*Imam Tahawi -May Allah have mercy on him- His Broad-mindedness*


By: Muaz Haider

7/ Ramadan 1447 AH


Every fair-minded researcher of the street of Hadith acknowledges the status and position of *Imam Tahawi* -May Allah have mercy on him-, pays tribute to his scholarly services, acknowledges his research. He was superior to the scholars of his time, and one whose stature becomes somewhat elevated also possesses excellent humility.

Hazrat al-Ustad *Mufti Saeed Ahmad Sahib Palanpuri* -May Allah illuminate his grave- expressed this reality in a very heartwarming manner:

"The first level of virtue is that a person is "envious of peers", and the last level is to be "envious of elders."

*(Hayat Imam Tahawi, p: 18-19)*

The praised Imam also had to go through this stage. His writings were prevented from coming to light. Some individuals in places where sectarian tastes differed participated greatly in this, and attempts were made to create an opposing atmosphere. However, the will of Allah Almighty was something else. The clouds of obstacles cleared, the sun of agreement rose, and his knowledge gained universality. We were also fortunate to draw from this fountain of Kauthar.

*Imam Tahawi* -May Allah have mercy on him- The most prominent characteristic is his *broad-mindedness*. Along with mentioning the arguments of the Hanafi school of thought, he also presents a large amount of evidence from other Imams. He quotes different opinions with complete satisfaction and mentions their arguments with generosity, then turns to preference.

But the perfection is that he does not resort to harsh language in this preference, does not disrespect the proponents of the rejected opinion, does not explicitly name them, nor does he consider it necessary to name the holders of the dominant position.

As a result of this approach, his book has been prepared with immense qualities. Its practice creates a taste for considering the documentary aspect between conflicting hadiths, and the ability to assess the derivational criteria develops.

*Allama Zahid al-Kawthari -May Allah have mercy on him-* pointed to this reality and said:

"There is no parallel in the world to this book in terms of creating a jurisprudential faculty within the scholar and teaching different styles of jurisprudence with internal criticism and scrutiny in addition to the documentary aspects of the texts."

*(Hadith aur Fahm-e-Hadith, p: 263)*

Undoubtedly, this characteristic of Imam Tahawi -May Allah have mercy on him- is a bright example for today's scholarly environment.