The Study of Factors Affecting
the Expansion of Hanafi Jurisprudence
in Transoxania up to the End of Samanid Era

Mohammad Adel Ziaei[1]
MosaAzizi[2]

Abstract

Hanafi jurisprudence is considered to be one of the important Islamic sects in terms of number of its followers, geographical expansion,  codification of votes and judgments of its scholars. This jurisprudence, which is a more advanced and organized methodology of the school of “ people of opinions”, has had a prominent and influential status since its birth in Khorasan and  Transoxania . It can be said that the dissemination and expansion of Hanafi jurisprudence in those lands probably reached its apex during the Samanid reign; in a way that it made Khorasan and Transoxania as the second important center of Hanafi School after Iraq. The improvement of Hanafi jurisprudence in those lands during the Samanid era has had different factors but the most important ones are as follows:

The closeness of Abu Hanafeh viewpoints with those of the Murjites especially in their definition of  faith and its separation from action; the belief in increasing rather than decreasing nature of  faith and the necessity of not excommunicating someone who commits mortal sins;  the aid provided by Hanafi jurisprudences— especially the great Abu Hafse—in support of the Samanid founders and its consequent impact on confirming  and legitimizing  the Samanid government and the support of Samanian governors from Hanafi jurists and entrusting them to positions  of judgments and jurisdiction in return; the great efforts made by immediate or mediate pupils of Abu-Hanifeh,  like Abu MotiBalkhi, AbulqasemSamarqandi,  Abu HafseKabir and his son Abu HafseSaqir in the development and deepening of Hanafi jurisprudence in that land;  the realism and rationalism inherent in Hanafi jurisprudence; the attention given to the rights of women, blame- worthy people and newly-Muslim Turkish;  the leniency of Hanafi jurisprudence especially in verdicts related to less-advantaged minorities; and finally, the  outstanding capacities of Hanafi jurisprudence in its special  attempts with regard to customs, analogical reasoning and praising .