Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين الصلاة والسلام على نبيه الكريم وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

In the name of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings upon His noble Prophet, upon his family and all of his companions.

Name and Lineage

He is Ubaydullah ibn al-Husayn ibn Dalal ibn Dalham, Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi. As-Sama'ni said that the attribution "Al-Karkhi" is towards Karkh, a village in the vicinity of Iraq. He was born in the year 260 AH.

His Teachers and Students

Teachers

Al-Karkhi grew up in his hometown and received his initial education from the city's scholars and teachers. Some of those whom he studied under were:

1- Isma'eel ibn Ishaaq al-Qaadhi. He was an established scholar of Hadeeth and jurist. He is the great-grandson of Hammad ibn Zayd (may Allaah have mercy on him). Al-Karkhi narrated hadeeth from him.

2- Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah al-Hadhrami, known as Mutayyan. He was a great scholar of Hadeeth. He was trustworthy and established. Al-Karkhi also narrated hadeeth from him.

3- Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Halwani. He was a trustworthy scholar of hadeeth and from the companions of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Al-Karkhi narrated hadeeth from him.

4- Abu Sa'eed al-Barda'i. He was a Hanafi jurist, and was also from the Mu'tazilah. Al-Karkhi took Fiqh from him. Abu Sa'eed learned from Isma'eel ibn Hammad ibn Abi Haneefah, who learned from his father, who learned from his grandfather.

Students

Many prominent imams and jurists were also his students, which indicates his high scholarly standing. Among those who studied under him were:

1- Abu 'Ali Ahmad ibn Muhammad ash-Shaashi. He was a well-learned jurist and Al-Karkhi towards the end of his life appointed him in his stead as the teacher.

2- Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn 'Ali ar-Razi, known as Al-Jassas. The well-known imam and jurist of the madhhab. The leadership of tne Hanafis in Baghdad belonged to him, and its jurists studied under him.

3- Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi. The shaykh of Iraq and memorizer of knowledge and hadeeth. He took hadeeth from al-Karkhi.

His Works

Al-Karkhi had useful and reliable works in the madhhab, and his books have gained appreciation, veneration, and precedence in the madhhab.

1- Al-Mukhtasar

It is similar to the other mukhtasaraat in terms of what it contains. It is also considered one of the relied-upon [معتمد] books of the madhhab. Al-Qudoori wrote a famous explanation on it.

2- Sharh al-Jaami' al-Kabeer

An explanation of the book 'Al-Jaami' al-Kabeer' of Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybani.

3- Sharh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer

An explanation of the other al-Jaami' of imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.

4- Risalah Fi al-Qawaa'id al-Fiqhiyyah

This famous treatise contains thirty-nine legal rules, and it is said perhaps the first work of this type in the field. Due to this, Al-Karkhi is considered one of the first ones to establish a work on jurisprudential maxims

His Scholarly Standing

Ibn Qutluboogha said in Taaj at-Tarajim:

"The leadership of the Hanafi madhhab passed to him after Abu Khazim and Abu Saeed al-Barda'i, and his followers spread throughout the lands."

"He fasted and prayed a lot, was patient with poverty and need, and had extensive knowledge and narrations."

Abu Ishaaq ash-Shiraazi in Tabaqaat al-Fuqaha' (pg. 142) stated:

"The leadership of knowledge among the followers of Abu Haneefah passed to him, and he was pious."

In al-Fawaa'id al-Bahiyyah (pg. 108) of Lucknawi:

"The leadership of the Hanafi madhhab passed to him after Abu Khazim, and he had a high standing; they considered him one of the mujtahids in legal matters."

Al-Khateeb in Tareekh Baghdad (12/76) noted about him:

"Abu al-Hasan, with his vast knowledge and abundant narrations, was a great worshipper who prayed and fasted a lot, patient with poverty and need, and averse to what was in the hands of people."

Al-Yafa'i said about him in Mira'at al-Jinan (2/250):

"The shaykh of the Hanafis in Iraq, to whom the leadership of the madhhab passed, and who had many prominent followers. He was a contented, abstinent, devout, imam, he fasted and prayed a lot, and he was of great stature."

As mentioned, Al-Karkhi took from Abu Sa'eed al-Barda'i who was a Mu'tazili. Thus, it is fair to say that Al-Karkhi also took that aspect from him. The biographers have mentioned that he was a Mu'tazili, and he was one of their heads. Imam adh-Dhahabi said about him at the end of his biography:

"And he was a head of the Mu'tazilah, may Allaah forgive him."

Al-Khateeb narrated from Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Furaat in at-Tareekh (12/76):

"He was an innovating head among the Mu'tazilah, (who were) abandoned in the previous times."

His Death

When he was afflicted with paralysis at the end of his life, his companions, Abu Bakr ad-Damaghani, Abu 'Ali ash-Shashi, and Abu Abdullah al-Basri came together, and said: "This illness requires expenses and treatment, and he is poor. We do not wish to burden people with his needs. Therefore, we must write to Sayf ad-Dawla and ask him to provide for his expenses."

So they did that, and Abu al-Hasan sensed their situation. He inquired about it and was informed of it, whereupon he wept and said: "O Allaah, do not make my sustenance come from any source other than what You have accustomed me to". He died before Sayf ad-Dawla could send him anything. Then a letter arrived from Sayf ad-Dawla with ten thousand dirhams, and he promised to provide the same amount, so it was given away in charity.

Al-Qadhi Abu 'Abdullah as-Saymari said, Abu al-Hasan al-Karkhi died on the night of the middle of Sha’ban in the year 340 AH, and Al-Qadhi Abu Tamaam al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Haashimi az-Zaynabi, who was one of his companions, prayed over him, and he was buried next to his mosque in Darb Abi Zayd.