Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman

Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman (died 738 CE) was an early Kufan Muslim jurist who is best known for being the principal teacher of Abu Hanifa, the eponym of the Hanafi school of law.

Biography The extant biographical information about Hammad is limited. It is known that he was a mawla (client) of the family of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a companion of Muhammad. His father was wealthy, allowing Hammad to dedicate himself solely to his legal studies. He became the student of Ibrahim al-Nakha'i in Kufa, who appears to have been his sole mentor in fiqh, although he also studied under al-Sha'bi and met Hasan al-Basri, Said ibn al-Musayyib and the companion Anas ibn Malik.

Abu Hanifa attended the halaqa of Hammad for eighteen to twenty years and eventually, due to his ability, was afforded the privilege of sitting directly in front of Hammad. Hammad died in Kufa in 738.