Documents of the Right Word

among hadîth-i-sherîfs, and if the answers given to this question by
the Sahâba vary, we choose one of the answers through qiyâs.”
And once he said, “In matters to which we cannot find an answer
through Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs, we choose one of the
answers given by hadrat Abû Bekr, ’Umar, ’Uthmân, and Alî
‘radiy-Allâhu anhum’. We hold the hadîth-i-sherîfs coming from
the Messenger of Allah on top of everything. We do not make a
statement contradicting them.” When Imâm-i-A’zam performed
qiyâs on a matter because he had not found its answer in any of the
sources and then heard a statement made by hadrat Abû Bekr on
that matter, he would give up his own ijtihâd and answer the
question compatibly with that statement. He would follow this
same policy when any of the As-hâb-i-kirâm was involved. Abû
Mutî’ relates: One Friday morning Abû Hanîfa and I were in Kûfa
mosque. Sufyân-i-Sawrî and Muqâtil and Hammâd bin Muslim
and Ja’fer Sâdiq and others came in and questioned Abû Hanîfa:
“We have heard that you have been answering questions on
religious matters always by way of qiyâs. We are worried about
you.” Imâm-i-A’zam discussed with them till noon. He explained
his Madh-hab in detail. He told them how he would look up a
religious matter first in Qur’ân al-kerîm, then in hadîth-i-sherîfs
and finally in the unanimous statements of the Sahâba before
answering a question asked on that matter. They all stood up,
kissed the Imâm’s hand, and said, “You are the master of scholars.
Please forgive us! We are sorry for annoying you, though
inadvertently.” The Imâm’s response was: “May Allâhu ta’âlâ
forgive us and you and have mercy on us!” All the mujtahids in the
Hanafî Madh-hab followed their leader’s example and did not
perform ijtihâd unless it was strongly necessary to do so. So was
the case with the other Madh-habs. They would not have recourse
to qiyâs in matters which had been explained through the nass
(âyats and/or hadîth-i-sherîfs).
All the hadîth-i-sherîfs narrated to us by Imâm-i-A’zam Abû
Hanîfa were reported from the As-hâb-i-kirâm to him by a group.
He recorded each hadîth-i-sherîf together with a list of its
reporters. Those who protest against the Imâm’s ijtihâd are people
who did not realize the subtlety of his Madh-hab. Or they are a
group of heretics inimical towards the Ahl as-Sunna. There are
approximately twenty matters on which Hanafî and Shâfi’î Madhhabs
differ from each other. And this difference originates from
the methodical and regulational differences between the two
Madh-habs. I have studied all the hadîth-i-sherîfs which Imâm-i-
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