Al Hafiz al-Kabir Abu Bakr Ahmad al- Harizmi wrote in his book (Musnad), 'Saif al Aimma' reports that when Imam Abu Hanifah derived a matter from the Qur'an and Hadith, he would not give the answer to the inquirer unless all of them (his students) confirmed it. One thousand of Abu Hanifah's disciples attended all his classes when he taught in the mosque of Kufa city. Forty of them were mujtahids. When he would find an answer for a matter he would suggest to his students who would study it together, and when they reached an agreement of it being consistent with The Qur'an and Hadith, and with the words of the Sahabah, he would be delighted and say, "Al-hamdu li'llah wallahu Akbar", and all those who were present would repeat his words. Then he would tell them to write it down.
Ibn 'Abd al- Barr relates in al-Intiqa', 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Dawraqi said: "Ibn Ma'inn was asked about Abu Hanifah as I was listening, so he said "He is trustworthy (thiqatun), I never heard that anyone had weakened him" No less than Shu'ba wrote to him (for narrations), and ordered him to narrate hadith'. Ibn Hajar said in Kharija ibn al Salt's notice in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Ibn Abi Khaythama said: "If al Shu'bi narrates from someone and names him, that man is trustworthy (thiqa) and his narration is used as proof (yuhtajju bi hadithihi)".
