Ibn Ma'in has been reported saying:I would never place anyone above Waki'. He would issue his legal rulings [fatawa] according to the opinion of Abu Hanifa and would memorize all the hadiths from him. He has heard a great deal of hadiths from Abu Hanifa {I'la 'al-sunan 19: 315).

The above two statements indicate that Imam Abu Hanifa was a nar­rator of many hadiths; not just a few, as some claim. Muhammad ibn Sama'a states: The Imam has mentioned more than seventy thousand hadiths in his books, and has selected the Athar from forty thousand hadiths.

The great hadith scholar Zafar 'Uthmani, after quoting this statement, writes that the trueness of it is indicated by what the Imam's students have narrated from him. For instance, Imam Muhammad narrated from him in his six books known as the Zahir al-riwaya and in the other books known as al-Nawadir; Abu Yusuf in his Amali and Kitab al-kharaj; ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak in his books; and Waki' and other students in their books.

These rulings [masa'i/] are in such abundance that their numbers are uncountable and their limits unreachable. If those rulings which are either explicitly or implicitly in conformance with linked [marfu’] or unlinked [mawquf] narrations are summarized, they would cer­tainly reach this great number [i.e. forty thousand]. This is without taking into consideration the rulings the Imam derived through his own inference [ijtihad],

'Allama Zafar 'Uthmani further states that all of these rulings [masa’il] are in actual fact "hadiths," which the Imam narrated in the form of legal rulings and nor as "formal nartations." It is virtually impossible that his inference (effort to derive religious rulings—ijti­had) would conform so closely with such a large number of hadiths if he was said not to have any knowledge of them.

The 'Allama also states that there are many hadiths which Imam Abu Hanifa formally narrated through his personal chains. They are those which the hadith masters have compiled as his Masanid, and also those which his students have transmitted from him, like Imam Muhammad in his Kitab al-athar, Muwatta, Hujaj and other works; Abu Yusuf, Ibn al-Mubarak, Hasan ibn Ziyad in their works; Waki' ibn al-Jarrah in his Musnad; Ibn Abi Shayba and 'Abd al-Razzaq in their Musannafi; Hakim in his Mustadrak and other works; Ibn Hibban in his Sahib, Thiqat, and other works; Bayhaqi in his Sunan and other works; Tabarani in his three Mu'jams; Daraqutni in his works; and other hadith scholars in their collections. If we were to compile all these narrations together in one place, they would constitute a very large volume of hadiths [see I'la al-sunan 18:316].

Imam Abu Hanifa: An Authority and Critic of Hadith
‘Allama Dhahabi writes in the introduction to his Tadhkirat al-huffaz:This is a review of those personalities whom I have judged to be reli­able and the possessors of prophetic knowledge [al-'ilm al-nabawi, and those who could be consulted for their expertise in determining the authenticity or weakness [of narrations] and the reliability or weakness [of narrators] (1:2).

'Allama Dhahabi includes Imam Abu Hanifa among them, which makes it clear that he was a bearer of prophetic knowledge, pos­sessed many narrations, and was considered an authority in the field of hadith.

Suwayd ibn Sa'd reports that Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna said:The first person to encourage me to relate hadiths was Abu Hanifa. When I arrived in Kufa, he declared that this person possesses the largest number of narrations from 'Amr ibn Dinar. [On hearing this] people began to gather around me, and I began to relate to them {i'la'al-sunan 19: 315).

In another report Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna said:The first person to make me a hadith scholar was Abu Hanifa {al-Jawahir al-mudi’a 1:30).

Imam Abu Yusuf said, I have never found anyone with more insight into die interpretation of hadiths than Abu Hanifa (Jami'al-'ilm 1:29).

