What was Imam Abu Hanifa’s connection to Sufism?

Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah, the great Hanafi jurist, is the Imam of Imams and the exemplar of the Sunnites. He is one of the greatest Muslim theologians and jurists, as well as an authority on the principles of Sufism.

At first, he wished to go into seclusion and abandon the society, as his heart was devoid of the worldly desires. One night, however, he dreamt that he was collecting the bones of the Messenger ﷺ from the tomb, choosing some and discarding others. He awoke in terror and asked one of the pupils of Muhammad ibn Sirin rahimahullah to interpret the dream.

The scholar said to him: "You will attain a high rank in knowledge of the Apostle ﷺ and in preserving his ordinance (Sunnah), you will sift what is genuine from what is spurious." Another time, Abu Hanifa rahimahullah dreamt that the Apostle ﷺ said to him: "You have been created for the purpose of reviving my ordinance."

Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah spent all his life in compiling Hadith, and he was the master of many great Sufi Mashaikh, such as Ibrahim ibn Adham rahimahullah, Fudayl ibn 'Iyad rahimahullah, Dawud Ta'i rahimahullah and Bishr Hafi rahimahullah.