Was Abu Hanifah weak on hadith?

In a Nutshell: Abu Hanifah was not considered weak by the early muhadithoon. His extensive network of teachers, students, and their scholarly achievements attests to his strong connection to hadith. His teachings and insights had a profound influence on the subsequent generations of scholars, including those who would later compile the famous collections of hadith. Achievements Abu Hanifah (ra) the esteemed jurist and scholar of Islamic jurisprudence, was not generally held as weak by the early muhadithoon. In fact, his position among his contemporaries and subsequent scholars was one of respect and recognition. Abu Hanifah was well-versed in hadith and displayed a keen interest in the prophetic traditions. He was known to seek out narrations and even traveled for the purpose of acquiring and transmitting these traditions. He was meticulous in his approach and ensured that he only narrated those hadith that he had fully memorized. Abu Hanifah's connection to the world of hadith is evident through his teachers, students, and their subsequent generations. He had an impressive list of renowned teachers, including Ata bin Abi Rabah, al-Zuhri, 'Amr ibn Dinaar, al-A'mash, Qatadah, 'Ikrimah, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, al-Sha'bi, and many more. These scholars served as the conduits through which authentic prophetic traditions were transmitted to him. On the other hand, Abu Hanifah's influence extended to his own students, who would later become notable scholars themselves. Prominent among his students were Abu Yusuf al-Qadi, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, Hafs bin Ghiyath, Makki ibn Ibrahim, Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Yahya bin Sa'eed al-Qattaan, Abdurrazzaq, Yazeed ibn Haroon, and Wakee' ibn al-Jarrah, among others. These students were not only well-versed in Islamic jurisprudence but also had a strong foundation in hadith transmission and authentication. ● Abu Yusuf al-qadi (Yahya ibn Ma'een said that none from the ahl al-ra'y cited as many narrations as him; Ahmad ibn Hanbal said he went to Abu Yusuf when he first wanted to seek hadith), ● Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (a teacher of al-shafi'i; a main rawi of Maalik's Muwatta), ● Hafs bin Ghiyath (the qadi and muhaddith), ● Makki ibn Ibrahim (the haafizh, senior teacher of al-Bukhari and the one through whom he narrated most of his thulaathiyaat, al-Dhahabi called him the musnad of Khorasan) ● Abdullah ibn Mubarak (the great faqeeh, who is called Amir ul-mu'mineen fil-hadith, al-Dhahabi called him 'the imam, shaykh al-islam), ● Yahya bin Sa'eed al-Qattaan (the imam of jarh wa ta'deel, al-Dhahabi called him 'Amir ul-mu'mineen fil-hadith'), ● Abdurrazzaq (author of the eponymous musannaf), ● Yazeed ibn Haroon (about whom Ali ibn al-Madini would say he didnt know of anyone who had memorised more narrations than him) ● Wakee' ibn al-Jarrah (about whom, when Ahmad ibn hanbal would narrate a hadith from him, he would say "the one, the likes of whom you have never seen"). The impact of Abu Hanifah's teachings can be observed in the subsequent generations of scholars as well. His students, who became torch-bearers of his knowledge, went on to teach illustrious figures such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma'een, Ali ibn al-Madini, Ishaq bin Rahwayh, and Ibn Abi Shaybah, who themselves became authorities in the field of hadith. Scholarly Quotations Throughout history, prominent scholars of hadith held Abu Hanifah in high regard. Al-Dhahabi, Makki ibn Ibrahim, Abu Dawood, Ali ibn al-Madini, and Yahya ibn Ma'een all praised his scholarship, trustworthiness, and dedication to understanding and transmitting authentic narrations. Their statements affirm his credibility and refute claims of weakness or ignorance regarding hadith. Al-Dhahabi said: الإمام ، فقيه الملة ، عالم العراق أبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت "The imaam, the absolute faqeeh, the scholar of 'Iraq, Abu Hanifah al-Nu'maan bin Thaabit." وعني بطلب الآثار ، وارتحل في ذلك ، وأما الفقه والتدقيق في الرأي وغوامضه ، فإليه المنتهى والناس عليه عيال في ذلك . "And according to me, he did seek out narrations and he travelled too for this purpose. And as for the subtleties of providing a (shar'i) opinion and correct judgement, then he was at the peak and the people are merely like children (dependant) upon him in that." [Al-Dhahabi's Siyar a'laam al-Nubalaa] Makki ibn Ibrahim (a narrator from Abu Hanifah, teacher of Bukhari and Ahmad and narrator in the 6 collections) said: "He was the most knowledgeable of the people in his time (kana a’lama ahli zamanihi)." [Khateeb baghdadi's Tareekh al Baghdad, authentic] Abu Dawood said: “Allah have mercy on Malik, he was an Imam. Allah have mercy on al-Shafi‘i, he was an Imam. Allah have mercy on Abu Hanifah, he was an Imam.” [Al-Intiqa fi Fada’il al-A’immat al-Thalathat al-Fuqaha] Conclusion Abu Hanifah was not considered weak by the early muhadithoon. His extensive network of teachers, students, and their scholarly achievements attests to his strong connection to hadith. His teachings and insights had a profound influence on the subsequent generations of scholars, including those who would later compile the famous collections of hadith.