By Shaykh Taha Karaan
Regarding Imam Abu Hanifah’s allegedly having studied under Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, please be informed as follows:
Imam Abu Hanifah was the pupil and intellectual successor of his mentor, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, who was the successor to Ibrahim an-Nakha’i, who was the successor to his uncle ‘Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha’i, who was the successor to Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, who was sent as a teacher to the city Kufah by Amir al-Mu’minin Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab. This chain of intellectual descent is known to anyone knowledgeable of the legislative history of Islam.