Abu Hanifa was an influential Islamic scholar and theologian born in 699 CE in Kufa, Iraq. He is best known as the founder of the Hanafi school of thought, one of the four major Sunni Islamic legal schools. His teachings emphasized reason and personal judgment in interpreting Islamic law, which contributed to the development of Islamic jurisprudence. Abu Hanifa's approach to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) was characterized by a reliance on the Quran and Hadith, as well as the use of analogy and consensus among scholars. He gained a large following during his lifetime and his legal opinions continue to be significant in many Muslim communities today.