(Arabic , plural
حنفاء) is an
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
term that refers to pre-
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic non-
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish or non-Christian Arabian monotheists. More specifically, in
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic thought it refers to the
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
s during the (pre-Islamic) period known as the
Jāhiliyya or "Ignorance", who were seen to have rejected
Shirk (
polytheismPolytheism is the belief in and worship of multiple deities, called gods and goddesses. These are usually assembled into a pantheon, along with their own mythologies and rituals...
) and retained some or all of the true tenets of the monotheist
religionA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
of
Ibrahim , the biblical patriarch Abraham , is an important prophet in Islam. He is the son of Tarekh and the father of the Prophet Ismail -his first born son- and the Prophet Ishak his second born. Ibrahim is considered the Father of the Prophets...
(
AbrahamAbraham is the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites and Edomite peoples, as described in the book of Genesis. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and Muslims....
) that, according to Islamic view, has preceded
JudaismJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
and
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
.
The term is from the Arabic
rootThe roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or "radicals"...
meaning "to incline, to decline" (Lane 1893) from the Syriac root of the same meaning.
(Arabic , plural
حنفاء) is an
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
term that refers to pre-
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic non-
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish or non-Christian Arabian monotheists. More specifically, in
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic thought it refers to the
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
s during the (pre-Islamic) period known as the
Jāhiliyya or "Ignorance", who were seen to have rejected
Shirk (
polytheismPolytheism is the belief in and worship of multiple deities, called gods and goddesses. These are usually assembled into a pantheon, along with their own mythologies and rituals...
) and retained some or all of the true tenets of the monotheist
religionA religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth...
of
Ibrahim , the biblical patriarch Abraham , is an important prophet in Islam. He is the son of Tarekh and the father of the Prophet Ismail -his first born son- and the Prophet Ishak his second born. Ibrahim is considered the Father of the Prophets...
(
AbrahamAbraham is the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites and Edomite peoples, as described in the book of Genesis. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and Muslims....
) that, according to Islamic view, has preceded
JudaismJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
and
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
.
Etymology and History of the term
The term is from the Arabic
rootThe roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or "radicals"...
meaning "to incline, to decline" (Lane 1893) from the Syriac root of the same meaning. The
is the law of Abraham; the verb
means "to turn away from (idolatry)", with a secondary and subsequent meaning of "to become circumcised". In the verse 3:27 of the Quran it has also been translated as "upright person" and outside the Quran as "to incline towards a right state or tendency".
It appears to have been used earlier by
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
s and
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
s in reference to 'pagans' and applied to followers of an old
HellenizedHellenization is a term used to describe the spread of ancient Greek culture, and to a lesser extent, language. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon...
SyroSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
-
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
ian religion and used to taunt early Muslims.
In the Quran
2:135-136 135. And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided." Say: "Nay, (We follow) only the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham), the Hanif, and he was not of those who worshipped others along with Allah (arabs, read Quran 9:97). 136. Say: "We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaque (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), and to Al-Asbat (the tribes), and that which has been given to Moosa (Moses) and Iesa (Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)." 3:67-69 67. Ibrahim (Abraham) was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim Hanifa and he was not of Al-Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...). 68. Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, such like this Apostle and those who believe: And Allah is the Protector of those who have faith. 69. A party of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish to lead you astray (with the help of the arabs surat Muhammad ayat 26 (47:26)). But they shall not lead astray anyone except themselves, and they perceive not. 3:95 Say: "Allah has spoken the truth; so follow the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) the Hanifa, and he was not of Al-Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...)." 4:125-127 125. And who can be better in religion than one who submits his face (himself) to Allah; and he is a Muhsin (a good-doer). And follows the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) the Hanifa. And Allah did take Ibrahim (Abraham) as a Khalil (an beloved friend). 126-127. ...They ask your legal instruction concerning women, say: Allah instructs you about them... 6:161 Say: "Truly, my Lord has guided me to a Straight Path, a right religion, the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) the Hanifa and he was not of Al-Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...)." 10:105 "And (it is inspired to me): Direct your face entirely towards the religion Hanifa, and never be one of the Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...). 16:120 Verily, Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah (a nation of muslims/islam), obedient to Allah, Hanifa , and he was not one of those who were Al-Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...). 16:123 Then, We have inspired you: "Follow the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) the Hanifa, and he was not of the Mushrikoon (arabs/christians)(sunni/shiia/.../babtist/methodist/...). and also these: 30:17-32 and 98:1-8
Concept/image of Arabs in the Quran
9:97 The Arabs are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy , and are more likely to ignore the limits which Allah hath revealed unto His messenger. And Allah is all-knowing, Wise.
