The Kitab al-Athar of Imam Abu Hanifah In the narration of Imam Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybani Arabic text with English translation. Explanatory footnotes in English. The Kitab al-Athar was the first book composed in Islam after the generation of the Companions. Al-Imam al-Azam Abu Hanifah Numan ibn Thabit wrote it. It comprises Ahadith that connect directly back to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam (marfu), those which stop short at a Companion or one of the Followers (mawquf) and those which are attributed to the Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam directly by one of the Followers or Followers of the Followers without attribution to a Companion (mursal). His companions Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Zufar, Imam Muhammad, Imam al-Hasan ibn Ziyad, Imam Hammad ibn Abi Hanifah the Imams son, Hafs ibn Ghiyath and others narrated it from him. In the version before us, Imam Muhammad, himself a mujtahid, narrated each tradition from Imam Abu Hanifah and then followed each with some explanatory material, sometimes confirming and occasionally differing with his Imam. Imam Abu Hanifah Imam Abu Hanifah was from Kufa and was one of the Followers (taabioon). He was born in 80 AH in a family of Persian ancestry. Imam Abu Hanifah was a trader in fabrics. He studied with the great scholars of Kufa who transmitted the schools of Ibn Masud and Ali ibn Abi Talib in particular, but he also travelled further afield in search of hadith and fiqh. He was noted for his exceptional grasp of fiqh, and is said to have laid its foundations. He died in 150 AH in Baghdad. His list of teachers is very extensive, and his list of pupils a roll-call of honour. Sahl ibn Muzahim said, Abu Hanifahs knowledge was universal knowledge. Ash-Shafiee said, In fiqh people are the needy dependents of Abu Hanifah. Imam Muhammad He is Abu Abdillah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Farqad ash-Shaybani. Muhammad was born in Wasit in 132 AH, and grew up in Kufa. He was a pupil of Abu Hanifah. Ash-Shafiee said, I have not seen anyone more eloquent than him. I used to think when I saw him reciting the Quran that it was as if the Quran had been revealed in his language. He also said, I have not seen anyone more intelligent than Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. He died in Ray in 189 AH. Hafiz Riyad Ahmad al-Multani The explanatory footnotes to this text are the work of the contemporary scholar Hafiz Riyad Ahmad from Multan in Pakistan. Translated by Abdussamad Clarke Edited by: Mufti ‘Abdur Rahman Ibn Yusuf, Shaykh Muhammad Akram (Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies), Safira Batha (English editing)

Abu Hanifah Nu'man ibn Thabit was one of the greatest pioneers in the history of Islamic Law, particularly in legal reasoning. The Hanafi Legal School that he founded has become the most widely followed among the world's Muslims. Based on primary sources, this study of the life and legacy of Abu Hanifah also surveys the evolution of Hanafi legal reasoning (fiqh) in different regions of the Islamic world and assesses its historical distinctiveness. Mohammed Akram Nadwi is a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and is the author of several works including al-Muhaddithat: the Women Scholars in Islam (2007).

This brief book comprises a selection from the wise words of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah; a man who is arguably one of the wisest men in history. The selection is from the counsels of the Imam to two of his students, namely Abū Yūsuf al-Qāḍī, and Yūsuf Ibn Khālid al-Samtī. The author has carefully selected and translated only those pieces of advice which will prove relevant in most contexts in today's world. The total number of the selected words of advice is 101. The work includes a brief biography of the Imam, the Arabic text of the advice, its translation, and room on each page for personal reflections.

The Hidayah has dominated the field of Islamic jurisprudence since the day it was written over 800 years ago. It has been the primary text used by Muslims jurist to issue authentic and reliable rulings on Islamic law according to the school of Imam Abu Hanifa (d 150H/767CE). The Hidayah commands such an authoritative position amongst the doctors of law that the knowledge of a scholar who has not read it is not considered reliable. It has been a standard text in the curricula of Islamic law schools since the 12th century. It was first translated into English by Charles Hamilton in 1791. Around 70 huge commentaries, some spread over more than a dozen volumes have been written on it. The number of explanatory glosses is in thousands. Comprehensive in content and conveniently organized, with the publication of this all previous works that discussed Islamic jurisprudence according to the Hanafi law become outmoded and soon fell into disuse. If revealed books are not taken into account, never has a book received so much attention as the Hidayah. This landmark publication of the Hidayah not only has been translated in its entirety for the first time but has been done so from Arabic, the language in which it was written. The author, Shaykh Al Islam, Burhan Al-Din Marghanani (d 593 AH/ 1197 CE) was considered to be the leading jurist of the Muslim world in his times. "The hidayah is justly celebrated as the most practical and useful summary compilation of Hanafi jurisprudence. It has been a standard text in the curricula of Islamic law schools since the 12th century. It was first translated by Charles Hamilton in 1791. A new translation into modern English has been long overdue. This translation by Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee is both precise and straight forward. With his knowledge of Islamic law and jurispudence combined with his command of both the Arabic and English languages, he has conveyed the meaning of the original with great clarity. The hidayah is a dense work, intended for use in teaching Hanafi fiqh - it is a work that needs explication if its arguments are to be understood fully. This the translator has provided through this valuable notes" Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi, research fellow, Oxford centre for Islamic studies, Oxford