Why are the Sunnis Indebt to Imam Sadiq (AS)?

Imam Sadiq laid down the foundation for all Muslims, including non-Shias, to benefit from his teachings. Among them were the famous Islamic scholars, Abu-Hanifa and Malik ibn Anas, the founders of the Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought, respectively. Abu-Hanifa was a student of the Imam for two years. He had said, “If it wasn’t for those two years, I would have perished.” Malik ibn Anas was another student of the Imam in Medina. He had said that whenever he came to the Imam, he would see the Imam fasting, praying, or reciting supplications. In the decades that followed, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i, the founder of the Shafi’i school of thought, became a prominent student of Malik ibn Anas. Also, later, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the founder of the Hanbali school of thought, became a student of Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’i. Therefore, all four schools of thought in the Sunni sect of Islam have benefitted from the Imam’s knowledge, either directly or indirectly and their interpretations of the Islamic law were influenced by his teachings. Even today, Imam Sadiq is highly regarded in all four Sunni schools of thought. Narrations from Imam Sadiq can be found in prominent Sunni books, including Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu-Dawood, Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Muwattaʼ Malik, Sunan Ibn Majah, and Sunan an-Nasa’i. These books are amongst the Kutub al-Sittah, which are the primary books of narrations in the Sunni sect of Islam. The only book within Kutub al-Sittah that has not mentioned any narration from Imam Sadiq is Sahih al-Bukhari.