The Rank of Imam Abu Hanifa in the Sight of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Sayyiduna Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hajweri Hanafi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه had great love for the Foremost Imam, the Master of the Jurists, Imam Abu Hanifa    رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. He states:

One day, I travelled to Syria and visited the shrine of Sayyiduna Bilal رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ. I fell asleep, and I found myself in Makkah. I saw the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم at the door of the Bani Shayba tribe, and he was carrying an old man like a small child. I was overcome by love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and kissed his blessed feet, but I was curious as to who the old man was. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم became aware of my thoughts and said, “This is Abu Hanifa, and he is your Imam.”

After mentioning this dream, Sayyiduna Data Ganj Bakhsh رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:

I learned from this that Imam Abu Hanifa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه was amongst those who remained steadfast upon the rulings of Shariah. This is why the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم expressed love for him. Another conclusion is that just as it is impossible for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to make a mistake, by the grace of Allah and the blessings of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم , Imam Abu Hanifa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه is also protected from committing errors.^[1]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

 Dear Islamic brothers, from this account, we learn about the greatness of Imam Abu Hanifa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه and the awareness of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . Sayyiduna Data Ganj Bakhsh رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه had a question in his heart which the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم answered, “This is Abu Hanifa, and he is your Imam.” This was only a dream. By the