# Who was Abu Hanifa's most trusted student? *Abu Hanifa's students: why the guest relies on Zufar* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/s/17/ - Date: 2021-01-29 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Shaykh Atabek Shukurov | Mortgages, Madhabs & Molvi-ism | MindTrap 48 | Mufti Abu Layth (1:16:23–1:20:26) - Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtwyWCa2-pQ&t=4583s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/ **Topics:** The Hanafi school and Imam Abu Hanifa; Scholars and imams of the past **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest relies chiefly on Zufar, whom he says Abu Hanifa himself authorised to teach, over Imam Muhammad, who was a teenager when Abu Hanifa died; Zufar's sidelining is left for another session. ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth asks whether the guest has a favourite among Abu Hanifa's companions. The guest names Imam Zufar, saying that in Abu Hanifa's biography it was Zufar he authorised to teach and give rulings and sent on major missions to spread knowledge, while recording the school fell to a senior student he calls Afiya [?]. He says Abu Hanifa was very intelligent and would choose who could teach and record his school, so he follows that choice strictly and takes from others only for comparison. Asked about the six books of Imam Muhammad, he says Imam Muhammad was a teenager when Abu Hanifa died, while Zufar was a senior student whom Abu Hanifa sometimes treated almost as a friend. Mufti notes that Zufar is mentioned in the books only as a secondary figure and asks whether his sidelining was politics; the guest says it needs a separate session of two or three hours, and Mufti remarks that there is a lot of politics there. ## Sources and names cited - Shaykh Atabek Shukurov (guest) - Zufar - Abu Hanifa - Abu Yusuf - Imam Muhammad (al-Shaybani) ## Transcript (machine tier, 1:16:23–1:20:26) [1:16:22] Speaking of Imm Abuhanifh and his companions, she is there a a favorite that you have from his companions because you quoted Imam Zufur a moment ago. I'm just curious if No, no, I I don't I do have quite a few actually, but I would just give you Imam Zufar. Imam Zufur my main source of uh you can say why why so why Imam Zufur? uh because uh um uh in when you read the biography of Abu Hanifh he only gave main like to teach and to judge I mean to I mean make a statement about the issues it was zufar okay and even when Abu Ysef went [1:17:00] and started teaching Abu disliked that you know yeah so u it it show for example look you know uh which one of your students has better knowledge. So when you specify that he is uh my succeed so you know what you're talking about isn't it? I trust Abuhanif and Abu Hanifi authorized Imam Zufur to teach and to spread knowledge. [1:17:27] Okay. And he was sending him to the very um you can say uh big missions you know to spread the knowledge and it it would be only Zufar. Okay. On the same way, for example, recording the Hanafi school, it would be Afia, his senior student. Who? Aia. Aia. Okay. Wow. Yeah. So So that's that's a a woman. Afia. Yeah. [1:17:52] No, no, it's not a woman. Okay. I thought you I thought you had a I was like Afia because it's usually a woman's name. So um um we do assume that it was it was male. Okay. Okay. Yes. Okay. Wow. Okay, because I thought I was about to say I'd never heard of this. Uh because look look Abuhanifi is very intelligent person. Okay. Um he's not naive and he's not heless. Very intelligent person. [1:18:18] So he would choose who can teach and who can record the mas. Of course. Of course. So I strictly follow that because it's the knowledge of Abuhan. Only Abuhanifh knows who can take it and pass it on accurately. Okay. Fair enough. That's my main main uh source you know obviously I take from others but not as like 100% certainty but just to compare you know. [1:18:43] Mhm. But Zufar is the main transmitter of the hadith of the what what about this thing of the main the six books are written by Imam Muhammad and Im Muhammad he really is only what with Abuhanifa 3 years 2 years or or is he ever with him or is this even some people because I've read somewhere I've read some people say he was never yeah when Abuhanifa died he was teenager you know yeah so obviously Um um so as I said previously I imam Zufur because um Imam Zufar was already senior senior student [1:19:22] you know um spent quite long time. Yeah. And in some of the places Abu Hanifh would um prioritize him you know above himself also. Wow. So yeah so like almost like friends. Mhm. Okay. But definitely Abra was the teacher but treating him almost like a friends understand and and even though those of you that don't know Imam Zufar a great Imam of the Hanfi he is mentioned in a lot of books by the way but he's but he's kind of mentioned as a tertiary or secondary at best kind of like you know they might say occasionally Anzu said this. [1:20:00] Yeah. But so why the the sidelining was that just politics and rivalry or was there some something else? There was there was um so that's why I I I asked you if we can just make a separate uh Oh, right. just dedicated to the Hanafi Madab. Okay. Wow. Because it's at least about two and a half or three hours [laughter] only focusing on Juar, you know. So, and Okay. That's that's sure. [1:20:25] So, there's a lot of politics right there people. Speaking of immif people attribute to him this book. Yeah. Yeah. Um what are your thoughts on that? No, no. Definely has written. Okay. And some parts of it we can still find in these five six books which are transmitted from him. Okay. But there are quite a lot of additions from other people also into these books cuz my understanding was that it was some other scholar that wrote I think uh one of the or yeah and and it's later on ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment rtwyWCa2-pQ/s/17. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/s/17/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.