Ibn Hubayrah wanted to entrust the post of judge (Qada) to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), but he refused to accept it. Upon this refusal of Imam Abu Hanifah, he took an oath that if the Imam did not accept the post of judge, he would flog him and then throw him into prison.

Despite his repeated attempts, Imam Abu Hanifah refused to accept the post of judge, so Ibn Hubayrah had Imam Abu Hanifah flogged to such an extent that his face and head became swollen from the beating. Imam Abu Hanifah said:

(( الضَّرْبُ بِالسِّیَا طِ فِی الدُّنْیَا أَھْوَن عَلَیَّ مِنَ الضَّرْبِ بِمَقَاطِعِ الْحَدِیدِ فِی الآخِرَۃِ ))

"Enduring floggings in this world is far easier for me than facing iron maces in the Hereafter."

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(1) Imam Abu Hanifah Numan bin Thabit (RA) was a very great Islamic scholar and jurist (Faqih). He was born in 80 AH / 699 AD. He used to manufacture and trade in Khazz (silk cloth) in Kufa. Imam Abu Hanifah was a student of Imam Hammad (RA). After Ibn Hubayrah, Caliph Mansur also wanted to appoint him as a judge but he did not agree, so Mansur imprisoned him in 146 AH. He passed away while still in prison in Baghdad in 150 AH / 767 AD. Imam Yusuf, Imam Muhammad, and Imam Zufar were his renowned students.

(Urdu Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. 1, pp. 783-784)