Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih) is the name familiar to all Muslims of the Sunni sect. His full name was Nauma'an bin Thaabit bin Zotae. He was an inhabitant of "Kufa". By occupation he was a draper (cloth seller) and traded in silken cloths. His grandfather Zota'e had migrated from Kabul. According to reports, Imam Abu Hanifah's (RA) father 'Sa'abith' during his young age presented himself before Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallahu anhu) - the fourth and last Khalifah of Islam at Kufa.
It is said that Hadhrat Ali (RA) gave his blessings to Hadhrat Sa'abith, and prayed for his offspring that might be born.
In this background Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was born at Kufa in the year 80th Hijri, i.e about 40 years after the death of the fourth Khalifah of Islam, and it was the period when the power of Banu Omaiyyah who had usurped the Khilafat from the House of Hadhrat Ali (RA) was also fast diminishing and the Abbasids were deeply involved to overthrow the government of the weakened Banu Omayyah.
Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) took his lessons in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqah) from a renowned scholar of his time, Hammad bin Abee Suleiman and Aha'adith from Ata'a bin Abee Robah, Abu Ishque Saleeyi, Mohammad bin Mankadar, Nafa'a Hussham bin Arwa Samak bin Harb and some other noted Mohaddatheen. Later some noted Muhaddutheen like Abdullah bin Mubarak, Wakee bin Jurrah, Yesied bin Haroo, Qaadhi Aboo Yousuf and Mohammad bin Hassan Shaybanee, narrated Ahaadith quoting the authority of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA).
Meanwhile, as stated above the "Khilafat" of the Omayyah which had now disappeared and a new dynasty known as the "Abbasids" had gained power. Khalifah Mansoor who was the second Khalifah of the "Abbasids" shifted his capital from Damascus in Syria to Baghdad in Iraq. Mansoor was a man of dubious character. He had suspicion in his to mind that the two great scholars and experts in Islamic jurisprudence, viz. Hadhrat Ma'alik bin Anas (Rahmatullah alaih), who is popularly known to us as Hadhrat Imam Maalik - the proponent of the Maalik Madhab and compiler of the great book of Ahaadith which is called "Muwatta" and the other man whom we know as Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) the topmost Islamic jurist of his time, were engaged in conspiracy against him. Mansoor, therefore on pretenses to honour them and install them on high posts, invited them to his new capital at Baghdad. On their refusal these two shining stars of their time were arrested and were lashed upon, and later thrown into jails.
Mansoor, through the governor of Kufa, asked Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) to become the chief Qaadhi of Kufa, but Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) declined to accept that post. As a result of this refusal he was caught by the administrative officials and for ten consecutive days he was striped with ten lashes daily.
The Imam, however, remained firm to his conviction and as a result he was freed. Afterwards the cunning Mansoor hit upon a new plan. He called Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) on some other pretext to Baghdad and this time he wished to offer the department of justice to him.
The Khalifa Mansoor vowed that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) would be compelled to accept his offer, while the great Imam also vowed that come what may be he would not accept Mansoor's offer at any cost. When Mansoor found that he had become unable to budge the Imam slightly from his position, he threw him into prison. In this very state of confinement the great Imam breathed his last in the year 150 Hijri in Baghdad. He was buried in the precincts of the Mausoleum of 'Kheezra'. His tomb is still visited by a large number of people.
Hakim bin Hushsham said that once while he was in Syria, a group of learned persons narrated to him that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) topped the list of those persons in whom trust and confidence could be reposed. They cited his determination when the ruler wanted to entrust the responsibility of his treasury to him, but the Imam declined to accept it, and he preferred to bear the wrath of the ruler than to bear the wrath of Allah. In another case at a gathering of scholars which was held at the house of great 'Muhaddith' Abdullah bin Mubarak, someone mentioned Imam Abu Hanifah's (RA) name whereupon Abdullah bin Mubarak said, "You are talking about a man on whose feet the wealth of the whole country was brought at but he left everything which related to the world."
According to narration Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was a person of medium height, but his face was very beautiful, his conversation with others was very polite and contained a high degree of humility. Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) always took care of his friends and companions. According to a narration of Hadhrat Imam Sha'af'ee (RA) one day someone asked Hadhrat Imam Ma'alik the reputed compiler of Ahaadith in his book Muwatta whether he had ever met Imam Abu Hanifah (RA). He replied, "Yes and what I fathomed about him is that if he says that this pillar is made of gold, then you must rest assured that he can prove it with his strong arguments. He has that power of justification." One another occasion Imam Sha'af'ee, speaking about Imam Abu Hanifah (RA), said that if anybody wished to get perfection in the knowledge of 'Fiqh' he could not attain it without the guidance of Imam Abu Hanifah (RA).
It has been stated by the renowned philosopher, jurist and theologian Hadhrat Imam Abu Haamid Ghazzali (RA) that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) used to spend half portion of his night time in prayers offering Tahajjud; one day while he was going somewhere a person beckoning towards him said to one of his companions, "This is the man who keeps on praying and awaking the whole night." After hearing what the passerby had described about him, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) from that very day kept himself engaged in prayers to Allah for the whole night. He said, "I feel very much ashamed before Allah that they attribute such things to me which I do not do or do not have as regards to my prayers."
One scholar of his time 'Nakhaee' said that Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was person who did not talk much and it appeared that he was always thinking about something, a man of pensive mood, and this was a sure sign of his involvement in matters of thinking about 'Deen'. He further added that a person who was blessed with two things viz. silence and disenchantment from the worldly affairs he was capable of acquiring knowledge at its apex.
To sum up, Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) was a top class scholar, practices, abstained from sinful deeds, Allah fearing and Imam of Shari'ah of his time.