THE FOUR IMAMS OF AHALAL SUNNA WAL JA'MA'A (THE SUNNI MUSLIMS)

            I shall describe the character and conduct of the early Faqih. They had no other object except to gain the pleasure of Lord and the signs of the Learned men of hereafter were known to them from their conditions. They lived not only for the science of Fiqih, but also for the science of heart. The companions did not publish book on Fiqih or read them. We shall narrate the lives of some noted Faqihs not to attack them but to attack those who claim to be their followers. Act contrary to their character and conduct. The noted Faqihs are four – Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafeyi and Imam Ahmaid-Bn Hambal. Everyone of them was an ascetic, devout, learned in the science of the hereafter, law giver for the people, seeker of God’s pleasure through the help of Fiqih. Everyone of them possessed five qualities, but the modern Faqihs accepted only one of those qualities. That is research into the minuted details of Fiqih. The four other qualities relate to the good of the hereafter and only one relate to the good of this world. They are followed only in respect of one quality and not the other four.

IMAM ABU HANIFAH (RA) (D.158 A.H)

He is Abu Hanifah Nu’man bin Thabit al-Kufy (RTA). He is the founder of Hanafite school of Islamic Jurisprudence. He belonged to that pious period of the Tabium the successor of the Sahabah (the companions of the Prophet) and had the good fortune of witnessing the period in which some Sahabah lived till his early youth.

He was a great Imam and a great ascetic and God-fearing man. He sought God’s pleasure by his knowledge. Ibn Mobarak said that Imam Hanifa had good character and conduct and observed prayer and fasted too much. Hammad-b-Salaiman said that he was in the habit of praying the whole night and in another narration half the night. Once Abu Hanifa was walking in a street when the people hinted at him saying: This man spend the whole night in prayer. He said: I am ashamed before God that I am described by something which I don’t possess. Regarding his asceticism, Rabiy bin Asem said: Caliph Yezid sent me once to Abu Hanifa and he wanted to appoint him as cashier of the state treasury. On his refusal to accept the post, he was given twenty stripes. Now see how he fled away from a prize post and as a result received punishment. Hakim bin Hashim said: I hear about Abu Hanifa at Syria that he was the most trusted man for which the Caliph wanted him to appoint as a treasurer of state treasury and threated him with punishment if he would not accept it. He preferred King’s punishment to that of God.

Ibnul Mobarak narrated about Abu Hanifa: Do you say of the man who was given the treasures of the world but who fled away from them? Muhammad bin Shuja narrated: Caliph Adal Mansur ordered 10,000 dirhams to be given to the Imam but he declined the offer. On the day when the wealth would be delivered to him, he covered his body with a cloth after prayer and did not talk with anybody. The man of the caliph went to him with Dirhams but the Imam did not talk with him. One of the people present said: This is his habit. Put it in a corner of his room. This was done. Thereafter, Abu Hanifa left death instruction with the regard to his wealth and said to his son: When I die and you finish my burial, take this purse to the Caliph and tell him: This is your trust which you have deposited with Abu Hanifa. His son said: I did accordingly. The Caliph said: May God have mercy on your father.

It is narrated that he was once offered the post of the Chief Justice of the state; but he said: I am not fit for the post. When he was asked about the reason, he said: If I have told the truth, it good for the post: if I told a lie, I am unfit for that post as I am a liar.

Abu Hanifa’s knowledge at the things of hereafter and his concern over the important matters of religion are proved by the following narration, Ibn Juray said: I was informed that Abu Hanifa used to spend long time in silence and meditation and converse little with the people. Those actions prove his exoteric knowledge. He who has been given silent and asceticism has been given all knowledge. 

IMAM MALIK BN ANAS (RA) (D. 179AH)

One of the prominent Islamic jurist was the Imam of Darul-Hijrah (the city of Madinah al-Munawarah), Abu Abdullah, Malik bin Anas bin Malik al-Madni (R.T.A). He is the founder of Malikite School of Islamic Jurisprudence.

