The response is that this is one of those falsehoods recognized (1) by anyone with even the slightest knowledge. Abū Hanīfa was a contemporary of Ja‘far al-Sādiq. Al-Sādiq died in 148 AH, and Abū Hanīfa died in 150 AH. Abū Hanīfa was already issuing legal verdicts during the lifetime of Abū Ja‘far, al-Sādiq’s father. It is not known that Abū Hanīfa learned so much as a single legal issue from Ja‘far al-Sādiq or his father. Rather, he learned from those who were older than both of them, such as ‘Atā’ ibn Abī Rabāh and his principal teacher, Hammād ibn Abī Sulaymān (2). Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, moreover, lived in Medina (3).
Section
The Rāfidī said (4): “As for al-Shāfi‘ī, he studied under Muhammad ibn al-Hasan.”
The response is that this is not so. Rather, he sat with him, learned his method (5), and debated him. The first person to openly disagree with Muhammad ibn al-Hasan and refute him (was) al-Shāfi‘ī (6),