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Fatwa CenterAbu Haneefah narrated knowledge on the authority of Ja'far As-Saadiq and Muhammad Al-Baaqir
Question
Shaykh, is it true that Imam Abu Haneefa was a student of Imam Jafar As-Sadiq and Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqir? May Allah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The scholars held different views as to whether Imaam Abu Haneefah was the student of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq and his father Al-Baaqir Muhammad ibn ʻAli ibn Al-Husayn 
both, or not. Some argued that he studied at their hands, and others negated that. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah 
wrote, “It is well-known that Abu Haneefah did not narrate a single juridical case on the authority of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq or his father...” [Minhaaj As-Sunnah] Perhaps Ibn Taymiyyah intended to negate that Abu Haneefah accompanied them and studied at their hands and not merely his narrating knowledge on their authority; many other scholars stated that Abu Haneefah has narrated knowledge on the authority of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq or his father. For instance, It has been established that Imaam Abu Haneefah narrated knowledge from Jaʻfar As-Saadiq and his father by Al-Mizzi in his book Tahtheeb Al-Kamaal; by Ath-Thahabi in his books Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa' and Tareekh Al-Islam; by Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan, the famous student of Imaam Abu Haneefah, in his narration of Imaam Maalik's Muwatta'. The same has also been established by other late scholars such as Al-Mulla Al-Qaari in Sharh Al-Mishkaah.
Ath-Thahabi, while listing those who narrated on the authority of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq, said, “Those who narrated knowledge on his authority were his son Moosa Al-Kaathim ... Abu Haneefah ... Shuʻbah, and Maalik ...” [Summarized from Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa']
Mullaa ʻAli Al-Qaari wrote, “Leading scholars heard from him (i.e. Jaʻfar As-Saadiq) such as Abu Haneefah, Maalik ibn Anas, Ath-Thawri, Ibn ʻUyaynah, and others...” [Sharh Al-Mishkaah]
Abu Haneefah was once asked, "Who is the most knowledgeable in Fiqh among those you have met?” He replied, “I have not seen someone more knowledgeable in Fiqh than Jaʻfar ibn Muhammad...” Imaam Abu Haneefah narrated on the authority of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq, and so did Imaam Maalik in his book Al-Muwatta'. Ath-Thahabi wrote about Jaʻfar As-Saadiq, “His mother was Umm Farwah bint Al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr As-Siddeeq, and her mother was Asmaa' bint ʻAbd Ar-Rahmaan ibn Abu Bakr. This is why he used to say, 'I was born by Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq twice.' He hated the Raafidhah (i.e. the Shites who deserted and rejected Zayd ibn 'Ali when he refused to repudiate and condemn the first three Rightly Guided Caliphs [Abu bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmaan], while the Raafidhah did not recognize them as the legitimate successors of the Prophet 
) for insulting his great grandfather Abu Bakr publicly and privately...” [Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa']
As for Muhammad Al-Baaqir, the father of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq, his full name was Abu Jaʻfar Muhammad ibn ʻAli ibn Al-Husayn, the son of the Commander of the Believers Abu Al-Hasan ʻAli ibn Abu Taalib all. He was nicknamed Al-Baaqir. It has been reported that Abu Haneefah narrated on his authority as well. Ibn Al-Jawzi wrote:
“Abu Haneefah said: 'I met Abu Jaʻfar ibn Muhammad ibn ʻAli and asked him about Abu Bakr and ʻUmar. He replied, 'May Allaah confer His mercy upon Abu Bakr and ʻUmar.' I remarked, 'It is said in Iraq that you disassociate yourself from them!' He said, 'Allaah forbids! Whoever says that about me is a liar. Do you not know that ʻAli ibn Abu Taalib married off his daughter Umm Kulthoom, whose mother was Faatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, to ʻUmar ibn Al-Khattaab; while her grandmother was Khadeejah and her grandfather was the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam?'” [Al-Muntathim]
Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan, the student of Abu Haneefah, asserted that Abu Haneefah narrated on the authority of Jaʻfar As-Saadiq. He reported in his narration of Maalik's Al-Muwatta', “Abu Haneefah reported to us, 'Abu Ja'far said to us that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, used to perform thirteen rakʻahs (units of prayer) between the ʻIshaa' prayer and the Fajr prayer; eight-rakʻah voluntary night prayer, three-rakʻah Witr prayer, and two-Rakʻah Sunnah of Fajr...'” [Al-Muwatta']
Ath-Thahabi wrote, “Abu Haneefah reported from ʻAtaa' ibn Abi Rabaah and he said, 'I have never seen any teacher better than him.' He also reported from ʻAtiyyah Al-ʻAwfi, Naafiʻ, Salamah ibn Kuhayl, Abu Jaʻfar Al-Baaqir...” [Tareekh Al-Islam]
Similarly, Al-Mizzi mentioned in his book Tahtheeb Al-Kamaal that Abu Jaʻfar Muhammad ibn ʻAli ibn Al-Husayn was among the scholars from whom Abu Haneefah reported.
Allaah knows best.
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