Abu Hanifah went on to comparison, which he believed to be as one of the resources of legislation and jurisprudence in Islam. Imam al-Sadiq (as) was severely denying this idea and believed that The Holy Book, the Customs of the Holy Prophet (S), and consensus are the true resources of jurisprudence and not comparison.
Abu Hanifah attended the lectures of Imam al-Sadiq (as) and learnt jurisprudence from him and publicly announced in his own words that: If there were not these two years, there would not be al-Numan. There were many meetings and discussions between them. Among those are the following:
A) Ibn Shabramah went with Abu Hanifah to Imam al-Sadiq (as). He told ibn Shabramah: “How is that one who is with you?”
“He is a man who has insight and power in religious affairs.”
“Perhaps the one who is comparing the religious issues to his idea?”
“Yes!”
Imam (as) turned to Abu Hanifah and said: “What is your name?”
“Al-Numan”
“Did you measure your head?”
“How should I measure my head?”
“I do not find that you know something. Do you know what is saltiness in the eyes, the bitterness in the ears, the coolness in the nostrils and the sweetness of the lips?”
Abu Hanifah was surprised and denied the knowledge of the issues mentioned. Then the Imam (as) addressed him with the following question:
“Do you know something that starts with infidelity and ends with faith?”
“No!”
Abu Hanifah begged the Imam (as) to explain these cases and then He said:
“My father informed me from my grandfather, the Holy Prophet of Islam (S), who said: Allah, with His kindness and mercy, assigned saltiness in the eyes of mankind to be able to take out whatever dirt enters inside. He assigned bitterness in the ears to avoid every insect from entering into the head. Whenever the insects taste the bitterness, they wish to exit. Allah (SwT) also, assigned the coolness in the nostrils to smell the wind, with which otherwise the brain would be stunk. He, the Almighty, assigned the sweetness in the lips to see the enjoyment of eating everything.”
Abu Hanifah turned to the Imam (as), and said: “Inform me about the word whose start is infidelity and its end is faith”
“If a slave says: There is no Lord, he made the infidelity, but when he continues saying: except Allah, it is considered the faith.”
Imam (as) approached Abu Hanifah to deny him from following and adhering to comparison, saying: “O Numan! My father narrated from my grandfather, the Holy Prophet of Islam, Allah’s blessing and peace be to him, and said: ‘The first one who used comparison in religious affairs was Satan, when Allah, the Almighty, told him to bow down for Adam and he replied: ‘I am better than he: thou createdst me from fire, and him thou createdst from clay’ (38:76). So, Allah will take the one who uses his own measures in religious affairs, the same with Satan on the Resurrection Day, because he has followed Satan in using comparison.’”
Abu Hanifah met Imam al-Sadiq (as) and the Imam (as) told him: “What is your idea on the one who went on Hajj and broke the quadriceps of a gazelle?”
“O The son of the Holy Prophet! I do not know about this,” Abu Hanifah replied.
Imam (as) said: “You do not know that a gazelle does not have quadriceps.”
Abu Hanifah met Imam al-Sadiq (as) and the Imam (as) asked him about some problems and he could not answer. Among the questions that the Imam (as) asked was: “Which one is considered more severe: murder or adultery?”
“Murdering, of course,” he replied.
Imam (as) said: “How is Allah satisfied with two witnesses for murder, but he is not unless there are four in adultery?”
Abu Hanifah becomes silent and did not say a word and his comparison method was abolished in front of the successor of the prophet (S). Then the Imam (as) addressed him with the next question: “Which one is more preferred: prayers or fasts?”
He replied: “Of course, prayers are more preferred.”
“So, according to your comparison, the menstruant should make up for the prayers she missed during her menstruation period, while Allah, the Almighty, imposed as duty on her to make up for the missed days of fasting without having the same rule on prayers.”
Abu Hanifah could not answer and the Imam (as) destroyed comparison and taught him that the religion of Allah (SwT) is neither known nor comprehended with comparison. Then Imam (as) asked him the next question: “Which one is dirtier: urine or semen?”
“Urine is dirtier,” He replied.
Then Imam (as) said: “According to your idea, taking shower is necessary for urinating, because it is dirtier without having the same rule for semen, while Allah ordered on taking shower because of semen, but not after urinating.”
Abu Hanifah stayed astonished in front of the corrupted instructions that were the result of using comparison. He could not defend his methodology. Imam (as) then set forth the next question: “What do you believe in, when a blind man, who gouges out the eyes of one whose eyes were sound and cuts the arm of that man; how should the sentence be issued?”
Abu Hanifah confessed on his inability and said: “I am a man who knows about the messages of the Prophets.”
The Imam (as) then posed the next question about the situation of the Prophets: “Inform me about the statement of Allah to Moses and his brother Aaron, when He sent them to Pharaoh, saying: ‘He may take warning or fear (Allah)’ (20:44), you may also doubt?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“So, there might be a doubt by Allah, when He said: may?” Imam (as) said.
“I do not know,” he replied.
Imam (as) then reproached him for adhering to comparison, saying: “You claim that you are giving religious opinions according to the Book of Allah and not from those who are inherit it. You also claim that you are the master of comparison while Allah condemned the Satan as the first one, who used comparison. The Islamic religion is not clarified by comparison.
“You claim that you are an expert while the opinion of the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessing and peace be to him, was right in his deeds, because Allah, the Almighty said: Judge between them according to what Allah showed to you. He, the Almighty, did not say this to anyone else, but you claim that you know the boundary.
“The one on whom this descended is more preferred in knowing the knowledge than you. However you claim that you know what descended on the Prophets. The last Prophet knows what descended more than you. If it would be said that the son of the Holy Prophet asked you, I would not ask you, because of comparison and you can compare.”
Abu Hanifah turned to the Imam (as) expressing his willingness to leave comparison, saying: “I will not talk about the religion of Allah with opinions and comparison after this meeting.”
“Never! The love of presidency does not leave you and it did not leave the ones before you,” the Imam (as) replied.
This way, Abu Hanifah could not compete with the one prominent in Islamic thoughts and the successor of the Prophet, Imam al-Sadiq (as). He could not find any reason to protect his idea in demonstrating the ability of comparison, because the Imam (as) abolished everything and left him more insubstantial than the house of a spider.
THE LIFE OF IMAM JAF’AR AL-SADIQ (AS) – BAQIR SHARIF AL-QURASHI