 Some of the qualities you have mentioned regarding the suitor 50 00:03:09,810 --> 00:03:13,810 make him a match for the daughter of the Commander of the Faithful." 51 00:03:13,810 --> 00:03:15,810 Abu Hanifah then said, 52 00:03:15,810 --> 00:03:20,810 "However, he has one trait that you must be aware of." 53 00:03:20,810 --> 00:03:22,810 He asked, "And what is that?" 54 00:03:22,810 --> 00:03:25,810 He replied, "He is a Jew." 55 00:03:25,810 --> 00:03:28,810 The man recoiled and said, "A Jew? 56 00:03:28,810 --> 00:03:33,810 Do you want me to marry my daughter to a Jew, O Abu Hanifah? 57 00:03:33,810 --> 00:03:36,810 By Allah, I will not marry her to him, 58 00:03:36,810 --> 00:03:40,810 even if he possessed all the virtues of the first and the last generations!" 59 00:03:40,810 --> 00:03:42,810 Abu Hanifah then said, 60 00:03:42,810 --> 00:03:45,810 "You refuse to marry your daughter to a Jew, 61 00:03:45,810 --> 00:03:48,810 and you reject that with the utmost vehemence, 62 00:03:48,810 --> 00:03:50,810 yet you claim to the people 63 00:03:50,810 --> 00:03:53,810 that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 64 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:57,810 married both of his daughters to a Jew?" 65 00:03:57,810 --> 00:04:00,810 The man began to tremble and said, 66 00:04:00,810 --> 00:04:03,810 "I seek Allah’s forgiveness for the evil words I have spoken, 67 00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:07,810 and I repent to Him for the falsehood I have fabricated." 68 00:04:07,810 --> 00:04:11,250 Another instance is 69 00:04:11,250 --> 00:04:13,250 that one of the Khawarij, 70 00:04:13,250 --> 00:04:15,250 namely al-Dahhak al-Shari, 71 00:04:15,250 --> 00:04:19,250 came to Abu Hanifah one day and said, 72 00:04:19,250 --> 00:04:21,250 "Repent, O Abu Hanifah!" 73 00:04:21,250 --> 00:04:24,250 He asked, "From what should I repent?" 74 00:04:24,250 --> 00:04:26,250 The Khariji replied, 75 00:04:26,250 --> 00:04:28,250 "From your view permitting the arbitration 76 00:04:28,250 --> 00:04:31,250 that took place between Ali and Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them)." 77 00:04:31,250 --> 00:04:34,279 Abu Hanifah said to him, 78 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,279 "Will you not agree to debate me on this matter?" 79 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,279 The Khariji replied, "Yes." 80 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,279 Abu Hanifah said, 81 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,279 "If we disagree on something in what we are debating, 82 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,279 then who shall judge between us?" 83 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,279 The Khariji said, 84 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,339 "Appoint whomever you wish." 85 00:04:52,339 --> 00:04:56,339 Abu Hanifah turned to a man from the Khariji's companions 86 00:04:56,339 --> 00:04:58,339 who was with him and said, 87 00:04:58,339 --> 00:05:01,339 "Judge between us regarding what we disagree upon." 88 00:05:01,339 --> 00:05:03,470 Then he said to the Khariji, 89 00:05:03,470 --> 00:05:05,470 "I am satisfied with your companion; 90 00:05:05,470 --> 00:05:08,470 are you satisfied with him?" 91 00:05:08,470 --> 00:05:11,470 The Khariji was pleased and said, "Yes." 92 00:05:11,470 --> 00:05:13,470 Abu Hanifah then said, 93 00:05:13,470 --> 00:05:15,470 "Woe to you! 94 00:05:15,470 --> 00:05:18,470 You permit arbitration regarding what occurs between me and you, 95 00:05:18,470 --> 00:05:24,470 yet you deny it to two of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?" 96 00:05:24,470 --> 00:05:26,470 The Khariji was stunned, 97 00:05:26,470 --> 00:05:28,470 and could not utter a response. 