Scholars of hadith say this refers to Imām Abū Ḥanīfa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه.^[1]

The Scholarly Status of Imām Abū Ḥanīfa رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه

Azhar b. Kaysān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه narrates:

Once, I was blessed with a beautiful dream in which I had the honour of seeing the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, along with the Shaykhayn, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا.

I approached Sayyiduna Abū Bakr and Sayyiduna ʿUmar, and said, “I wish to ask the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم something.”  

They declared, “You may ask, but keep your voice low ˹out of respect˺.”

With utmost decorum, I asked the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم the following question, “What do you declare regarding the knowledge of Abū Ḥanīfa?”

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم responded:

ہٰذَا عِلْمٌ اِنْفَتَحَ مِنْ عِلْمِ خِضْر

This knowledge ˹of Abū Ḥanīfa˺ emanates from the knowledge of Khiḍr.^[2]

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه What an exalted status our Imām Abū Ḥanīfa holds!

Let us also reflect on the knowledge of Prophet Khiḍr  عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم as described in the Holy Quran.