Imam A'zam's Encounter with the Caliph al-Mansur

Question

Every government that does not conform to the Qur'an and Sunna is void (batil). If, under such a void government, some secret organisation were to gather Muslims and wage jihad, would this accord with the Sacred Law or not? A similar case occurred in the time of Imam Abu Hanifa ﵀, in the days of the ruler al-Mansur. Please answer with a proof.

Answer

What army Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa ﵀ raised against al-Mansur, and whether he waged armed jihad (qital), is not known to me; neither in the biography of the Imam nor in the history of al-Mansur have I found any mention of such an army or armed struggle.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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