Al-Imâm al-a’zâm Abû Hanîfa’s name was Nu’mân. His father’s name was Thâbit. His grandfather’s name was Nu’man, too. He was the first of the four great imâms of the Ahl as-Sunna. ‘Imâm’ means ‘profoundly learned scholar.’ He was one of the mainmasts of the brilliant religion of Muhammad ‘’alaihis-salâm’

A hadîth sherîf, which al-Imâm al-Hârizmî quoted from Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ through isnâd muttasil (an uninterrupted chain of reporters), states: “Among my Umma, there will come a man called Abû Hanîfa. On the Day of Rising, he will be the light of my Umma.” Another hadîth sherîf states: “A man named Nu’mân ibn Thâbit and called Abû Hanîfa will appear and will revive Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Religion and my Sunna.” And another one states: “In every century, a number of my Umma will attain high grades. Abû Hanîfa will be the highest of his time.” These three hadîths are written in the books entitled Mawdû’ât al-’ulûm and Durr al-mukhtâr. This hadîth sherîf is also well-known: “Among my Umma, a man called Abû Hanîfa will appear. There is a beauty-spot between his two shoulder blades. Allâhu ta’âlâ will revive His Religion through his hand.”