# Was Abu Hanifa involved in politics?

*Abu Hanifa's political stances: Zayd ibn Ali, flight to Makkah, and supervising the building of Baghdad*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/s-vm6mgbll8/s/5/
- Date: 2022-12-10 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Imam Abu Hanifa | Mufti Abu Layth (22:16–24:52)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Vm6mgbLl8&t=1336s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/s-vm6mgbll8/

**Topics:** Umayyads and Abbasids; The Hanafi school and Imam Abu Hanifa

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Abu Hanifa supported Zayd ibn Ali's uprising and fled to Makkah under the Umayyads, and the Abbasids later made him chief supervisor of the building of Baghdad.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth describes Abu Hanifa's political side and two inquisitions he suffered, one under the Umayyads and one under the Abbasids. He says that although Abu Hanifa did not rise up himself, it is written that he stood in solidarity with the uprising of Zayd, son of Zayn al-Abidin, from the family of the Prophet, got into serious trouble for it under the Umayyads, and fled Iraq to Makkah for some time, leaving Kufa around 130 AH. He returned when the Abbasids took over around 131 AH and later had trouble with them too, yet they recognised his standing: Mufti says the caliph building Baghdad commissioned him as what would today be called chief project manager, supervising the construction for four years. He notes that by then Abu Hanifa had countless students.

## Sources and names cited

- Abu Hanifa
- Zayd ibn Ali (son of Zayn al-Abidin)
- the Umayyads
- the Abbasids
- ahl al-bayt (the family of the Prophet)
- the building of Baghdad

## Transcript (machine tier, 22:16–24:52)

[21:40] you know this this honestly there's so much to admire about the Imam and I feel in many ways his his spirit is the same spirit that is needed in this day and age yeah and he um he did he did get into he found himself in some difficult times at least on on two he at least found himself in two major uh inquisitions okay a victim of one was in the time of body Armenia and then one but an Abbas and that's his Imam Abu hanifa's political side

[22:19] because even though he himself didn't rise up in politics but he took a stance to support or he gave you know he stood in solidarity with um the the political so the uprising so the Albert the family of the Prophet see because in bunny omega's time you know the the issues of Bunny umaya and the family of the prophet and and then there was the the the rising of Zaid Zaid you know the son of Zain Imam Zaid

[22:57] kind of stem from and there was that Uprising and Imam of hanifa um it's this is what what is written is that he um supported Imam zaid's movement against and he was he got into a lot of trouble for this and he had to FL he fled Iraq and he came to Makkah for uh quite some while and I mean he moved around and then he went back and but he you know he faced some persecution but then this was in the time of uh Abdul Malik um then after that quite weak anyway and

[23:37] you and they say I think in um 130 hijri he fled uh kufa and then it's only around that time 131 history take over the abbases take over so he comes back and he and then he gets into trouble later on with the abbasids but you see the abbasids they did recognize the uh respect of Imam on one hand they did they clearly you know a lot of people don't know this but commissioned when he was making Baghdad he commissioned Abu hanifa to be the chief uh what would you call it today

[24:15] you'd call it like um like the project manager he was the chief project manager of when they were constructing Baghdad for four years he was supervising the project I mean he was these weren't just your any you know these were very not intelligent uh accomplished individuals they were huge and remember by this time he is Imam Abu hanifa he's not just any just not manipulative and he has many students many countless students he notably you have uh Abu Yusuf also known by his

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment s-Vm6mgbLl8/s/5. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/s-vm6mgbll8/s/5/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.