IMAM ABU YUSUF’S POSITION IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF ISLAMIC JURIST

Imam Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari (d.182), has left a profound impact on fiqh and is regarded as the pioneer of many innovations. Abu Yusuf is also portrayed as an incredibly studious individual who was unceasing in his pursuit for knowledge and legal understanding. His reliability in hadith is accepted by most of the scholars. Imam Abu Yusuf studied religious law and traditions in Kufa and Medina under the effect of a number of scholars including Abu Hanifa, Malik b. Anas, al-Layth b. Sa'd, Hisham bin Urwa, Ebu İshak alShaybani and others. Abu Yusuf is the first to be called Qadi al-Qudat (the Supreme Judge). For this reason, Imam Abu Yusuf is a very important and valuable scholar in history of Islamic law. During period of imitation, Islamic jurists, said that Abu Yusuf was not an absolute mujtahid. In addition, he was claimed to depend on his teacher’s methods. However, this claim was regarded faulty when the historical process is analyzed and ijtihad of Abu Yusuf was examined in detail. Furthermore, a study of any serious text of Hanafi usul al-fiqh will indicate that many points of method of Abu Yusuf differed from his teacher’s. The fact that Imam Abu Yusuf was absolute mujtahid was confirmed by many scholars. This study reveals evidence regarding Abu Yusuf’s being an absolute mujtahid and the outcome of this fact is also analyzed.