Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 6
6 Musnad Imam A h h h h mad bin H H H H anbal Al-Baghd a a a a d i i i i : Imam Ahmad bin H anbal (A. H. 164 to A. H. 242) is also regarded as a leading scholar of A ha d i th as well as a celebrated Doctor of Jurisprudence like Imam M a lik. The Muslims who follow his school of jurisprudence are called H anbal i s. His collection is definitely of a high standard. However, due to lack of vigilance on the part of his son, some weak A ha d i th found their way into his great work. The other two Imams of Fiqh [jurisprudence] are Imam Ab u H an i fah (A. H. 80 to A. H. 150) and Imam Sh a fi‘ i (A. H. 105 to A. H. 204). Imam Ab u H an i fah, popularly known as Imam A‘ z am, has the largest following. He has been recognized as the leading figure among the Imams of jurisprudence. He devoted most of his time to questions of Fiqh. [Imam Sh a fi‘ i ’s collection of A ha d i th entitled “Kit a bul-Umm” is also a work of repute. ]