Hanif (Arabic حنيف, plural hunafa حنفاء) is an Islamic Arabic term that is now commonly believed to refer to people who during the time of Jahiliya, or ignorance, rejected the idolatry in their society.

The literal translation of hanif is "monotheist", referring to any person who was not poly- or pantheistic before the advent of Islam.

Muslim views

At the time before the Islamic prophet Muhammad received his first revelations of Islam, the city of Mecca was mainly polytheistic. Many Muslim traditions point to a small group of Meccan men and women that detested the use of the Kaaba by the polytheists and kept their practice of religion monotheistic as was taught by earlier prophets in the region. Muslims believe that one of these was Ibrahim (Abraham), who they also believe to have built the Kaaba.

According to Islamic belief, these people regularly spent some of their time away from the polytheist environment and made many retreats to nearby hills to pray. One such hill was Hira which is believed to be the location where Muhammad recieved his revelations from the Archangel Gabriel (Jibreel) which were later recorded as the Qur'an.

The only hanif mentioned by name

Muslims are far from unanimous as to who was a hanif, or how many hanifs there were. Particularly divisive is the question of the status of Muhammad and his cousin Ali. Shi'a Muslims claim that Muhammad and Ali were both hanifs from birth and that they were not sullied by participation in pagan rites. Other Islamic scholars point to sources that have Muhammad being presented to the god Hubal by his polytheist uncle.

Non-Muslim views

The hanifiyya have been the subject of much academic controversy. Some have accepted the Muslim account. Other scholars, such as G.R. Hawting, reject the Muslim explanations, and believe that they are later distortions.

As a name

Hanif, capitalized, can also be a common Arabic proper name used for its more literary and poetic definition, "true believer".

References

• Hawting, G.R. -- The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam: From Polemic to History, Hawting; Cambridge University Press, 1999

Hânif