HANAFI

The Hanafi school of thought is a Sunni school of thought and was headed by Imam al-Nu'man ibn Thabit (Abu Hanifa) who lived from 80 h . to 150 h . Imam Abu Hanifa was born to a non-Arab father, raised in Kufa, and died in Baghdad. This school of thought prevailed during the time of the 'Abbasid Empire when a student of Imam Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf al-Qadi, became the head of the judiciary department and the highest judge and so spread this madhhab , in particular during the caliphates of al-Mahdi, al-Hadi, and al-Rashid. No other man was as close to the 'Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid as was Abu Yusuf al-Qadi, but the 'Abbasid caliph al-Mansur also worked hard to support and consolidate Imam Abu Hanifa's school of thought and to spread his madhhab in the face of the growing popularity of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq ( pbuh ). Imam Abu Hanifa studied under the instruction of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq ( pbuh ) for two years [9] <http://al-islam.org/shiism/3.htm> and said about him: "I have not seen one more knowledgeable than Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and, indeed, he is the most knowledgeable one in the nation."