What happened in 699 ad.

• Birth of Imam Abu Hanifa, Islamic scholar (d. 767)

Map of the Muslim world. Hanafi (grass green) is the Sunni school predominant in Turkey, the Northern Middle East, many parts of Egypt, Central Asia and most of the Indian subcontinent

Abu Hanifa is regarded as one of the greatest jurists of Arab civilization and one of the major legal philosophers of the entire human community.[15] He attained a very high status in the various fields of sacred knowledge and because of his brilliant intellect influenced the development of Muslim theology.[16]

During his lifetime, he was acknowledged as a jurist of the highest calibre.[17]

The honorific title "al-Imam al-A'zam" or the greatest leader, granted to him[18] both in communities where his legal theory is followed and elsewhere, attests to the amount of respect he has been accorded. According to some, Abu Hanifa’s followers make up more than 1/3 of the world’s Muslim population.[19] Others hold the true figure to be over 1/2 of the Muslim population.[20]

Despite, the overall positive views held regarding Abu Hanifa, he also had some critics. The Zahiri scholar Ibn Hazm refers to Sufyan ibn `Uyaynah, who is reported to have said that “the affairs of men were in harmony until they were changed by Abù Hanìfa in Kùfa, al-Batti in Basra and Màlik in Medina”.[21] Early Muslim jurist Hammad ibn Salamah once related a story about a highway robber who posed as an old man to hide his identity, remarking that were the robber still alive he would have been a follower of Abu Hanifa.[22]

Outside of his scholarly achievements Abu Hanifa was recognised as a man of the highest personal qualities: learned, a performer of good works, remarkable for his self-denial, humble sprit, devotion and pious awe of God.[23]

His tomb, surmounted by a dome erected by admirers in 1066 is still a shrine for pilgrims.[24]