Treating the literal sense as primary does not require ignoring idiom, convention, or context. Equally, attention to convention does not erase every literal meaning in every setting.
A useful order of inquiry:
1. Is the literal meaning feasible in the present context?
2. Is it still used, or has ordinary speech abandoned it?
3. Is there an established figurative use?
4. Do the speaker's words, contextual clues, or legally fixed usage establish one meaning?
Some applications attributed to Abu Hanifa and his two students reflect different priorities among these considerations. Those results must be understood in their specific doctrinal contexts.