Once, a women came to Abu Hanifa (رحمالله) to sell a silk garment. Abu Hanifa asked ” How much is it?” She replied, “one hundred.” He said, “It is worth more than a hundred. How much?”
So the woman increased the price by hundred, and again, and when it reached four hundred, Abu Hanifa said, “It should be more than that.” The woman said, ” you are mocking me.”
So, Abu Hanifa said, “bring a man to value it.” She brought a man, and he valued it at five hundred.
It shows the heedfulness of Imam Abu Hanifa in buying in trade: where one can easily deceive the selling party, he played a role to the advantage of the woman.
In another incident, a woman came to buy garment from Imam Abu Hanifa (رحمالله) and stated, “I am weak and I put myself in your hands. Sell me this garment for what it costs you.”
Abu Hanifa replied, “take it for four dirhams.” She retorted, “do not mock me. I am an old woman.”
Then Abu Hanifa said, “I bought two garments, and sold one of them for the cost of both, less four dirhams. This garment is then worth four dirhams.”
It shows another quality of Imam Abu Hanifa, he would sometimes forgo profit if the buyer was weak.
And thus it shows the quality of a TRUE tradesman, one in purchasing, the other in selling. And it also proves that scholars are the ones who TRULY fear Allah.
Abu Zahra, Muhammad. The Four Imams. Aligarh: Millat Book Centre. 135.