98 00:05:28,470 --> 00:05:32,139 Another instance is 99 00:05:32,139 --> 00:05:34,139 that Jahm ibn Safwan, 100 00:05:34,139 --> 00:05:38,139 the head of the misguided and heretical Jahmiyyah sect, 101 00:05:38,139 --> 00:05:41,139 and the sower of evil in the land of Islam, 102 00:05:41,139 --> 00:05:44,139 once came to Abu Hanifah and said, 103 00:05:44,139 --> 00:05:49,139 "I have come to you to speak with you about things I have prepared for you." 104 00:05:49,139 --> 00:05:51,170 Abu Hanifah replied, 105 00:05:51,170 --> 00:05:53,170 "Speaking with you is a disgrace, 106 00:05:53,170 --> 00:05:57,170 and delving into what you follow is like a blazing fire." 107 00:05:57,170 --> 00:05:59,230 Jahm said, 108 00:05:59,230 --> 00:06:02,230 "How did you judge me as you did, 109 00:06:02,230 --> 00:06:04,230 when you have not met me before, 110 00:06:04,230 --> 00:06:06,230 nor heard my speech?" 111 00:06:06,230 --> 00:06:08,230 Abu Hanifah replied, 112 00:06:08,230 --> 00:06:14,329 "Reports have reached me about you that do not come from a person of the Qiblah." 113 00:06:14,329 --> 00:06:16,329 Jahm said, 114 00:06:16,329 --> 00:06:18,329 "Do you judge me based on the unseen?" 115 00:06:18,329 --> 00:06:20,329 Abu Hanifah replied, 116 00:06:20,329 --> 00:06:23,329 "That has become famous about you and widespread, 117 00:06:23,329 --> 00:06:26,329 and both the common and the elite have known it. 118 00:06:26,329 --> 00:06:31,329 So it became permissible for me to confirm it against you by what has been transmitted about you." 119 00:06:31,329 --> 00:06:33,329 Jahm said, 120 00:06:33,329 --> 00:06:37,329 "I do not want to ask you about anything except faith." 121 00:06:37,329 --> 00:06:39,329 Abu Hanifah replied, 122 00:06:39,329 --> 00:06:44,360 "Have you not known faith until this hour, that you must ask me about it?" 123 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,360 Jahm said, 124 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:50,360 "Yes, but I have doubted a type of it." 125 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,360 Abu Hanifah replied, 126 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:55,420 "Doubt in faith is disbelief." 127 00:06:55,420 --> 00:06:57,420 Jahm said, 128 00:06:57,420 --> 00:07:00,420 "It is not permissible for you to brand me with disbelief 129 00:07:00,420 --> 00:07:03,459 unless you hear from me what constitutes disbelief." 130 00:07:03,459 --> 00:07:05,459 Abu Hanifah said, 131 00:07:06,459 --> 00:07:08,550 "Speak." 132 00:07:08,550 --> 00:07:12,550 Jahm said, 133 00:07:12,550 --> 00:07:16,550 "Tell me about a man who knew Allah in his heart, 134 00:07:16,550 --> 00:07:18,550 and knew that He is One, with no partner and no equal, 135 00:07:18,550 --> 00:07:21,550 and knew Him by His attributes, 136 00:07:21,550 --> 00:07:25,550 and that there is nothing like unto Him, 137 00:07:25,550 --> 00:07:28,550 then he died without declaring faith with his tongue. 138 00:07:28,550 --> 00:07:30,550 Does he die a believer or a disbeliever?" 139 00:07:30,550 --> 00:07:32,550 Abu Hanifah replied, 140 00:07:32,550 --> 00:07:34,550 "He dies a disbeliever, 141 00:07:34,550 --> 00:07:38,550 and he is among the people of the Fire, 142 00:07:38,550 --> 00:07:42,550 if he did not declare with his tongue what he knew in his heart, 143 00:07:42,550 --> 00:07:44,579 provided there was no obstacle preventing him from declaring it with his tongue." 144 00:07:44,579 --> 00:07:46,620 Jahm said, 145 00:07:46,620 --> 00:07:49,620 "How can he not be a believer, 146 00:07:49,620 --> 00:07:51,810 when he has known Allah with true knowledge?" 147 00:07:51,810 --> 00:07:53,810 Abu Hanifah replied, 148 00:07:53,810 --> 00:07:55,810 "If you believe in the Qur'an 149 00:07:55,810 --> 00:07:57,810 and take it as an argument, 150 00:07:57,810 --> 00:08:00,810 I will speak to you with it. 151 00:08:00,810 --> 00:08:02,810 And if you do not believe in the Qur'an 152 00:08:02,810 --> 00:08:06,839 and do not see it as an argument, 153 00:08:06,839 --> 00:08:08,839 I will speak to you with what we speak to those who oppose Islam." 154 00:08:08,839 --> 00:08:10,839 Jahm said, 155 00:08:10,839 --> 00:08:12,939 "Rather, I believe in the Qur'an 156 00:08:12,939 --> 00:08:14,970 and I take it as an argument." 