BILIMNAME, vol.28, no.1, pp.247-262, 2015 (ESCI)
Tabaqah in the language of the Arab means rank (class, category) and status, (situation, circumstance). In scientific terminology, Tabaqat (plural form of tabaqah) means the notable individuals of same level of knowledge in science or profession in the same period or in the different periods. Tabaqat arranges not through events but through people. Arranging people by rank, class or generation in science or profession in Islam first appeared during the emergence of Islam. Muslim scholars with the aim of protecting Sunnah which is the second source of Islamic Law from false attributes established certain rules in the selection of narrators thus tabaqat science came into existence. Later on it expanded and included the spheres of History, Literature, Fiqh (Islamic Law), Tafseer (Commentary of The Quran) and after its development this science was divided into several branches such as Tabaqatu'l-Fuqaha, Tabaqatu's-Suara, Tabaqatu'l-Mufessirin, Tabaqatu'l-Kurra. In some cases The Tabaqat Books (biographical dictionaries) were organized according to profession, city, chronological order or religious doctrines. The importance of writing the biographies of Fuqaha stems from the fact that at the time of divergence of views whose opinion will be preferred. The Books of Tabaqatu'l-Hanafiya were written before Kinalizade's Tabaqat. But Kinalizade's Tabaqatu'l-Hanafiya gives the biographies of Hanafi scholars briefly and begins with Imam Abu Hanifa, ends with Kemal Pasazade. Style of Kinalizade in this book is terse and sources of it are biography books. Place of Kinalizade's Tabaqat among Tabaqatu'l-Hanafiya books is privileged. Because, in spite of it's brevity, it contains a large numbers of biographies. It's manuscripts are abundant in the Islamic Libraries. This is an evidence that it was in demand. The manuscript attributed to Taskopruzade and published by the name of Tabaqatu'l-Fukaha is claimed that it's in fact Kinalizade's Tabaqatu'l-Hanafiya.