Al-Imam Al-A'zam, Abu Hanifa (r.a.) (699-767)

Al-Imam  Al-Azam Abu Hanifa (ra), one of the most  prominent figures of the Islamic world, was a foresighted and highly insightful scholar. His sound personality and profound fear of Allah were greatly instrumental in his being embraced by the Islamic world.

Abu Hanifa (ra) was a very intelligent sharia scholar who always kept his mind on the remembrance of Allah , meticulously observed Allah’s bounds, avoided vain and unbeneficial talk, and concisely responded to questions. He attached great importance to what was entrusted to him. He was a person who kept his lower-self under  control in all circumstances. He was a person of great compassion. The objections and unbecoming words he faced throughout his life never daunted him from his services rendered for the cause of Allah.

He possessed a pure wisdom that Allah granted him. He never experience any breakdown in his line of thought  and never ran behind in responding. If anyone acted stubbornly or raised difficulties, he tried to teach him the morality of Islam in the most calm and gracious manner.

Imam Hanifa devoted a great part of his life to knowledge. Among his principles were trusting in what was reliable, avoiding the unreliable, tending towards the one that did not stir up trouble among people and ensuring that no complications arose .

The method employed by Al-Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) in assessing  issues was based on the following seven principles:  

Book: The pillar of the Religion and the strong rope of Almighty Allah.

Sunnah: Explanation of Allah’s Book that provided details regarding the general provisions.

The Accounts: The accounts of the Companions who transmitted the “risalat” and personally witnessed the revelations.  

Comparison: A method resorted to by sharia scholars in the absence of  evidence about an issue in the Qur’an, the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) or a statement of a Companion.

Istihsan: The particular judgment of a Sharia scholar that makes it necessary for him to abandon previous judgments he made for similar issues relying on an evidence such as  a nass (injunction), ijma, a state of necessity, concealed qiyas or recommendations.

İjma: The consensus of sharia scholars on any issue in any age. All scholars agreed that ijma is an “evidence”.

Tradition: The practices of Muslims about any issue in which  no nass (injuction) exists in the Qur’an, Sunnah and the practices of the Companions.

Al-Imam Al-A’zam, Abu Hanifa

AL-IMAM AL-AZAM ABU HANIFA, THE IMAM OF OUR SCHOOL, STATED THAT THE DESCENT OF THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) AND THE APPEARANCE OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) ARE THE “ISSUES THAT ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY”

Fiqh al-Akbar and the Wasiyyat, the two risalets of Abu Hanifa, are the most precious and earliest texts on Islamic creed. The Fiqh al-Akbar of Abu Hanifa is the fundamental book of Ahl al-Sunnah. In this work, Imam Azam Abu Hanifa relates that the descent of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) as the “issues that are impossible to deny”:
 

The appearance of the dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise from the West, the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky and other portents of the Day of Judgment informed by trustworthy hadiths are right and they will happen. There are also other great portents of the Day of Judgment, like the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). All these happenings are correct , as brought and related by trustworthy hadiths. and they will accordingly happen. (Translation of Fiqh al-Akbar, Al-Imam Al-Azam Abu Hanifa, Prepared by Ali Riza Kasheli, p.99)

The appearance of dajjal (anti-Christ) and the Gog, the sunrise from the West, the descent of Prophet Jesus (as) from the sky and other portents of the Day of Judgment are right, as the trustworthy accounts relate us, and they will happen. (Abu Hanifa, Nu'man ibn Sabid  (150/767), Fiqh al-Akbar, Translated by: H. Basri Chantay, Ankara, 1982)
 

When the Day of Judgment will come, Prophet Jesus (as) will descend on Earth and thus all nations will come to become a single nation as an Islamic nation. Before the advent of Prophet Jesus (as), Hazrat Mahdi (as)  will appear in the realms of Mecca and Medina and then arrive to Jerusalem. Then dajjal will come and remain with him. Prophet Jesus (as), on the other hand, will come down from the East Minaret in Damascus  to render the dajjal ineffective and there he will make him ineffective by a blow. When Prophet Jesus (as) descends, dajjal will dissolve and disappear as if salt dissolves in water. Then Prophet Jesus (as) will meet Hazrat Mahdi (as). Meanwhile they will pray together. Hazrat Mahdi (as)  will point to Prophet Jesus (as) to lead the prayer, but Prophet Jesus (as) will offer his excuse telling that this prayer is fulfilled for him and thus he deserves more to lead the prayer. Prophet Jesus (as) will follow Hazrat Mahdi (as) to reveal that he complies with the sharia of our Prophet (saas) and thus they will fulfill their prayers together.  (Imam  al- Azam, Fiqh al-Akbar, Aliy al-Qari  Interpretation, Translated by: Yunus Vehbi Yavuz, Additional 3rd edition, Cagri Publishing, p. 284)