What is the position of a student of knowledge regarding the severe criticism of Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) found in some books of the Imams?

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. There are many questions asking: What is the position of a student of knowledge regarding the severe criticism of Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) found in some books of the Imams, as mentioned in the book *Al-Sunnah* by Imam Abdullah ibn Imam Ahmad, and others? And what is the position regarding this?

Answer:
This was known among the people until some ignorant people raised it on some satellite channels two days ago, and the people did not investigate this. Yes, in the book *Al-Sunnah* by Abdullah ibn Imam Ahmad, there is a statement about Abu Hanifah appended at the end.
It was appended to it, and the printed copy does not contain any of this, but it was appended at the end. The Salaf who spoke about Abu Hanifah did so from the aspect that Abu Hanifah relied on analogical reasoning (qiyas), he relied on qiyas, and he did not cite evidence from the hadiths, he did not cite evidence from the hadiths, and his main reliance was usually on qiyas. This is what was taken from him, what was taken from him only, that he acts upon qiyas. And qiyas is undoubtedly a legal proof, because the principles of evidence are the Book, the Sunnah, consensus, and qiyas.
Abu Hanifah, but the Imams do not resort to qiyas except out of dire necessity, when they do not find evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, nor from consensus, then they say it is by qiyas. As for Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), he expanded in qiyas. This is what they took from him, this is what they took from him, and they criticized him for expanding in qiyas. Some of the meticulous scholars answered for Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) because he lived in Iraq during the time of fitnah and the time of lying. Lying and fabricating hadiths about the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intensified. So he came to rely on qiyas out of fear of the fabricators and liars, because lying spread in Iraq, and unlike the Hijaz, Makkah and Madinah, they were people of narration and hadith and precision. But in Iraq, when the sects multiplied and fabrication and lying about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) increased, Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) relied on qiyas. This is the reason, this is the reason why Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) relied on and expanded in qiyas. And he is a great Imam without doubt, and he is the earliest of the four Imams, and he took from the Tabi'un, and it is said he took from the Companions, so he is a great Imam. There is no speech regarding his creed or regarding his religion. Rather, they took from him his expansion in qiyas. This is the point taken from him (may Allah have mercy on him). And he is excused as we mentioned to you. Because in his time, lying and fabrication spread. Especially in Iraq. So he avoided this thing. Yes. And in any case, we do not like these issues to be raised. We do not like these issues to be raised.
And this part of the book was deleted in the edition that the scholars relied upon in the time of Shaykh Abdullah ibn Hasan, the head of judges in Makkah. The copy that he printed and supervised did not have this addition. But some researchers, may Allah guide them, appended it to it, and this caused this doubt. And in any case, we love Abu Hanifah, and he is an Imam for us, because he is from the Imams of the people of the Sunnah and the community. He is an Imam for us, from our Imams, and we do not criticize him ever. Yes.