This statement of Abu Yusuf can be further understood by tile fol­lowing report of Mulla 'Ali al-Qari: Imam Abu Hanifa was [once] with A'mash, who asked him about some-thing- Imam Abu Hanifa replied, "My opinion in this matter is such-and-such." Upon hearing this, A'mash asked as to how he had formed this [opinion]. Imam Abu Hanifa said, "You reported to us from Abu Salih who reported from Abu Hurayra; you reported to us from Abu Wa'il who reported from 'Abdullah; and you reported to us from Abu Ilyas who reported from Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said such and such. You also reported the same to us from Abu Mijlaz, who reported it from Hudhayfa, who from Abu '1-Zubayr, who from Jabir and Yazid al-Raqqashi, and they from Anas r.a."

A'mash exclaimed, "Enough! Enough! What took me a hundred days to narrate you repeated to me in just an instance. I was not aware that your practice was based on these hadiths." Then he exclaimed, "O group of jurists, you are the physicians, and we are merely the pharmacists; and you [addressing Abu Hanifa] are both" {Manaqib al-Imam 484).

Imam Abu Yusuf also said, I have never opposed Abu Hanifa on any issue, then went back and pondered over it, except to find his opinion more superior [to mine] and more benefiting in terms of the hereafter. At times, I would hold on to a particular hadith, but he would prove to possess more insight concern­ing its authenticity. There were times when he would strongly defend a certain opinion, and I would visit the scholars of Kufa to see if I could find some [other] hadiths to support his opinion. Sometimes I would return with two or three hadiths, and he would remark concerning one of them, "This is not strong," or concerning another, "This one is not linked [ma'ruf]." I would exclaim in amazement, "How do you say this when they support your opinion?" He would reply, "I possess insight into the knowledge of Kufa" (al-Khayrat al-hisan 69).

Yahya al-Himmani states: I heard Abu Hanifa saying, "1 have never seen a greater liar than Jabir al-Ju'fi or anybody more superior to 'Ata!" (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 2:48, Kitab al-llalli 'I'Tirmidbi 13:309).

Abu Sa'id al-San'ani asked Abu Hanifa his opinion on narrating from Sufyan al-Thawri? He said, Record his hadiths, for he is reliable [thiqa], except his narrations from Abu lshaq from Harith; and [avoid] the narrations of Jabir al-Ju'fi (al-Jawahir al-mudi'a 1:30).

It is also reported that Imam Abu Hanifa said regarding Zayd ibn Ayash that "he is unknown" [majhul] {Tahdhib al-Tahdhib 3:424). Furthermore, the great Imam was not only aware of Amr ibn Dinar's name but was also aware of his agnomen [kunya]. Ibn al-Mahdi said, I have never seen anyone possessing greater knowledge of the Sunna than Abu Hanifa. We only became aware of Amr ibn Dinar's agnomen through him.

These sratements related from Imam Abu Hanifa concerning the status of various narrators make it clear that they could have only been stated by an expert in the scrutiny and criticism of narrators and hadiths.

The great historian and sociologist of the Muslim world Ibn Khaldun writes a conclusive report on the status of jurists in the field of Hadith. He says, Some people who are of a resentful disposition hatefully claim that there are jurists who know only a few hadiths, and they argue that this is the reason why so few hadiths have been [narrated] from them. This cannot be possible, especially in the case of the great Imams, because Islamic law [Shari'a] can only be derived from the Qur'an and Surma. If one were to possess only superficial knowledge in this field, it would become necessary for him to occupy himself in learning it, for only then would he be able to acquire the religion [its rulings] from the correct source, i.e. from the one [Muhammad (saws)] who had been appointed to propagate it (Muqaddima Ibn Khaldun 371).

Hence, this proves that it is impossible that someone whom a vast majority of this Umma has accepted as a competent jurist possess only a superficial knowledge of hadiths. Trie reliance and trust placed on Imam Abu Hanifa's school by the People of the Sunna throughout the majority of Muslim history, and the high regard with which his opinions are held concerning the acceptance or rejection of hadiths and their narrators, all establish his greatness in the field of Hadith.

Taken from Fiqh al-Imam Key Proofs In Hanafi Fiqh
By Abdur Rahman Ibn Yusuf