the mosque and tomb of imam abu hanifa

The Mosque and tombof Imam Abu HanifaIslamic monument in the capitalof Al-Rashid

66Islamic Tourism – Issue 37 – September-October / 2008 For more information, visit our website www.islamictourism.com

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>Reports and photos:Walid Abdul Amir Alwan

When the Abbasid Caliph Abu Jaafar Al-Mansour built the city of Baghdad, he called it the“City of Peace”. This city quickly became the centre of attraction for scientists andtheologians. Some made it a place of scientific and religious learning, and others chose it asa place of residence. The city, dating back to 1289 AD, is also home to the tombs of two ofthe five founders of Islamic doctrines: Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal and Imam Abu Hanifa.

In one of its old quarters, with typicalBaghdadi architectural style, where we

feel the air of a thousand and one nights,near the eternal Tigris river, in the Al-A’adhamia district, lies the tomb of theMaster of Theologians, Imam Abu Hanifa,who was buried there in the year 150 of theHegira (770 AD).

The site and its name Al-A’adhamia, also known as the “Pearl ofRosafa”, is located on the Tigris, 12 kmfrom Baghdad. According to historical data,it was part of the Rosafa region. It was builtafter the riots of Errawandiya, during thetime of Caliph Abu Jaafar Al-Mansour, andbecame popular with wealthy merchantsand notables who built their palaces there.Its souks soon developed, including themost famous souk Yahia, cited by historianssuch as Ibn Al Jouzi, Al Yaacoubi and AlKhatib Al Baghdadi. The region of Al-Aadhamia housed theCemetery of Al Khaizarane, but when AbuHanifa was buried there, the area came tobe known as Abu Hanifa’s Quarter or Al-A’adhamia, in reference to his name alImam Aadham (the Grand Imam).

Imam Abu Hanifa Abu Hanifa’s full name is al-Numan BenThabet Ben Zouti Ben Al Marzban, originallyfrom Kabul (Afghanistan). His grandfather,Al Marzban, converted to Islam at the timeof Caliph Omar Ibn Al Khattab, and resided

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in Al Kufa, where al-Numan was born in theyear 80 H (701 AD), during the reign ofCaliph Marwan Ibn Abdul Malek. Thegovernor of Kufa was Al Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Al-Taqafi, known for his brutality andoppression. Abu Hanifa observed thecruelty of Al-Hajjaj and the suffering of thepeople. This affected him deeply, led him tohate the Umayyad dynasty, and toparticipate in the revolt against them bysupporting the Abbasids in their call for thedefence of Ahl Al Bayt. Abu Hanifa began his teaching in Kufa. Hethen went to Baghdad to continue hisstudies under the leadership of ImamMohamed Ibn Jaafar Al-Sadek. Andsubsequently dedicated himself to teachingand issuing fatwas. He became the Imamand founder of a Fiqh school, known as al-Hanafi, a leading Sunni doctrine. Manyfaqihs were trained by him; the mostfamous being the Judge Abu Yusuf. Abu Hanifa issued a fatwa calling on peopleto support Ibrahim Ibn Abdullah Al-Mahdh,Ibn Al Imam al-Hassan Ibn Ali, in his revoltagainst the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansour. IbnKhalkan reports in his book “Death ofNotables” that he had written a letter toIbrahim: “I brought you together fourthousands dirhams, the only ones that Ihave. If it wasn’t for what I have beenentrusted with by the people, I would havejoined you. If you meet these people, andconquer them, treat them as your father didat Saffine, finish them all, and do not

behave as he did at the Battle of the Camel,these people are bad”. It is said that theletter fell into the hands of Caliph alMansour who threw Abu Hanifa in prisonand kept him there until his death. It wasalso said that he was poisoned. He died inthe year 150 H in Baghdad where he wasburied. He left a rich theological heritagethat is still taught in Islamic universities.

The holy shrine Like most of the holy mausoleums, theconstruction of this mausoleum passedthrough various stages - the most importantwas during the Seljuk period. Thus, Said AbuSharafeddine Al Khawarizmi, during thereign of Sultan Aleb Arsalan, restored it andconstructed a large dome. The presentmosque was built in 1871 but its domedates back to 1638. Then came otherdevelopments, the most notable in 1948,which gave the mosque its current form. The mausoleum is a masterpiece of Islamicarchitecture, with beautiful ornamentsengraved on bricks and beautiful calligraphyof Koranic verses on blue tiles. There is a vast courtyard that separates theshrine from its neighbourhood. The visitorwill first see the four domes, covered withKashani tiles, two of which are sharp andthe other two rounded. The dome of themausoleum was restored by covering it withmarble. Thus, it resembles Mamluki domes.The mosque has two minarets, in Baghdadistyle, which is characterized by a particular

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interest in ornaments. One of them has agolden dome. The outer wall of the mosque is built on claybricks with beautiful engravings. It isdivided into four equal parts, with a widthof one meter each. In the top right of each,there is a board in Kashani of Karbala, withthe names of God. You enter the mosque by two woodendoors, one north and one east. Goingthrough one of these two gates, you get tothe esplanade which is characterized bybeautiful brick arches, located on its northside, with intricate Islamic patterns ofdecorations in their upper band. On top of

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these decorations, are Kashani tiles withcalligraphy of Koranic verses. On its easternpart is the minaret of the clock. On thewest side, there is a space for rest andvarious services.