By Mushrikoon Arabs
The term has been used synonymously with the term
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
in reference to a historical Islam, extending upon the belief of Islam being a restoration of the pure monotheistic religion of Abraham - this pure religion Muslims considered to be related to
the Jewish and Christian religionsTaḥrīf is an Arabic term used by Muslims with regard to irrepairable alterations Islamic tradition supposes Jews and Christians to have made to Biblical manuscripts, specifically those that make up the Tawrat , Zabur and Injil.Traditional Muslim scholars, based on Qur'anic and other traditions,...
- by stating that they followed the "...religion of Ibrahim, the hanif, the Muslim..." It has been theorized by Watt that the
verbkalleah hit meIn syntax, a verb is a word that usually denotes an action , an occurrence , or a state of being . Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice...
al term Islam; arising from the
participleIn linguistics, a participle is a derivative of a non-finite verb, which can be used in compound tenses or voices, or as a modifier...
form of Muslim (meaning: surrendered to God); may have only arisen as an identifying descriptor for the religion in the late
Medinan periodThe period of Muhammad in Medina started with the Migration to Medina in 622 and ended with the Conquest of Mecca in 630.-Hijra to Medina:A delegation from Medina, consisting of the representatives of the twelve important clans of Medina, invited Muhammad as a neutral outsider to Medina to serve as...
.
Muslim scholars took the term
hanif and its abstract noun
haniffiya in two senses: as a synonym for historical Islam in the sense of the revealed to Muhammad and practiced by Muslims, and the other as natural state of monotheism of which Ibrāhīm was a significant but not the sole practitioner.
Mushrikoon Arab views
At the time before the
ProphetIn religion, a prophet is a person who has been contacted by, or has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans...
MuhammadMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
received his first revelations of Islam, the city of
MeccaMecca , sometimes spelled Makkah is the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion. The city is modern, cosmopolitan and whilst being closed to non-Muslims is nonetheless ethnically diverse.Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants...
was mainly polytheistic. Many Muslim traditions point to a small group of Meccan men and women that detested the use of the
KaˤabaThe Kaaba is a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The building predates Islam, and, according to Islamic tradition, the first building at the site was built by Abraham. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram...
by the polytheists and kept their practice of religion monotheistic as was taught by earlier
prophetsMuslims regard as prophets of Islam those non-divine humans chosen by Allah . Mere humans rely on revelation or tradition to identify prophets....
in the region. One such earlier prophet was
IbrāhīmAbraham is the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites and Edomite peoples, as described in the book of Genesis. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and Muslims....
(Abraham), who is also believed to have built the Kaˤba and is the father of the Muslims/believers through his faith, according to both the Bible and the Quran.
According to Islamic belief, these people regularly spent some of their time away from the polytheist environment and made many retreats to nearby hills to pray. One such hill was Ḥirā' which is believed to be the location where Muhammad received his revelations from the Archangel
GabrielIn Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger from God....
(Jibreel) which were later recorded as the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
.
The only ḥanīf mentioned by name in the Qur'ān is Ibrāhīm. Other Islamic sources such as the
sīratSīrah Rasūl Allāh or Sīrat Nabawiyya is the Arabic term used for the various traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad, from which most historical information about his life and the early period of Islam is derived...
,
aḥadīthHadith are oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hadith are regarded by traditional schools of jurisprudence as important tools for determining the Muslim way of life, the sunnah. Hadith were originally oral traditions of Muhammad's actions and customs...
, and
tafsīrTafsir is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. It does not include esoteric or mystical interpretations, which are covered by the related word Ta'wīl...
go into further detail on the ħunafā. They are said to be Arabs who held to the "pure" religion of Ibrāħīm and were not seduced into polytheism. This includes the followers of Ibrāhīm and of his sons
Ismā'īlIshmael is a figure in the Torah, Bible, and Qur'an. Jews, Christians and Muslims believe Ishmael is Abraham's eldest son and first born. Ishmael is born of Sarai's handmaiden Hagar...
(Ishmael) and
IsḥāqIsaac or Ishak ) was the only child of Abraham and Sarah, and the father of Jacob and Esau, described in the Hebrew Bible. He is regarded as one of the three patriarchs of the Jewish people...
(Isaac).