He was adorned with five qualities once he was asked: O Malik, what do you say about search for knowledge? He replied: It is fair and beautiful. If anybody does not separate from you morning and evening, don’t separate from him. When the Imam intended to narrate tradition, he used to make ablution, sit in the middle of his bed, comb his beard, apply scent, and then became fearful and grave and then narrate tradition. When asked about those formalities, he said: I intend to show honour of the traditions of the Prophet. He said: knowledge is light. God place it wherever He wishes. Regarding the seeking of pleasure of God by knowledge, he said: There is no benefit in argument about religion. This proved by saying of Imam Shafiyi who said: Once I was near Malik, he was asked about forty-eight legal questions: He replied regarding thirty-two questions: I don’t know. When the learned were mentioned, Imam Malik was counted as a bright star. It is said that once the Caliph Mansur prohibited him to narrate the particular tradition on the illegality of divorce made under compulsion. The Caliph thereafter instigated someone to question the Imam on the subject. He declared among the people that divorce pronounced under compulsion is not binding. For this, the Caliph had him flogged.

The Caliph Harun Rashid once asked Imam Malik: Have you got any house? He said: No, the Caliph then gave him 3,000 dinars and said go and buy with this money a house. The Imam accepted the money but did not spend it for the purpose. When the Caliph intended to return to Baghdad he asked Malik; you should come along with us, because we have decided to make the people follow “Muatta” as Usman made them follow the Quran. Malik said: This is not the way to make the people follow “Muatta” because the companions of the Prophet after his death dispersed around the different countries and they related their tradition in each place. Further the Prophet said: Difference of opinion among the people is a blessing. As for my going with you, there is no way as the Prophet said: Had they known, they would have known that Medina is best for them. Again he said: Medina removes the corruption just as the furnace removes the dross of iron. Therefore here are your dinars. If you like, you may have them. Does this mean that you asked me to leave Medina in return for what you have given me? I prefer nothing more than the city of the Messenger of God, not even the whole world.

Such was the asceticism of Malik. When as a result of diffusion of knowledge and the spreading of his companions large wealth began to come to him from different corners of the earth, he used to distribute them in charity. Such as ascetic was Solomon despite his royalty glory. Another example of his asceticism is that Imam Shafeyi once said: I notice a number of Korasani horses at the door of Malik. I have never seen any other horse better than them. I said to Malik: How beautiful are they! He said: There are then present from me to you. I said: to him; keep one of them for yourself for riding. He said: I shall be ashamed before God to tread with the hoof of any beast of burden the soil where in lies His Prophet. See therefore his benevolence and his veneration for the soil of Madina.

There is yet another report of his asceticism, he said: I once went to Caliph Haruna Rashid. He asked Malik: O Abu Abdullah, you should come frequently to my place, so that u may learn from you “Muatta”. He said: May God exalt my Master, this knowledge has come from you. If you honour it, it will be exalted, and if you dishonor it, it will be despited. Knowledge is something you shall learn and not something you should receive. Then the Caliph said, you are right. He said to his son, good out to the Mosque and acquire from knowledge alone with the people.

IMAM SHAFIL (RA) (D.204 AH)

One of those humble servant of Allah (SWT) is the Imam (leader) of the Jurist, establisher of Sunna, Muhammad bin Idris as-Shafiyu al-Quraish (RTA). He is the founder of Shafite School of Islamic Jurisprudence.

He was a devout worshipper. Abu Bakr Ibn Abu Tahir (R.A) related that, Imam Shafil (RA) used to divide his night hours into three segments. The first hours for sleeping. The second hours for writing of Islamic theological books and the third hours for Salat. The narrator said that Imam Shafiyi used to finish the Quran 60 times in the month of Ramadan and every time he finished it is in prayer. Hussen Qarabasi reported: I spend many nights with the great Imam. He used to spend one-third of the night in prayer and yet I have not seen him reciting more than fifty to one hundred verses. At the end of each verse, he would beseech God’s mercy upon himself and upon all Muslims. The Imam said: I used not to take food with satisfaction for the last 16 years as a full stomach make the body heavy, make the heart hard, increases sleep and render a man lazy. For worship, he also said: Never have I taken Oath by God whether true or false. He said: He who claims that the love of world and love of God are united in him is a liar. Humaidi said: Imam Shafiyi once went to Yemen with some men and returned to Mecca with 10,000 dirhams. A tent was fixed for him in the outskirts of Mecca and people began to come to him. He did not move from that place till he distributed all the dirhams among the people.