Clock Tower Entering the esplanade through thenorthern door, one finds to the right theclock tower, which rises to a height of 20metres. It is distinguished by its ellipticalshape, contrary to the usual style in Iraqimausoleums, which are mainly square.Richly decorated, this tower is equipped atthe top with a clock. It has four facets andwas made by an Iraqi craftsman, MrMahsoub Abdul-Razzak Al-A’adhami. Ittook eight years to build, from 1921 to1929 and it was finally put in place in 1958.In the 70s the tower was covered with goldgilded aluminium plates. This clock isdistinguished by its accuracy and the strongtone of its bells. It can be heard clearly everyhour from outside the mosque.

The hall After the esplanade, there is a hall 18 m by15 m, which can be accessed by two smalldoors. After that, one enters the tomb ofImam Al-A’adham by a small wooden door.This hall is distinguished by beautifuldecorations its ceiling and its fine columns.

The Place of Isolation (khalwa)Before entering the mausoleum, there is a



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library and a warehouse for the gifts offeredby kings and heads of state who visited themausoleum (or sent their representatives),as well as some articles offered by wealthymerchants. The library also containsvaluable manuscripts relating to thereligious science of Hadith (Tradition of theProphet), theology and the explanation ofKoran. But its most prestigious item withouta doubt, is a hair of Prophet Mohammed(PBUH). It has been said that it is from hisbeard or his head and was found in thebriefing room called khalwa (place ofisolation). Entering through the woodendoor (2 m high and 1 m wide), from acourtyard with marble columns, one reachesthe holy mausoleum.

The mausoleumThe mausoleum is located in the centre ofthe room with an area of 36 sq. m. Thetomb is covered by a wooden box, withsilver grids numbering 14, of which eightare on its left and right sides and six on thenorth and south sides. A band wraps up

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decorated with flowers and flags.Delegations from different regions of Iraqcome to celebrate this event until dawn.They end their ceremony with a processionaround the mausoleum, chanting praise tothe Prophet (PBUH).The Baghdadis, particularly the inhabitantsof this region, have become accustomed togathering in this place to welcomedelegations from other provinces, offeringthem food, drinks and cakes. It is their wayof celebrating the event. The mosque istherefore a place of worship and a centrefor festivities to praise Prophet Mohammed,whose birthday must be honoured.


this box with beautiful calligraphy ofKoranic verses. The walls and ceiling of the mausoleum aredecorated with white marble in beautifulpatterns. A chandelier descends from theceiling directly above the tomb. On thetwo corners are two boards bearing piecesof the fabric of the holy Ka’aba of 150 cmby 75 cm, inside a fine wooden frame.

The prayer room In the mausoleum room, there is a small doorthat leads to the place reserved for prayer. Thisplace of worship is vast and includes columnsand discs decorated with beautiful Moroccandecorations. In the middle is the minbar of theImam, built of brick covered with marble,overhung by a small dome, with a marble beltin the form of a crescent. The mihrab, which is to the left of theminbar, is surrounded on each side by twocolumns covered with beautiful Kashaniloops at the top. The floor is covered withhigh-quality carpets and beautifulcontinuous colours, and gives theimpression that this is a single carpet. From this place of worship one can gothrough a back door to another place,protected by a partition, which is reservedfor women.Here one finds a space reserved for readingKoran, a wooden platform of about threemetres high, with a small staircase. It ismost often used during the celebrations ofthe birthday of the Prophet (PBUH).

The Prophet’s birthday celebration This shrine is distinguished by the largenumber of visitors at night. The inhabitantsof Al-Aa’dhamia and neighbouring regionshave become accustomed to visiting atnight. It also became customary tocelebrate the evening of the holy month ofRamadan there. The finest celebrations atthe shrine are probably on Mawlid (Thebirthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH),which falls on the 12th of Rabia’ al-Awal ofeach year of the Hegira. The shrine is thecentre of festivities both official andpopular. Thus, the mausoleum is decoratedwith lights and its neighbourhood is

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the mosque and tomb of imam abu hanifa

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