157 00:08:14,970 --> 00:08:16,970 Abu Hanifah said, 158 00:08:16,970 --> 00:08:19,970 "Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) 159 00:08:19,970 --> 00:08:21,970 has made faith dependent on two faculties: 160 00:08:21,970 --> 00:08:24,970 the heart and the tongue, 161 00:08:24,970 --> 00:08:29,970 not just one of them. 162 00:08:29,970 --> 00:08:31,970 The Book of Allah and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 163 00:08:31,970 --> 00:08:33,970 are overflowing with the confirmation of this." 164 00:08:33,970 --> 00:08:37,220 He said (the Exalted): 165 00:08:37,220 --> 00:08:39,220 "They knew the truth in their hearts, 166 00:08:39,220 --> 00:08:42,220 and they spoke it with their tongues. 167 00:08:42,220 --> 00:08:45,220 So Allah admitted them, because of what they said, 168 00:08:45,220 --> 00:08:47,220 into Gardens beneath which rivers flow." 169 00:08:47,220 --> 00:08:49,220 And He (the Exalted) said: 170 00:08:49,220 --> 00:08:51,220 "Say..." 171 00:08:51,220 --> 00:08:54,220 He commanded them to speak, 172 00:08:54,220 --> 00:08:57,320 and did not suffice with knowledge and understanding from them. 173 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,320 And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 174 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,320 "Say 'La ilaha illa Allah' and you will succeed." 175 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,320 He did not make success dependent on knowledge alone, 176 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,320 but rather joined speech to it. 177 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:15,320 And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 178 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,320 "He who says 'La ilaha illa Allah' will be brought out of the Fire." 179 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,350 He did not say, "He who knows Allah will be brought out of the Fire." 180 00:09:21,350 --> 00:09:24,350 If speech were not needed, 181 00:09:24,350 --> 00:09:26,350 and knowledge were sufficient without it, 182 00:09:26,350 --> 00:09:29,350 then Iblis would be a believer, 183 00:09:29,350 --> 00:09:32,350 because he is knowledgeable of his Lord. 184 00:09:32,350 --> 00:09:34,350 He knows that He is the One who created him, 185 00:09:34,350 --> 00:09:36,350 and He is the One who will cause him to die, 186 00:09:36,350 --> 00:09:38,350 and He is the One who will resurrect him, 187 00:09:38,350 --> 00:09:41,350 and He is the One who led him astray. 188 00:09:41,350 --> 00:09:45,350 Allah (the Exalted) said, quoting him: 189 00:09:45,350 --> 00:09:50,350 "You created me from fire and created him from clay." 190 00:09:50,350 --> 00:09:53,350 And he said: "My Lord, respite me until the day they are resurrected." 191 00:09:53,350 --> 00:09:57,350 “He said: Now, because Thou hast sent me astray, verily I shall lurk in ambush for them on Thy Right Path.” (7:16) 192 00:09:57,350 --> 00:10:00,350 If what you claim were true, 193 00:10:00,350 --> 00:10:03,350 then many of the disbelievers would be believers 194 00:10:03,350 --> 00:10:05,350 due to their knowledge of their Lord, 195 00:10:05,350 --> 00:10:08,350 despite their denial of Him with their tongues. 196 00:10:08,350 --> 00:10:10,350 Allah (the Exalted) said: 197 00:10:10,350 --> 00:10:14,350 “And they denied them, though their souls acknowledged them, for spite and arrogance. Then see the nature of the consequence for the wrong-doers!” (27:14) 198 00:10:14,350 --> 00:10:17,350 He did not make them believers by their certainty, 199 00:10:17,350 --> 00:10:22,379 but rather counted them as disbelievers due to the rejection of their tongues. 200 00:10:22,379 --> 00:10:26,379 Abu Hanifah continued to flow in this manner, 201 00:10:26,379 --> 00:10:29,379 Sometimes by way of the Qur'an, and other times by way of the hadith. 202 00:10:29,379 --> 00:10:34,379 Until signs of bewilderment and defeat appeared on the face of Jahm. 203 00:10:34,379 --> 00:10:38,379 He slipped away from the presence of Abu Hanifah, saying: 204 00:10:38,379 --> 00:10:43,379 "You have reminded me of something I had forgotten, and I shall return to you." 205 00:10:43,379 --> 00:10:46,379 Then he departed, never to return. 