Clarification of the Creed of Abu Hanifah - may Allah have mercy on him - ?

The questioner : Since we have been speaking about creed and the creed of the ... shall we shed light on the creed of Abu Hanifah?

The Shaykh : First, Abu Hanifah did not have a written creed. Second, there is a book attributed to him titled "Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar." Abu Hanifah, given his early standing in the generation, as he was from the people of the second century and passed away in the year 150 of the Hijrah, did not leave behind a book, but he left behind students. This book attributed to him, "Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar," actually represents the position of those who claim affiliation with Abu Hanifah - may Allah have mercy on him. As for Abu Hanifah regarding faith, it is his opinion, as we said, neither more nor less, and it is the creed of all the Hanafis from the beginning of time to the present day. This is one of the problems of rigid adherence to taqlid (following a scholar without knowing his evidence), especially in creed. And among their wonders is that they say in ... with him in this and they transmit it from them without any disagreement, whereas in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) issues they transmit from the Imam some contradictory and conflicting opinions on the same issue. And there is no wonder in that; for the Imam exercises ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) with his opinion, and then another opinion becomes apparent to him; there is absolutely no objection. But none of them transmitted from Abu Hanifah walking in accordance with the text of the Qur'an in more than one verse: , faith increases by the text of the Qur'an in more than one verse in the Noble Qur'an. They did not transmit, nor is there any narration from Abu Hanifah - even if weak - that faith increases and decreases, and that its increase is through obedience and its decrease through sin.

The questioner : "Those who believed, We increased them in guidance."

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : "Those who believed" .

The Shaykh : In many verses.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Yes.
The Shaykh : The point is that in "Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar" they transmit a phrase where this creed aligns with the creed of the people of the Sunnah regarding the elevation of Allah - Mighty and Majestic. They stated that Abu Hanifah said: "Whoever believes that Allah is not in the sky has committed disbelief." This creed is found among some of the Maturidiyyah, not all of them; otherwise, the Maturidiyyah are like the Asha'irah regarding the attribute of elevation of the Most High; they believe, unfortunately, that Allah is everywhere. But Abu Hanifah, in this word narrated from him, is with the Book and the Sunnah and with the people of the Sunnah and Hadith. Some of his followers in the sixth century confirmed this, in a man among them who has a poem titled "The Beginning of the Dictations":
The Shaykh : The servant says in the beginning of the dictations *** In the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of ... the Possessor of Majesty
The Shaykh : I used to know it long ago, and then it disappeared with neglect and forgetfulness. In summary, he says a verse of poetry:
"And the Lord of the Throne is above the Throne, but *** without the description of settling and connection"
The Shaykh : This is the creed of the people of the Sunnah, and this is the meaning of the words of Abu Hanifah: "Whoever believes that Allah is not in the sky has committed disbelief"; because he contradicted the Book and the Sunnah. In summary, Abu Hanifah and the four Imams are on the Salafi line, except that necessarily each one has a slip, but the followers understood one thing while the Imams themselves were in another.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Determining the hearing of the adhan (the call to prayer)? ...

The Shaykh : The closest.
...