Muslims are far from unanimous as to who was a ḥanīf and how many ḥunafā' there were.
List of hanifs
- Ibrahim
, the biblical patriarch Abraham , is an important prophet in Islam. He is the son of Tarekh and the father of the Prophet Ismail -his first born son- and the Prophet Ishak his second born. Ibrahim is considered the Father of the Prophets...
- Ismael
Ismaël is a given name or surname, and may refer to:* Ismaël Alassane , Nigerien football defender* Ismaël Bangoura , Guinean football striker* Ismaël Bouzid , Algerian football player...
- Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf
- Abdul Muttalib
- ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib
- Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib
Abū Ṭālib ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib was an Arab leader, the head of the clan of Banu Hashim. He was married to Fatima bint Asad and was an uncle of Muhammad...
- Muhammad
Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
- Ali
' was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661...
- Said ibn Zayd
The four friends in
MeccaMecca , sometimes spelled Makkah is the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion. The city is modern, cosmopolitan and whilst being closed to non-Muslims is nonetheless ethnically diverse.Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants...
from
Ibn IshaqMuḥammad ibn Isḥaq ibn Yasār was an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer. He collected oral traditions that formed the basis of the first biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
's account:
- Zaid ibn Amr ibn Nufail
Zayd ibn Umar father of Sa'id ibn Zayd Companion of Muhammad who is one of whom Sunnis honour as one of the the Ten Promised Paradise.-Biography:...
: rejected both Judaism and Christianity
- Waraqah ibn Nawfal
Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Assad ibn Abd al-Uzza ibn Qusayy Al-Qurashi was the parental cousin of Khadija, Muhammad's first wife.-Overview:...
: converted to Christianity
- Uthman ibn Huwarith: travelled to the Byzantine
The word Byzantine may refer to:Topics directly related to the Byzantine Empire* A citizen of The Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Empire and converted to Christianity
- Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh
Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh was the brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh. He is one of the four monotheistic hanifs mentioned by Ibn Ishaq. The others being Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Uthman ibn Huwarith and Zayd ibn Umar....
: early Muslim convert who emigrated to Abyssinia and then converted to Christianity.
Hanif opponents of Islam from Ibn Ishaq's account:
- Abu Amir Abd Amr ibn Sayfi: a leader of the tribe of Aws
AWS or aws can mean:* Abyss Web Server* Advanced Wireless Services* Affordable Weapon System, cruise missile system built into standard shipping container by Titan Corporation for US Navy’s Office of Naval Research...
at MedinaMedina is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province...
and builder of the "Mosque of the Schism" mentioned in the Quranic verse and later allied with the QurayshQuraysh or Quraish was the dominant tribe of Mecca upon the appearance of the religion of Islam...
then moved to Taif and onto SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
after subsequent Muslim conquestsMuslim conquests , also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, began after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
.
- Abu Qays ibn al-Aslat
The
hanafiyya are seen as the followers of the religion of Abraham who venerated the
KaabaThe Kaaba is a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The building predates Islam, and, according to Islamic tradition, the first building at the site was built by Abraham. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram...
and differed with the Quraysh and having differed over the "association" of the Lord of the sacred precinct in
MeccaMecca , sometimes spelled Makkah is the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion. The city is modern, cosmopolitan and whilst being closed to non-Muslims is nonetheless ethnically diverse.Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants...
with other
godGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
s. Some of the "devotional practices" of Islam attributed to them include the veneration of the Kaaba, the pilgrimages of the
HajjThe Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca . It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
and
umraUMRA is an abbreviation that stands for:*Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista, an anti-fascist organization for military members in Spain during the Second Spanish Republic...
, the standing at
ArafatArafat is a surname or given name, and may refer to:* Yasser Arafat * Arafat Waheed Khan , 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot suspect* Fathi Arafat , Palestinian physician...
and Muzdalifa and the sacrificing of camels.
The hanīfiyya have been the subject of academic controversy and accounts of natural "Arab" monotheist have not been universally accepted by Western scholars, with some instances being generally ascribed to special pleading, such as for Waraqa, while G.R. Hawting rejects the Muslim explanations believing that they are later distortions.
As a name
, capitalized, can also be a common Arabic
proper name"A proper name [is] a word that answers the purpose of showing what thing it is that we are talking about" writes John Stuart Mill in A System of Logic , "but not of telling anything about it"...
used for its more literary and poetic definition, "true believer" or "righteous one". The name is used throughout the Muslim world including non-Arabic speaking cultures.