Student and Teacher - Imaam Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf

I read a beautiful story today. Here's the summary

So Abu Yusuf was a great student of Shaykh Abu Hanifa and he was the best, one time Abu Yusuf became ill, and they thought he was going to die, Abu Hanifa was upset and visited him, he dragged his feet returning back and said that he had wished that after he passed away, that Abu Yusuf would take his place, now though, it didn't seem like it.

Anyway alhamdulillah Abu Yusuf got better, so he bathed and got ready to partake in Abu Hanifa's circle of learning, but as he was going some people informed him of what Abu Hanifa had said regarding him before. Hearing this Abu Yusuf assumed that now he was as knowledgeable as the shaykh. So he went and got his own little circle. Abu Hanifa saw this and asked one of the students whose this circle was, he replied and said it was Abu Yusuf's.

Abu Hanifa went back to his own and asked one his students to go and ask Abu Yusuf a question for it would make him very happy. He explained: Say to him, 'A man gives his garment to a tailor to get it shortened. When he returns to him after a few days to collect it, the tailor denies that he ever had his garment. The man goes to the police to complain, and the police enter the shop and recover his garment for him. The question is: Does the tailor deserve the payment for shortening the garment or not?' If he says to you, 'Yes, he deserves it', tell him he is wrong. And if he says to you, 'No, he does not deserve it', tell him he is wrong.”

So this student went and asked and before he could finish the entire question Abu Yusuf said "yes he deserves payment as long as he has finished the work" the questioner said "you are wrong" Abu Yusuf then said "actually he does not deserve payment" but again he was wrong. Abu Yusuf asked who had asked the question, the student pointed towards Abu Hanifa.

Abu Yusuf got up and from his gathering said "Oh Shaykh! I have a question!" but imaam Abu Hanifa ignored him. So Abu Yusuf got up and came and sat on his knees in front of the shaykh and repeated himself. This time Abu Hanifa responded. Imaam Abu Hanifa said “We check how much he shortened the garment by. If the garment was shortened to match the man’s height, then it means he did the work completely. But then it occurred to him that he should deny having his garment. In this case, he shortened the garment for this man, and therefore he deserves to be paid. But if he had shortened the garment to suit his own height then that means he shortened the garment for himself and therefore does not deserve any payment.”

After that Abu Yusuf kissed Imaam Abu Hanifa on his forehead and remained his student until he passed away.

I got it from the book Enjoy Your Life by Dr Muhammed abd-al-Rahmaan al 'Arifi

nice! jazakAllahu khayr for sharing