Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman | |
|---|---|
حماد بن أبي سليمان | |
 Hammad's name rendered in Arabic calligraphy | |
| Died | 738 |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Muslim leader | |
Students | |
Influenced by | |
Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman[a] (died 738 CE) was an earlyKufan Muslimjurist who is best known for being the principal teacher ofAbu Hanifa, the eponym of theHanafi school of law.[1]
The extant biographical information about Hammad is limited. It is known that he was amawla (client) of the family ofAbu Musa al-Ash'ari, acompanion ofMuhammad. His father was wealthy, allowing Hammad to dedicate himself solely to his legal studies.[2] He became the student ofIbrahim al-Nakha'i in Kufa, who appears to have been his sole mentor infiqh,[3] although he also studied underal-Sha'bi and metHasan al-Basri,Said ibn al-Musayyib and the companionAnas ibn Malik.[2] He began issuing legal verdicts during al-Nakha'i's lifetime and inherited hishalaqa (study circle) following his death in 714.[2]
The jurisprudence of Hammad focused onra'y and understanding the underlying causes ('illah) of rulings, following al-Nakha'i in this regard.[2] Various accounts describe crowds mocking Hammad for his use of legal analogy (qiyas).[4]
Abu Hanifa attended thehalaqa of Hammad for eighteen to twenty years and eventually, due to his ability, was afforded the privilege of sitting directly in front of Hammad.[1] Theisnad of Abu Hanifa – Hammad – al-Nakha'i is regarded as the "golden Kufan chain".[5] Hammad died in Kufa in 738.[2] Abu Hanifa led hishalaqa thereafter,[1] and named his son Hammad in tribute to his teacher.[6]