Generosity of Imam was great and the root of asceticism is generosity. Whoever love a thing keeps it with him and everything is insignificant to one whom the world is insignificant. This is asceticism which led to God-fear. Once Sufiyan bin Aynabat fell in swoom before the Imam. He was told that he had expired. He said: if he has died the best man of his time has died. Omar bin Nabatah said: I have not found more God fearing man than Imam Shafiyi. I, he said, Haris bin Labeed went one day to the valley of Safa. Hardis had a student with him and he was a Qari or reader of the Quran. He had a sweet voice and began to read: This is a day on which they will not speak and they will not be given permission to raise excuse Q77.35. I saw that the colour of the face of the Imam changed and he was trembling vehemently and then fell in swoom. When he recovered, he began to say: O God, I seek refuge to Thee from the place of the liars and scoffing of the heedless. O God, the hearts of a gnostic have submitted and the next of those who yearn for thee bowed. O Worshipped, bestow Thy bounty upon me and cover me with Thy Mercy. Forgive my faults through the grace of Thy countenance. He then along with us left the place. When I reached Baghdad, he was then in Iraq. I was making ablution on the bank of the river for prayer. A man then was passing by me and said: O young man, make well, God will then treat good with you both in this world and in the next, I followed him. He looked at me and said: Have you got any necessity? I said: Teach me something at what God has taught you. He said: know what he who knows God as true get salvation and he who fears His religion, remains safe from destruction. He who remains in different from the world, will be cool at seeing the rewards which God will give him tomorrow. Shall I give you more advice? I said: Yes, he said: The faith of one who has got three characteristics is perfect,:

(1) to enjoin good to act according to it

(2) to prohibit evil and desist from it and

(3) to guard the limit of God.

Shall I give you more advice? I said yes: he said: Adopt asceticism in the world, entertain hopes for the next world and believe God in all your affairs, you will then be among those who will get salvation. Then he went away. I asked: Who is he? They said Imam Shafeyi. Such fear and asceticism are the result of nothing but for his knowledge of God and not for his knowledge of question like advance payment, loans, wages, etc as are embodied in Fiqih.

Imam Shafeyi said: The knowledge of one who does not make himself perfect will come of no use to him. He also said: Who so confesses his obedience to God through the help of his knowledge, his heart becomes illumined. He also said: everyone has got some person who love him and some who hate him. If it be so, be among those who obey God.

Abdul Qader-Abdul Aziz was a God fearing man. He once asked Imam Shafeyi; which of those virtues is better- patience, trial and peace of mind (Tamkin)? The Imam replied, peace of mind is the rank of the Prophets and it is not attained except and by patience come after trial. Don’t you see what examined Abraham and then He gave him peace of mind? He examined Solomon and then gave him peace of mind and kingdom. He did the same to Moses, Job, Joseph and others. This reveals the deep knowledge of Imam Shafeyi about the Quran. Sifyan Saori said: I or anybody has not seen like Shafeyi.

IMAM AHMAD BN HANBAL (RA) (D.241 A.H)

He is Imam Ahmad bn Muhammad bn Hanbal as-Shaebani (RTA) one of the four Imams of Islamic Ummah. His son Abdullah bn Hanbal (RA) related that his father used to observe three hundred raka’h (genuflexion) everyday and night and when he was sick he then reduced it to one hundred and fifty raka’ah (geneflexion), he was during this time about eighty years of age.

Aimam Ahmed bn Hambal had many followers. Nevertheless, he known for asceticism and God-fearing. All books contain his sayings and stories of his asceticism.

Now examine the lives of the Imams and scrutinize those who claim to be their followers. Did the Imams rise to such eminence only for their knowledge of Fiqih which now means contracts of the type of Salam, hire, rental, lease and worldly laws?

Baba Ali Mustapha is in Ngrannam Ward, Bolori II near 7up area, Maiduguri, Borno State.

Reference:

IHYA ULUM-IDDIN by Imam Ghazzali, translated by Maulama Fauzul Karim, published in Nigeria by HASBUNAHAH, Islamic Publishers, OFFA, Kwara State.

In Egypt printed at Al-Nahar Publishers and Perfumers, 7, Gomhori Street Abdeen-Cairo (Egypt)

The CARDINAL PRINCIPLE OF ISLAM by A.Rahma I. Doi pp.9-12, Published in Nigeria Hudahuda Publishing Company, Zaria, Kaduna State.