206 00:10:46,379 --> 00:10:50,429 Another instance of this is 207 00:10:50,429 --> 00:10:54,429 that Abu Hanifah once encountered a group of atheists 208 00:10:54,429 --> 00:10:58,429 who denied the existence of the Creator, Majestic and Exalted is He. 209 00:10:58,429 --> 00:11:00,429 He said to them: 210 00:11:00,429 --> 00:11:04,429 "What do you say about a ship laden with heavy cargo, 211 00:11:04,429 --> 00:11:07,429 filled with goods and supplies, 212 00:11:07,429 --> 00:11:12,429 surrounded in the depths of the sea by crashing waves, 213 00:11:12,429 --> 00:11:15,429 and buffeted by fierce winds, 214 00:11:15,429 --> 00:11:20,429 yet it continues to sail calmly along its charted course, 215 00:11:20,429 --> 00:11:24,429 proceeding securely toward its known destination, 216 00:11:24,429 --> 00:11:28,429 without any disturbance, flaw, or deviation, 217 00:11:28,429 --> 00:11:32,429 while there is no sailor on board to steer its path, 218 00:11:32,429 --> 00:11:35,429 or navigator to regulate its movement? 219 00:11:35,429 --> 00:11:38,429 Is such a thing logically possible?" 220 00:11:38,429 --> 00:11:42,429 They replied, "No, this is something the intellect cannot accept, 221 00:11:42,429 --> 00:11:46,429 nor can the imagination conceive, O Shaykh." 222 00:11:46,429 --> 00:11:49,429 He said, "Glory be to Allah! 223 00:11:49,429 --> 00:11:53,429 You deny that a ship can sail the sea in a precise manner 224 00:11:53,429 --> 00:11:57,429 without a captain to oversee it, 225 00:11:57,429 --> 00:12:00,429 yet you affirm that this universe exists— 226 00:12:00,429 --> 00:12:03,429 with its surging seas, its orbiting celestial bodies, 227 00:12:03,429 --> 00:12:07,429 its soaring birds, and its roaming beasts— 228 00:12:07,429 --> 00:12:10,429 without a Maker to perfect its creation, 229 00:12:10,429 --> 00:12:13,429 or a Disposer of affairs to perfect its management? 230 00:12:13,429 --> 00:12:16,429 Woe to you and to what you fabricate!" 231 00:12:16,429 --> 00:12:23,450 Having spent his entire life’s journey 232 00:12:23,450 --> 00:12:26,450 defending the religion of Allah, 233 00:12:26,450 --> 00:12:29,450 with the profound proof the Creator had bestowed upon him, 234 00:12:29,450 --> 00:12:34,450 and arguing for His law with the unique logic Allah had granted him, 235 00:12:34,450 --> 00:12:37,480 when death came to him, 236 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,480 they found in his will that he had charged his family 237 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:44,480 to bury him in pure land, 238 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,830 and to keep him away from any place involving the suspicion of usurpation. 239 00:12:48,830 --> 00:12:51,830 When his will reached al-Mansur, 240 00:12:51,830 --> 00:12:55,830 he said, "Who will excuse us from Abu Hanifah, 241 00:12:55,830 --> 00:12:57,899 both in life and in death?" 242 00:12:57,899 --> 00:13:00,899 Abu Hanifah had requested that 243 00:13:00,899 --> 00:13:03,899 al-Hasan ibn 'Umarah perform his ritual washing. 244 00:13:03,899 --> 00:13:06,929 When he washed him, he said: 245 00:13:06,929 --> 00:13:09,929 "May Allah have mercy on you, O Abu Hanifah, 246 00:13:09,929 --> 00:13:12,929 and forgive you for what you have offered. 247 00:13:12,929 --> 00:13:15,929 You have not broken your fast for thirty years, 248 00:13:15,929 --> 00:13:20,929 and you have not rested your head on your right side at night for forty years. 249 00:13:20,929 --> 00:13:24,929 You have truly exhausted the jurists who came after you." 250 00:13:24,929 --> 00:13:30,710 Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man was 251 00:13:30,710 --> 00:13:33,710 a staunch defender of the sanctities of Allah, 252 00:13:33,710 --> 00:13:35,870 long in his silence, 253 00:13:35,870 --> 00:13:38,379 and constant in his reflection. 254 00:13:38,379 --> 00:13:42,250 Imam Abu Yusuf 255 00:13:48,460 --> 00:13:52,460 says, when he strives or speaks: 256 00:13:52,460 --> 00:13:57,460 "They were here, watering our lives like rain clouds; 257 00:13:57,460 --> 00:14:02,460 though they have passed, their memory remains exalted among us. 258 00:14:02,460 --> 00:14:07,460 They departed, leaving a question in the conscience: 259 00:14:07,460 --> 00:14:12,460 Is there any like them, a star that has risen and shone? 260 00:14:12,460 --> 00:14:17,460 They filled life with glories through their deeds, 261 00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:21,460 and the world of the self flourished because of them."